NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PADRES v BRAVES

October 7, 1998

Kevin Brown

KEVIN BROWN: I guess that's good. No, I'm not worried about it. This is the same situation we had in the last series. Same situation it was last year. It's postseason, everything is under the microscope, but the job remains the same. You've got to go out there and pitch a good ballgame. You're facing great pitching on the other side, you're facing great teams this time of year; so you just have to really focus and do your job.

KEVIN BROWN: It's their decision. That's their job, which is to make those kind of decisions. I told them that I'd be available if that's what they felt would be best for the team. But it's a situation where Bruce and Dave and Kevin Towers, all those guys have to get together and figure out what's best for the team. And that's what it all boils down to.

KEVIN BROWN: Again, I've got to throw it back in their court. If they feel they want me to throw tomorrow night, I will. If they want to put me back to 2, again, it's what's best for the benefit of the team.

KEVIN BROWN: If anything, I think the way this team has played this year and the great group of guys we have over here, that's has made it a lot easier. I said this time and time again: Put what happened in the off-season behind us. There was no doubt I was disappointed last off-season when the break-up occurred. But playing with a great bunch of guys I respect and enjoy playing with, as well as winning this year, has made it a lot easier to put that in the past.

KEVIN BROWN: There's no doubt. I'd like to find a place to settle down, and hopefully that will be the case after this year. Wherever it might wind up being, I plan on being there for a while.

KEVIN BROWN: Well, I think more than anything Dave's presence there is probably just a reminder. I think he and I are very similar from our approaches, the way he approached the game when he pitched, and the way I try and approach things. But he's there as a reminder of what you can accomplish with that type of approach, with that type of focus. And beyond that, I'd say one of the biggest things having him around has done for me was probably the decision on my part this Spring Training to throw a split, and to take it in the game. I fiddled with it several years, and never really had the confidence in it to take it out to the game, even in Spring Training. But this year with him around, I guess having that kind of example of what success you can have with a pitch, what it meant to him, I finally just said: What the heck, I'm going to take it out there and give it a shot in Spring Training. I had some success, and it's held with me during the course of the season.

KEVIN BROWN: That would seem to be the case. Again, you never know. I don't think too many people expected the Cleveland series last year and the World Series to be the way it was. But you never know. There's no doubt, I think most guys will tell you, from either standpoint you feel like if you get three runs they've got a decent chance. You can't worry about that. That's not the focus. You have to go out and try to do your job inning to inning. If you can be a closer every inning and keep them from scoring, that's really what it's all about. I'm not looking to go out there and give up three runs.

KEVIN BROWN: Well, I mean hopefully a lot. But you never know. Again, it's a different year. Every game is different. Even during the course of the season, you never know what you're going to have as a pitcher when you walk out on the mound. You don't know if it's going to be a day when you've got great stuff or mediocre stuff. But the key is to do what you can with what you've got on that day and give your team a chance.

KEVIN BROWN: I couldn't tell you, I really couldn't. It's been an integral part of my selection this year, but I couldn't give you a number.

KEVIN BROWN: Well, I saw a lot of Stu's postseason play, but he had the same approach during the course of the season, too. And I think the similarities I speak of are just the determination to be aggressive, and to go out there and throw what you've got to throw, do everything you can, and really not be intimidated. You've got to try to be in control of the game. And you've got to do what you do best, and you're not going to try and pitch to other peoples weaknesses, as much as you're going to pitch to your strengths.

KEVIN BROWN: It's nothing but speculation. You never know. I'd say things stay the way they normally are, my arm bouncing back like it normally does, I'd be willing to give it a shot. You never know what the case is going to be until you get there.

KEVIN BROWN: I don't think so. I think my approach is still basically the same as it's been, as it was before that. I don't think I've really changed from that standpoint. A no-hitter is great, but that's only one day. The key, I think, is consistency over the long-term, that's what it's all about. You have one great game, and give your team a chance to win, that's all well and good, you may get a lot of notoriety I for it, but the consistency for the team is what it all boils down to.

KEVIN BROWN: Sure. But you can't go back and think like that. The nice thing was in that game was the fact after I hit him, I was still able to maintain the no-hitter and not let it get away. I've been accused of hitting him on purpose. I can't imagine why anyone would think I would hit him on purpose with an 0-2.

KEVIN BROWN: Obviously I'm a National League pitcher right now. I have been for the last three years. Future? I'll have to say I do enjoy the game in the National League more, because the pitches are more involved. We may not hit very well, but we get to take BP, and it's fun. You do have an impact on the game sometimes, and swing the bat. The style of play I do enjoy more, no doubt.

KEVIN BROWN: I don't know. I have to get my crystal ball out for that one. I think I've made some improvements, but I look back, and I threw the ball pretty well in Texas. That year I had one bad month. And it happened to be at the wrong time. But that's the nature of this business. The key is being able to bounce back after you have a bad period of time.

KEVIN BROWN: The special thing I'm going to have to do is throw pitches that they hit for outs, get these guys -- I'm not going to tell you any thoughts I have about how I'm going to approach pitching to these guys. That wouldn't be smart, even if I did have it in mind, I think I'll pass on that one.

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