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AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYS

October 1, 2011

Joe Maddon

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Two

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Joe Maddon has joined us. If you have questions.

Q. Joe, you guys are listing it a voluntary workout tomorrow. What is your thought process on that?
JOE MADDON: I don't care if anybody shows up. I just know that some guys have to be there for the media. So you guys are making our players show up tomorrow basically. Otherwise, I would rather them stay at home, get some good sleep, go to have a good dinner and show up and play the game the next day. That's what I would prefer.
But under the rules and guidelines we have to show up tomorrow, so that's how we are doing it.

Q. But you don't think they need any work at this stage?
JOE MADDON: I would hope not. Right now this part of the year, this is when you need to be fresh mentally and physically. They know how to swing a bat, pick up a ground ball I believe by now.
What we may do, some of the pitchers that are on the other list, we might get them to throw a little bit to maybe some of the hitters that are not on the actual active roster right now. We're talking about something like that. I am waiting on Hick. Like Ramos, Sonnanstine, De La Rosa, Niemann, those kind of guys, and then possibly get like Canzler and Guyer and those folks, Ruggiano, to hit a little bit.
If that were to happen, I am happy with that, good with that kind of stuff. But the regular 25 right now, I would prefer they just rest.

Q. Joe, the fact that Matt was able to go as long as he did and you didn't tax your bullpen at all, does it take a little pressure off James tonight, although we know he would like to go nine innings?
JOE MADDON: It is always good when you can rest your bullpen. The fact what Matt did do is outstanding. But it was also good, I thought, to get Wade into that game yesterday under those circumstances. Not having done that before, with that kind of a lead, we could test and find out how much time it takes him to warm up. He knows what it feels like to come into the game under those circumstances, too.
It worked out well. It is nice -- any time you can give your bullpen rest, it is always a good thing.

Q. Obviously Shields has done something that pitchers don't do much anymore with all of the complete games. Is that a mental thing for a pitcher, a physical thing or combination of the two?
JOE MADDON: I think it is a combo. Because remember in the past there was a lot of times I would pull him later in the game, maybe 105, 106 pitches, because I just thought he was getting too quick with what he was doing. And I think more recently he has been able to not quicken the pace up as it gets closer to the end of the game, and with that he's still able to make quality, good pitches.
Part of it is his physical conditioning, too. This guy really works at it a lot. He's a great -- he has been a great motivator for the rest of our pitching staff for a couple years now.
So it's all of that stuff. But at the end of the day, I'd give the balance to the mental side. It's always a little bit more about what you're thinking, I think. And with him, he's been better to control his emotions later in a game, and I think that's why you saw all of the complete games this year, and furthermore I took him out a couple of times 8 2/3, so that's -- the real destiny for him is on my bad because he could have had two or three more of those. But it just got later in the game, and, again, I thought he had been pushed enough.
Overall it's about his make-up, his way of conditioning, and he just wanted to do that. We had meetings this year in Spring Training, and we do that all of the time. He came into that meeting with us in Spring Training and says, I want to complete more games this year. That's exactly what he said and he did.

Q. Any mental adjustment for you as well?
JOE MADDON: No, it is kind of nice for me as a manager to know you have a guy that can do that. I talked about what it does for your bullpen when you have a pitcher that has that kind of mentality and then is able to follow it through; he makes your bullpen better automatically.
As a manager, you would like to have several guys that are capable of doing that. I think we do. Actually we've had some -- a lot of complete games this year by today's standards. And I think as you look into the future, you may see even more.

Q. With guys like Matt Moore or K-Rod you saw pretty close in 2002, do they have that confidence, that poise on the mound because they have the ability, or is it the other way around? How does it work?
JOE MADDON: The chicken or the egg thing? I don't know. I'm a big believer, okay -- I am a big believer in make-up and character and those kind of things. So I think it starts with that first. I mean, if there's -- there's so many guys out there with the same kind of ability. Okay, Frankie's slider or Matt's fastball velocity. There's a lot of guys that have had that that have not been successful. But the fact that they have -- or they think the way they think and can slow things down in the moment, I think that's what separates them. And that's why, for me, always it's about make-up first and then the skill comes in afterwards.

Q. Joe, has Johnny Damon impacted your team with his passion and love of the game as much as with his insights and wisdom and all of that?
JOE MADDON: Yep. He has a joy for playing every day. He comes and he's always in a great mood. He is always smiling. He is always the same cat that walks in the door. I know I appreciate that; I think his teammates do. He's the kind of guy that can pick somebody up that may have had a poor day the day before just by sitting next to them for two or three minutes and just going over it.
He is unique, and he's been a huge part of our success this year.

Q. As a guy who appreciates versatility as you do and spending so much time in the A.L. West, how unique is a guy like Michael Young, a guy who's been able to stand out at different positions, second, short, third, and now first, and what are your impressions of him?
JOE MADDON: I am a big Michael Young man. I got to know him a couple of years ago a little bit more closely during the All-Star Game, but I always tried to strike up conversations with him.
He is a consummate professional. My God, he plays so many different positions well. But at the same time, how about the level of his offense? He gets big hits. He hits better pitchers. You don't want to make a mistake on him. He is so consistent. He's kind of -- every team would love to have one of those. And for as many years as he has been able to do it here in Texas is really remarkable.
And then to do it at the high level at each position, it's -- and the particular positions. He can go at shortstop anytime, second base anytime, and really turn in a nice game for you.
He is a different cat. And I have a lot of respect for him.

Q. Joe, a lot of players follow playoff losses using them for motivation for the next year. How much, if at all, is last year's series loss motivating the squad?
JOE MADDON: I don't even know that that has been brought up, to be honest with you. I haven't really thought about that in those terms.
Last year we had a nice run and a great team, and so did the Rangers. We just couldn't hit Cliff Lee last year. He was outstanding. The Rangers I think are somewhat better this year in different areas, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
We are an entirely different team than we were last year at the same time. A lot of guys are missing from that group that was here last year, too, regarding looking for revenge in some way.
So I don't really think that's been a motivational factor or force to this point.

Q. Joe, without having seen your lineup, A, how many, if any, left-handed hitters are in today, and yesterday you used three left-handed hitters against C.J. Wilson. Do you believe in not just knee-jerk all righties against lefties?
JOE MADDON: Normally we -- Johnny normally plays against lefties. We have three in there again today. They're all back in there. Johnny normally plays against lefties. Kotch normally plays against lefties, Matt Joyce is the one that normally does not.
We had to make that decision filling out this roster that we are going to play Matt against lefties, and we are. The difference today is in putting Jennings back in the 1-hole, Rodriguez into the 7-hole, and then Kotch and Joyce are going 8 and 9 against this particular left-hander. He is kind of tough. So was the guy yesterday.
But just looking at our information, and I thought that Desmond looked pretty good yesterday. That's what I was concerned about. I thought he had better at-bats. I thought he was more comfortable. So I am looking to put him back on the top because he truly is our leadoff hitter and I want to get him back into that spot. And then I also like Sean lower in the batting order because Sean is the guy that can drive in some runs.
So for all of those different reasons we chose to do it that way today.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Joe.

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