MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS v WHITE SOX

October 21, 2005

Paul Konerko

PAUL KONERKO: It's definitely tough, no question it's a battle. Houston just got done on Wednesday night so they've had a little bit less. The only thing I can say is we had a little experience last series, we came out a little flat in Game 1 of the ALCS, and that should give us a little bit of an idea of what the feeling is going to be like tomorrow night as far as what we should expect from -- just your body and what the energy is going to be like. So we need to kick it in gear and make an extra effort, I think. I don't think it's a huge deal, I think we need to be conscious of it, and as far as like pitchers making their pitches, and hitters having their swings and all that, it has been a layoff, but at the same time we've played 200 games this year counting Spring Training. I think we'll be able to get it in gear as far as that stuff goes. You have to get yourself maybe going earlier than when you stretch or whatever it is for anybody, I think you need to be conscious of it, and I think we are after Game 1. We didn't come out in Game 1 in the ALCS really that great.

PAUL KONERKO: Well, I think it depends on the pitcher. Him not getting everything on his pitches, what does that mean? I mean it could be -- what does that mean, he has great stuff, then, because his stuff is so electric to begin with. I think regardless of how his stuff is, you know, it's going to be good. I mean I don't think he's ever going to come out throwing 86 or 87; he's going to have good stuff, no doubt about that. And I don't think the injury or whatever that is should really affect location. I don't know, that's a question for him. But I don't think anybody in our team -- on our team is going to be going into the game thinking we're going to get a free pass from Roger Clemens. I don't think that. He's going to be tougher. I'm sure if he had a broken leg he'd figure out how to get some people out.

PAUL KONERKO: Facing him, I haven't done it in a while since he's been over to the National League. Even when you face him during the regular season, you count when you're on the road or going in there, you can count six, seven games ahead, and we don't know if you're going to get him, he's got that ring to his name, obviously. And as far as the way he is, I mean he came in as a power pitcher, like 20 years, and he's still a power pitcher, that's pretty unbelievable. Nolan Ryan is the only other guy that you can think of that went that long or longer doing that. There's other guys that have to change up their game kind of halfway through or there's an arm injury or something going on where they have to battle through the end of it and be a different kind of pitcher, but he's Roger Clemens, what else can you say?

PAUL KONERKO: I wouldn't say -- appreciated is kind of the wrong word to use, because I think we do have a great fan base, and they are great fans and anytime you've been around them, different events you go to, golf tournaments, fund raisers, our fans -- we have a lot of fans. I always look at it as a positive, because we get to play in a big time city, big sports city, big market, but there's a lot of stuff those Cubs players have to deal with that we don't. And it's good for the White Sox people, us as players. They have to go through a bunch of stuff that -- during the season, it's a long season, you're playing every day, and they have to constantly be -- they get probably recognized more around the city, all that kind of stuff. For us we kind of fly under the radar. I don't know about now, because of what's gone on. As long as Wrigley is up and running and playing games there, it's going to be a Cub's town. They're going to draw the sell out crowds, whether they're in last place or whatever. That's the way it is, and we're trying to take a little more of it, and I think winning, people relate to that more than anything. If we can keep winning, hopefully it's not a one-year thing. It's tough every year, we're trying to enjoy it. We have people here that can win. I think that's the name of the game is winning, and eventually you even up the playing field there.

PAUL KONERKO: We had a baby Tuesday night. I flew home Tuesday morning, I thought it would be easier to fly all the way from Anaheim to Chicago and back to Phoenix. But that's just the way it worked out. Just settling in, getting everything taken care of back home. Actually I got here yesterday later on after the work out and did some work. I actually did get a little in yesterday, but just not with the team.

PAUL KONERKO: Yes, first.

PAUL KONERKO: I think I'll be -- I'm focused. I think it's a good thing that we had it this week, because there was a chance that if we waited it out that something could have happened next week, and I didn't want that to happen, because obviously we have this going on and there would be a question of whether I could even get home for that. We did the smart thing. Now it's all taken care of. I don't see it being a problem. Hopefully we play well over the weekend and take that to Houston. Because I wouldn't rule out both my wife and son going to Houston.

