|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MLB WORLD SERIES: TIGERS v GIANTSOctober 28, 2012Brandon CrawfordDETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Four Q.  Could you just talk about playing on a team that has the pitching that you guys have, and the luxury that Tim Lincecum could be in the bullpen, and he'd be a lot of teams' starting pitcher in the World Series. BRANDON CRAWFORD: I mean, it's a lot of fun. I've been watching these guys all year, a lot of them last year, also, and they're a lot of fun to play behind. They all go out there and compete, throw all their pitches for strikes, and it's easy to play defense behind them because we kind of know where to set up. But Timmy has been great out of the pen. That's what we needed from him. He kind of went out there with the attitude of whatever we need to do to win, and he's been doing great for us. Q. We see people like Blanco and Pagan show up here and instantly fit in, Zito and Lincecum had some rough times and come back terrific in the postseason. What is it about the atmosphere the rest of you create that allows guys to fit in right away or to bounce back? What makes guys feel a part of it, no matter how new they are or how they might be going at the moment? BRANDON CRAWFORD: I think we're a pretty close‑knit group. Our clubhouse is relaxed. We have a good time. We're just kind of like a family‑type atmosphere. We all care about each other, and it doesn't matter what you've done before, it's what you do now. They're all going out there and trying to do the best they can for us. Q. Understanding that you guys want to win every day, is there an urgency to win today so you do not have to face Verlander again and possibly get this thing back to SanFrancisco? BRANDON CRAWFORD: We've been doing a great job in the postseason so far of taking it one game at a time. We always go out here every day trying to win, no matter what the situation is, whether it's Verlander or anybody else pitching the next day. We're trying to win today, and that's just kind of been our attitude the whole postseason. Q. What is it about Bruce Bochy do you think that has made him such a good manager, and from your perspective being one of the younger guys? Also, have you ever seen him loosen up a little bit and be more funny around you guys than he is around us? BRANDON CRAWFORD: Yeah, he has a pretty dry sense of humor. He'll joke around with us a lot. Like I was saying about our clubhouse, he's the same way. He's laid back, he's relaxed, he has a good time, and he trusts us. I mean, he's done a good job of‑‑ especially with me and Belt this year being young guys, he just keeps throwing us back out there. We've had our struggles this year, but he had confidence in us and kept throwing us back out there, and we're here now. He did a good job with us. Q. You want to win this for your teammates, for your own pride as a professional, but as a Bay area guy, are you also thinking what it would mean to the Bay area to bring home a championship? BRANDON CRAWFORD: Yeah. I mean, I was a fan for about 20 years. You know, I know how much the Giants' fans want a championship and how exciting it was a couple years ago when we won. You know, we want to bring it back to SanFrancisco for sure. Q. You guys have been playing very good defense in this series. Is there somebody on the coaching staff that works with you guys on that, or is defense something you talk about a lot in the room before you go out to play? BRANDON CRAWFORD: We have a few guys that work with us defensively, Ron Wotus, our bench coach, works with the infielders mostly. Roberto Kelly works with the outfielders. We don't talk about it a whole lot. I know we've struggled a little bit the first half of the year with making errors, and we got some heat about that I think the first half. But the second half we've been lights‑out I think defensively, and I think it's helped out a lot this postseason. Q. As a Californian, how tough or easy is it to play in this kind of weather? BRANDON CRAWFORD: We play in SanFrancisco, it's pretty cold and windy out there. We know it's the same for everybody out there, it's cold for everybody out there. You know, we don't think about it a whole lot. We get used to it. Q. I know you said you take one game at a time, however, is there an extra excitement about the potential today that you could be celebrating and be world champs going into this game? BRANDON CRAWFORD: Yeah, we're definitely excited. We know we're up 3‑0. We're excited, but we're going to go out there with the attitude that it's tied up still, that we're going to just try and win today no matter what the circumstances are. Q. Like Mark said, you guys have been playing real nice defense, but in terms of the spectacular plays, it seems that with Gregor, with you, Marco earlier in the postseason, can that be a difference maker when it's all about pitching and defense? Because you're taught to make the routine plays, but how important regarding the spectacular‑‑ making plays to rob the batter and things like that? BRANDON CRAWFORD: I think it says a lot about our team athleticism, with Blanco and Pagan and Hunter out in the outfield making sliding or diving catches it seems like every game, and then me and Marco making some plays up the middle. It seems like we kind of stop rallies from starting. I know Blanco has made a couple catches that have taken away runs. Marco's play against the Cardinals and mine last night stopped a possibility of a rally starting. So I mean, combined with the pitching, I think our defense has been solid, and it's tough to beat us when we're doing that. Q. Aside from the obvious, what they bring on the field, when you get mid‑season additions like Hunter Pence or Marco Scutaro, what does it do for the morale of the clubhouse in terms of believing that management feels you have a legit chance? BRANDON CRAWFORD: I think it kind of expresses their confidence in us, you know, going out and getting guys like that to help us into the postseason. It just shows that they're confident we'll get there, and it just shows their commitment to us winning. And both of them have been outstanding since we got them. Q. What's it been like having Brian Wilson in the dugout all the time since he can't play? They show him all the time on TV, and he looks quite animated and sometimes quite crazed. Is he actually like that? BRANDON CRAWFORD: He's exactly like that, yeah. He's fun to be around. He just keeps us all going, keeps us excited. Like I said, we're a pretty loose clubhouse, so he kind of just expresses that more openly, I think. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|