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MLB WORLD SERIES: RANGERS v CARDINALS

October 24, 2011

Ron Washington

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Five

Q. With the bullpen pretty much fully rested tonight, how short a leash will C.J. be on if he gets in any trouble tonight?
RON WASHINGTON: I don't think he'll be on any leash. We'll just go with the flow of the ballgame. I'm expecting C.J. to go out there and keep us in the ballgame for a long period of time. I hope that's the seventh or eighth inning.

Q. You've demonstrated a lot of confidence in Mike Napoli even before he started going well. What did you see there?
RON WASHINGTON: He's a baseball player, and I've watched him for the years that he was in Anaheim, and I watched him grow, and I watched him beat us when I was in Oakland. You know, he's a baseball player, and he brings attitude, he's committed to what he's trying to do, and he's always giving you the effort. He can do quite a few things on the baseball field. And that's why it's easy to commit yourself to those type of players because that's the type of players I have.

Q. Watching you in the dugout you look like you're having a good time. Is this fun? I know there's a lot of pressure but are you having a good time?
RON WASHINGTON: Yes, I am. It's a game. This is my second time at the World Series. I understand what's expected. But I think in order to get the best out of yourself, you have to be relaxed, and more than that, you have to trust what you feel you bring to the table.
I think if my players saw me acting uptight, that would be a reason for them to be uptight. I don't get uptight, so they've got no reason to be uptight. We understand if we go out there on the ballfield and things don't go our way, all I want to do is walk off the field knowing I got beat, I didn't give it to them. And if I got beat, I can live to fight the next day. That's the attitude I have, and that's the attitude my players have.

Q. Before Nelson came here, Nelson Cruz, he was with a couple teams. He's been on waivers, but he seemed to really find a home here in Texas. What has been the key to his development, especially here?
RON WASHINGTON: I think time. Nelson, I think before he arrived here in Texas and finally figured it out, that's what he was doing, figuring it out. We put him on waivers, and no one claimed him. I think that was the third year in a row he had to spend in Triple-A, and he was down there and he was MVP. I don't know if he won the batting title but he was MVP. I know he won the home run title. When he came back that September he hit .300 for us in that little short period of time. And when we went to Spring Training next year, we committed to him that he's our right fielder. "So whatever stopped you from moving forward, the barrier is gone. Now it's up to you." And he took it and he ran with it.

Q. For those of us who don't cover the American League or have not covered you, I wonder if you could talk a little bit about your philosophy in terms of how you handle relationships with your players as well as your coaches.
RON WASHINGTON: Well, my philosophy is I let you do your thing. My coaches, I let them coach. When I decide that there's something that I'd like to see happen that I don't see happening, I talk with them, and they get it done. And my players, I let them play. And when they make mistakes that I think that need to be corrected, I correct it at the time. I don't let it fester. And when they make mistakes and I realize it's a mistake that anybody could make, then I leave them alone. I just let them play.
I let them make mistakes because in this game I think that's what you learn from, the mistakes, more than the things that you do right. I don't ever want them looking over their shoulders. If something is bothering them, I always want them to share it so we can all handle the burden, and that's less burden on you. And that's just the way things have always been. I was like that as a player, and so when I became a manager -- I was like that as a coach. And when I became a manager, I didn't change.
I'm nothing special. I'm a baseball lifer. I love the game. I have a passion for it. And I want my players to feel that way, also. But when it comes time to step in and correct things that aren't the way they should be, I do it matter of factly and I get out of the way and there's no hard feelings.

Q. What kind of physical adjustments has Josh Hamilton had to make to compensate for his injury? And how much do you think it's killing him not to be at his best in the World Series?
RON WASHINGTON: Well, I think it would kill anyone to not be at their best in a World Series. Sometimes it's not the result in a player you're looking for, it's just his presence on the field and what he can do. Josh has a lot of support on this team. In that lineup we don't just depend on Josh. We know Josh is dealing with some ailments, but any minute, in any inning and in any game, nobody knows, Josh may step up and get it done. But he's in a good environment because we're not totally depending on Josh. We would like to see Josh step up and get it done, and before this is over with, we have no doubt he will.
But you know, at this point of the year I think we all are dealing with things, and you just have to deal with it. But he's fortunate enough to be in a lineup where he's supported.

