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NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS v BRAVES


October 4, 2003


Bobby Cox


CHICAGO, ILLIONOIS: Game Four

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for Bobby Cox.

Q. Can you give the status of Gary's hand and when he'll be available next?

BOBBY COX: They're going to work on him all morning and through the game, and I don't know if he's going to be able to pinch-hit or not. We'll see. The x-rays were negative and he really has a sorry hand.

Q. I think I missed something. He's not starting then; is that accurate?

BOBBY COX: No, he's not starting. Bragg will start.

Q. Bobby, last night, you said you still feel pretty good about your team. How important is it for you as a manager to maintain that calm and move on to the next day?

BOBBY COX: It's something real. It's the way I am. I really believe in our ball club. We've got a good team and two good starters left here too for the remainder of the series. We've got a lot of confidence in them.

Q. Bobby, does this just reemphasize what a crapshoot the best of five is. You've always said it should be the best of seven.

BOBBY COX: It is a crapshoot, a short series, no doubt about that. You know, Javy had some hits, Chipper did too. Gary's hit a couple popups too. You're not going to -- when you're facing Wood and Prior, you're not going to get a lot of pitches to really hit that often, and the ones that we get, we just missed right now. So, it's nothing unusual to not get a lot of hits against those guys.

Q. Bobby, how big of a loss is it to not be able to have Gary in the lineup?

BOBBY COX: He's one of the premier hitters in the game, and we would sure like to have him in there, although when Bragg has subbed for him this year, we've won just about all the games he's played. Maybe he'll be our good luck charm.

Q. Is too much being made of the short-rested pitchers?

BOBBY COX: For me it is. We've had guys with five and six days' rest in the playoffs and got knocked out the first inning. Russ had five days' rest going into his first start and he only went five plus, and he should be as strong as ever.

Q. Bobby, can you talk about 1996 when you guys came back from being down 3-1 with the Cardinals and what you remember from that and if you can relate, at least in your own mind, that to this situation?

BOBBY COX: I remember that, yeah, you bet, and we had three pitchers ready to go too. It certainly was no major task to win two in a row. Last year we were up 2-1 with the Giants and got beat. All we have to do is win two.

Q. Bobby, having the confidence that you do in the team, I know you don't think this is the end. Do you allow yourself to think if that was Greg's last start as a Brave, would it be a shame because he didn't get a win? Have you even thought about that at all?

BOBBY COX: No, not until you mentioned it. I've never given that any consideration. I couldn't imagine Greg being in another uniform. He'll look real strange. He'll get some more pitching with us.

THE MODERATOR: Any more for Bobby?

Q. Down 2-1, how important is it to get the lead today?

BOBBY COX: Well, the most important thing is to have the most runs after 9 innings. We would love to have the lead to work with. We have been behind here most of the games early, and we did take the lead in Game 1 I guess, but that was a one-runner. It would be nice.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts...

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