PAUL KONERKO: It's probably not as bad as you think. You do get some downtime. Yesterday I was home at 3:00 p.m., and had all night and just sat around on the couch and didn't do anything. I think you get -- as long as you have a night to catch up or two nights in a row where you get some good sleep. This schedule in a lot of ways is a lot easier than the regular season. In the regular season it's every night, every day back at the ballpark early, followed by day games. We've played -- the season ended October 2nd and we've played eight games, when you think about it. And then there are tough games and there's a lot that goes into them and all this, but there has been chances to get your rest and everything. And the bottom line with that is it just doesn't matter. You have to go hard for another week. If you're tired, then you can rest in November. There's only a couple of teams that get to go this far. That just can't be one of the excuses or one of the things that comes into play, is that you're tired, that just can't happen.

PAUL KONERKO: The first part, I think, you kind of readjust your goals as you go. We came into the season saying let's just try to compete the whole year, let's see what we can do. A couple of months in you're thinking this is our division to lose. You get to the playoffs and think let's try to win this first series. You do that, and then, geez, you're going to get the Angels and Yankees, then you beat them and you kind of build up your -- I don't think you come into the season -- I think there's only a few teams coming into the season thinking if we don't win the World Series it's a disappointment. So you build that as you go. And we get more comfortable. If we came into the playoffs and all the stuff surrounding it was like today and this week and like it is tomorrow, I think right off the bat that would have been a shock or that could have maybe been a problem. Although with this team I'm not sure, but it could have been the build-up, every series gets bigger and bigger. And as far as the second part of it, this team, I think, has done a good job of not worrying about the history of this organization or what teams haven't done here or why they haven't won. I think that's what the Red Sox did last year, they had to block all that out, they had the baggage of all that stuff. It took a group of guys saying, why can't we win? Someone give us a good reason why we can't win, other than all these dates and years and talk about players and teams and personnel. Why can't we win? I think that's where our team in so many words has done, just sat around and said we can play. We don't know if we're going to win or not, but we're coming with our best. If we win, we win, if we don't, we don't. All the other stuff is not a positive. It cannot help you be better on the field, it's just an issue.

PAUL KONERKO: Probably not. I think you have to stay focused and do what you do to get ready to play. I think you see after each time we've won the playoffs, that's when the little kid comes out. We'll have to earn that again. But I think if you get caught looking around, you want to enjoy it and you want to take it all in and with the family and everything else. But again, you have to do what helps you perform on the field. It's different for every guy, but just bare down for another week, and then you can enjoy it all you want.

PAUL KONERKO: It didn't work out on any time I was home. If I would have known -- we had the baby late on Tuesday night. If I had known that I would have hung around here and done something and then gone back. But you don't know. As far as the edge, I don't feel like I've lost it since last week. I think you definitely have to get some -- even loosen up a little again, get some cobwebs out. But as far as the focus and the drive and where you're at with your mind and all that, I haven't lost that at all. I got to watch the game on the TV in the hospital, I think -- the Astros game -- really at this point I think both teams -- I don't know if it's the same for everybody, but physically everybody is kind of -- you don't have your best. You might not have your best swing, but it's more with competing and knowing, like I heard somebody ask about the scouting, try to use that information, use that information, anticipating what's going to be coming, trying to be savvy out there. I think at this point everybody is kind of broken down a little bit. But it's even on both sides. It's going out and who is going to want it more, is usually who will come away winning. All the stuff comes down to that at this point in the year. You have to go out and whoever is going to battle tougher is going to win, it's not going to be about mechanics and all that stuff.

PAUL KONERKO: A lot. That's a saying in baseball, the team takes on the makeup of the manager. There's no question that we have a lot of traits through him as far as coming to the park every day, regardless of what happened the day before. It's like a new day, having fun. We don't bring the baggage from the last day. Hitting-wise, I think he's been good for all the hitters the last couple of years, he'll be the first one to tell you I went 0 for 4 my career. Don't say you're 3 for your last 10 and you're disappointed, that's better than I did. He's good for the hitters, because we have guys on the team that get upset and frustrated, because that's what we're thought of is offensive people. And he's kind of helped on that side of it, just on the mental side, that's okay, that's could go, if you go 0 for 10, you're 6 for 20 next time. We've prepared all year and last year for this kind of setting where Ozzie -- nothing seems to rattle him. He'll be the first one to tell you today, if we just lose, big deal, we tried. He doesn't make it this grand thing. He's just kind of go out and do your best and we'll just see what happens after and that's all you can do is do your best, don't worry about we're going to let people down or we're going to do this and that, just go out and do your best and we'll have a laugh after, either way.