Q. Derek talked a lot last night about your pregame message to him about pitching inside. Obviously your relationship with different players is different. What will your message be to C.J. today as he takes the mound?
RON WASHINGTON: Use all his pitches, got to use the inside part of the plate. Can't stay there, though, because those guys over there will make adjustments. I think if he can use all his pitches and use them in the strike zone, then he could be successful. But if you try to use one part of the plate only and you're not throwing strikes on that part of the plate, then you will be putting people all over the bag and you keep turning the lineup over, and all we'll keep seeing is Albert Pujols walking up to the plate.
He's just got to use his pitches and throw strikes.

Q. Staying along the same lines with C.J., 0-for-3 in the postseason. I know you manage a lot with gut, do you feel like he's due?
RON WASHINGTON: Of course he's due. Every time he's taken the ball, I feel like he's been due. C.J. is a reason we're here. He's physically healthy. He's mentally strong. So we'll give him the ball tonight, and we expect that he will go out there and keep us in the ballgame. That's all we want him to do. He can't determine the amount of runs we put on the board, but what he can do is determine if we can stay in the ballgame and get an opportunity of one swing of the bat to make it happen. That's all we expect out of C.J., and tonight I really believe he's going to give it to us.

Q. Is it accurate you said Matt Harrison is your Game 7 starter regardless of potential weather issues?
RON WASHINGTON: Yes, that's accurate.

Q. You've been here a number of years now. I'm curious how your perception of this area as a sports town has changed from when you got here to where it is now, and if it's changed what you think of it.
RON WASHINGTON: Well, when I first arrived it was nothing but the Dallas Cowboys, but then the Dallas Mavericks -- people love winners, and the Dallas Mavericks became a champion, a world champion, and the Texas Rangers began to develop four years ago, each year making progress. Last year got an opportunity to go to the World Series. And in this business, I don't really consider yourself a winner until you can get the big one, which is the World Series.
But we managed in four years to get there, and now in the fifth year we're there. I think the way the Dallas Cowboys looked yesterday, I think the excitement is coming back. I've never seen so much red, white and blue on the road with a "T" on it since I've been here. I mean, we have fans everywhere now, and we have great fans here that come out and support us. You know, and it's only because we're a winner. Everybody loves a winner.
All of us that compete want to be winners, and I can understand the fans wanting to be around winners, because that's what we want to be. And if you don't accomplish that, at some point you get run out of town.
This town has changed, and I think the Texas Rangers have had a lot to do with some of the changes, but the Dallas Mavericks have, also, and the Dallas Cowboys have always. I know I'm happy to be in Texas.

Q. You do things a little differently, take a lot of risks, gambles, don't necessarily manage by the book. Are you aware when you're managing that you are doing things differently than some traditional managers might?
RON WASHINGTON: I'm doing things according to the personnel I have on my team. I don't think there's anybody in this room that knows my team better than me. I come from a very aggressive background, and I'm going to be aggressive. And that aggressiveness got us where we are. We went from the bottom to the top on the style of baseball that I've learned to play since I've been in the game. I don't call it unorthodox, I just call it taking it to you. I just call it playing baseball. That's what I do.
I'm not as dumb, either, as people think I am (laughter).

Q. I didn't say that.
RON WASHINGTON: No, I'm not saying that. But they call it unorthodox, I just call it reacting to what the game asks you to do. I've got personnel that can do a lot of things, and sometimes those things make us look like we're renegades, but we're not renegades; we can play baseball. And when we're playing our game of baseball, it's very, very, very exciting.

Q. From the center field camera it almost looked like Hamilton had some of his best swings in weeks. I'm curious from your perspective what you saw in his swings last night.
RON WASHINGTON: Well, I thought he was a lot more patient last night. I thought he had a better plan. I think he tried to stay in the big part of the field a lot more last night, which made his balance a lot better. Like I said, when you're dealing with some things, at some point you have to figure out what you have to do to be successful, and I think last night he figured out that you need to try to just stay in the big part of the field, because his hands are quick enough to get inside if they decide to come in there. And I think by staying in the big part of the field, you get better recognition of off-speed stuff.
Last night that's what happened. He did a better job of staying in the big part of the field.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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