AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v YANKEES

October 4, 1999

Aaron Sele

AARON SELE: Well, I think any time it's an important series, it's nice to get out and win Game 1. I don't think it's imperative that we win Game 1, but we're going to go out there and give it 110 percent like we've done all year and just see what happens.

AARON SELE: The Yankees have a lot of experience. They make you throw a lot of pitches. They work it to count so they can get a good swing at the ball, and you just have to throw a lot of strikes to them and make your pitches. They're not the defending World Champions for nothing.

AARON SELE: Well, our final goal is to get to the World Series and win the World Series. And you've got to get past everybody. So extra strong, you could probably throw any team out there and it would be an extra strong desire.

AARON SELE: Well, you can't compare last year's team to this year's team. I mean, it wouldn't be fair. Wouldn't be fair to either team, really. This year, we've got a bunch of guys that play hard. You know, we go out there, give it 110 percent for nine innings. We've got a pitching staff that we've used differently all year long, and they have to respond to their roles. It's just, you know, we've got a good group of guys out there that want to win.

AARON SELE: I haven't pitched in Yankee Stadium in a playoff setting yet. But being here last year, the Yankees have some of the best fans in baseball. They come out and really support their home team. But they do that in July also; so it's hard to say.

AARON SELE: You know, with my wife expecting and her not being here, of course, I'm very concerned about her and the baby. So I think that, you know, I try to turn that into a positive. I can focus on baseball while I'm here, and when I'm away from the park, then I can turn my attention back to my family. I think that's what most players try to do, especially in this situation. Like you said, with the impending birth of our first child, we're getting really excited about that, and there's a lot more nerves associated with that than there is with baseball.

AARON SELE: Any time you talk about Rafael, you know, you got to talk nothing but positives. He's a great player. He's added a lot of offense to our team. He's a real positive person in the clubhouse, and, you know, I think anybody in baseball would like to have a guy like that on their team.

AARON SELE: Really, that's why, in the -- during the regular season, it's a five-day rotation. That's why you try to maintain your normal work habits. You try to get in a normal routine, and I've tried to maintain that. I've had six days, which happens during the season also. I've really just tried to maintain the same: Throw on the same days, lift on the same days, run on the same days, and that kind of monotonous routine kind of takes away all the added pressure of your nerves, or whatever you want to call it.

AARON SELE: Well, personally, I don't really think about it. Last two years, we've had real tight games with the Yankees, even in the regular season. And, you know, it's two good ball teams playing real hard, and, you know, we both know that there's going to be some opportunities during the course of the game that we need to take advantage of for either team to win.

AARON SELE: He's a quality pitcher. He's given them a lot of good innings, a lot of good games. Good thing I don't have to hit against him.

AARON SELE: Really, it's not going to be any different than any other game. You just have to keep your focus and concentrate on what your game plan is. I think if you try to add anything or change anything, that's when you just kind of disrupt what you've been teaching yourself all year to do.

AARON SELE: Don't pitch on days it rains. Really, it's like any other game, other than the media circus and the extra hype. You've got to locate your pitches, keep the ball down and change speeds. If you can keep a focus on the game, then you're fine. It's when you get caught up in everything else that I think your mind has a tendency to wander, and that's what gets in trouble. Other than that, you got to go out there and make pitches.

AARON SELE: Like anybody, it's been a long year. There's been a lot of ups and downs. You know, recently, we have been playing well as a team, and that's really, you know, helped us or helped me personally as a starting pitcher. When the team plays well, you know, I'm just kind of along for the ride on that kind of stuff. It's, you know, it's been a long year, and like I said there's a lot of ups and downs, and we're all looking forward to tomorrow. You know, we've played hard all year long, we expect to play hard tomorrow.