NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS v BRAVES

September 30, 2003

Mike Hampton

MIKE HAMPTON: It's huge playing for somebody like Bobby Cox, being around the game so long. I've never lost the confidence in myself, and I know the ability I have that I can still play this game and do a pretty good job on it. The change of atmosphere, getting into this organization and getting back with a chance to win, there are a lot of plusses heading into it. It was just me getting back to myself, and I think I've done that in the second half.

MIKE HAMPTON: From the first day of Spring Training, you get a sense of it, and this whole organization is about winning and they've done it well for a long time. You feed off that and want to be a part of that, and be a plus, as opposed to a negative for the team. You want to go out and do your part. It's definitely a good feeling and a plus from my side.

MIKE HAMPTON: That's easy, yes.

MIKE HAMPTON: I knew if if I got back to where I was before the second half of my first season in Colorado, I knew I could be the type of pitcher a team could rely on to get to the next level. I've never lacked confidence and I've got a pretty good stream of confidence right now and I'll keep it rolling.

MIKE HAMPTON: Boy, if I knew the answer to that, I probably would still be in Colorado. So, if anything, it's just lack of consistency, maybe a little bit of self doubt, but I don't have all the answers. I kind of put that in the past and I've moved forward, and I have been able to do that. We worked pretty hard to get to this spot and we're not dwelling on the past. We're looking towards the future.

MIKE HAMPTON: No, putting a lot of extra hours in with Leo and working to get consistency back.

MIKE HAMPTON: I definitely thought serious about it. I've got a lot of respect for the organization as well. I have a lot of respect for him, and I knew how my agent felt about him and the organization so we put a lot of serious thought into it.

MIKE HAMPTON: I let my actions on the field speak for themselves. All the papers and media can say what they want. They have an incredible pitching staff that have done really well this year. When you go into the post-season you wipe the slate clean.

MIKE HAMPTON: He's great. He's such an artist. Just watching him pitch day-to-day, the process he goes through to get to each start, I mean, he works hard at it, not just showing up, he works hard on the mound and in his preparation for the game. If anything, my preparation for the game to game is a lot better.

MIKE HAMPTON: It's pretty easy in the post-season to let your emotions get the best of you. That's probably the biggest task for me is to be able to control that. It's going to be -- I expect a really great atmosphere, and the biggest task for me is going to be able to control that and I think if I do that, I will be fine.

MIKE HAMPTON: If I can pick one thing, I would say he's a little more patient. He swings at better pitches, and when you face a guy like that, with his caliber of talent you have to keep the ball in the middle zone and go with your best stuff. If you doubt yourself one second, that's when he's got you. He's made some adjustments and in turn, it's time for me to make adjustments as well.

MIKE HAMPTON: If you let the crowd play into it or the situation, dictate the way you pitch. You have to dictate the situation. I can pretty much tell when it's going the opposite. For me I have to take a step back and realize the situation and give myself every opportunity to succeed.

MIKE HAMPTON: I kind of call it a quiet confidence. We have a lot of confident players on our team, confident in our ability. The best team is going to win. Whoever shows up and plays the best is going to win. These are two pretty equally matched teams and whoever plays the best is going to win. That's the bottom line.