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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POOL C: TORONTOMarch 8, 2009Curtis GrandersonTORONTO, ONTARIO Q. How did it feel playing against four guys off your team? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Interesting. The big thing battling against Armando Galarraga, getting a chance to see him from that side of the plate. I'm always behind him. I'm always trying to catch everything. But to get a chance to watch other guys go up there and try to battle against him... Armando had great stuff again tonight. Just the pitch count, you know, wasn't able to stay in the game as long as I'm sure he wanted to. He had some great stuff again tonight. The rest of those guys, Miguel, Magglio, Carlos Guillen, again, exciting to get my first out off of Magglio. That was interesting, get a chance to be at first base and talk to Miguel. It wasn't practice, you know. It was a game. And to see Carlos Guillen hit another home run and get his swing back. Definitely excited for these guys. At the same time, still playing for Team U.S.A. Q. How does it feel with this deep line-up? CURTIS GRANDERSON: It's amazing. When I was looking at the team, where am I going to fit in, you know. We've got three or four great lead-off guys on the team, so I know I'm not going go there. Two hitters locked in, whether it be Jimmy Rollins or Pedroia -- or Jeter, any one of them are out there. I'm not going to bat in the middle of the line-up, so I got to be somewhere in the bottom. I got no problem batting at the bottom. Q. What's it like going through that sixth inning? CURTIS GRANDERSON: The big thing is just trying to -- they talk about hitting being contagious, and a couple of guys started feeling good. (Indiscernible) I think had some great at-bats, being able to take pitches, get walks, get hits, get a home run. That's a combination of a great hitter right there. He is doing a lot of great things right now. The rest of the line-up followed suit just battling each at-bat. Someone said during the course of the game, Continue to pile it on. In this environment, especially with the number of people that were here to support Venezuela, you never know what's going to happen. They were the home team. So continue to put the pressure on them. Continue to put the pressure on. That's what we did tonight. Q. (No microphone). CURTIS GRANDERSON: It's going be interesting. You never really get two days off over the course of a season. It's going to be an optional workout tomorrow. I'm sure a lot of guys are going to come in here and try to keep what they got going on, maintain. Some guys are still struggling trying to get it back. So I think that's going to be the big thing for tomorrow. Some guys that do have a couple bumps and bruises, go ahead and get a little work on it, get a little ice on it, get a little rest. Q. This pitching staff, I mean, your pitching staff, they're all coming off good years, obviously. Other countries don't have that advantage. Do you see that going being an advantage for you guys? CURTIS GRANDERSON: I think so. When you look at the guys that we can bring in, and if this guy doesn't get the job done, we can bring in someone else, I think that's one of the things that's going to put us ahead of the rest of the countries in the tournament. You start going through our rotation versus Venezuela's rotation, Venezuela and Canada's rotation, those are the two teams I've seen, then you add big leaguer after big leaguer, after all-star, after all-star on our side, and other teams don't have it. They've got guys that are going to get guys out. But when you look at just names, we've got definitely a lot more names than the rest of the countries in the tournament. Q. (No microphone). CURTIS GRANDERSON: The big thing is, I think, right away, when we were in Clearwater, just letting the tone be known that this isn't an all-star game. We're going to have fun, but at the same time, it's very serious business. We got to go out there and get some work done. I think guys took that in stride coming in here. First three games of the exhibition, then coming here to Canada and opening up and playing, continue to understand that grinding the bats out, not only to get ready for the season, but we got to win a ball game here too. Q. (No microphone.) CURTIS GRANDERSON: I'm not sure what it is. I think a good group of guys that have played against each other, or played with each other a lot, is a lot of it, of course. You got some guys that have bounced around from team to team, a fairly good group of guys, and just want to get the job done. It doesn't matter where it happens to be. I mean, you look at the shortstop position, both those guys, Jeter and Jimmy Rollins, should be starting, but you can't put them both out there. I think both of them are falling right into place. If one starts, the other one backs up, or vice versa. No one is complaining about anything. Q. The inning like you guys had in the sixth, where just everything completely changed -- CURTIS GRANDERSON: It's amazing. You know, you look at the type of ways it was done. You know, with hits, with walks, with extra-base hits. Guys continued to take advantage of their at-bats, definitely not give away an at-bat. I think that was the big thing, continued to put pressure on them. Then not only that, I think the big thing was to continue to put more runs as the game kept going on. As you saw, Venezuela can swing the bat, and they're going to continue to swing the bats. So it's definitely not over until we finally go ahead and get ourselves out there like we were able to tonight. Q. Talk about what video games and stuff you got at home. CURTIS GRANDERSON: You know what I got, the Wii. And games on it, of course the factory ones that came. But I've been a big fan of little league baseball. I never got a chance to play in the World Series, and to get a chance to put it up there and play against different people, friends from home, and we pick different countries across the world. I've always been a Japan fan. I just like their style. So I always take them against whoever I'm going against. Q. Favorite game of all time? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Favorite game of all time? Probably have to be a toss up between the original Techno Bowl or RBI Baseball, the first one of course. Q. What's the most famous person you have in your cellphone? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Ken Griffey, Jr. Q. Last movie you've watched? CURTIS GRANDERSON: "Grand Torino." Q. What's your favorite gadget you can't do without every day? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Computer. Oh no, let me take that back, cellphone by far. Q. PC or Mac? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Mac. Just went Mac in my whole house. Everything is Mac. Got the iPhone, got a Mac mini, got my Mac Book. Everything's good. And I got so many people that want to throw away my phones because I stay on them all the time. Q. When visiting Toronto, what's some of the things you like to do? CURTIS GRANDERSON: For me, I always want to eat, you know, the specialty. I haven't done that yet. I've been hearing there's a really good seafood place over in this area I'm going to check that out. I know -- let me get it right. It's fries with -- what's on them? I know vinegar and-- Q. Oh, from 10, the gravy? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Gravy, that's what it is. I wanted to say chili, but it's gravy, that's right. I haven't had that yet. So wherever I'm at, I always got to get that. Whether it be Toronto, whether it be Kansas City for ribs, Seattle for seafood, wherever it is, I got to always get whatever the food is known for there. Q. Adam was saying you guys were getting together. How is it possible that (No microphone)? CURTIS GRANDERSON: You know, you never know what it's like. I think the big thing, I've told people this, like the first day of little league tryouts, everyone is looking at everybody. You know everyone, but you are afraid to go talk to somebody. Then I think you have a good group of guys that are willing to just stay loose and stay relaxed. Dunn cracked a couple jokes the first day, made everybody feel comfortable that, Hey, he is serious about his business, but he's still, you know, a teammate, just like what you are used to having with your club. And guys have been wanting to do things off the field. A lot of guys went to Washougal to see a fight the night before. We had a little dinner the night before that. So I think those different things help bring that team attitude from the locker room onto the field, and also away from the field, too. Q. Where did you guys go see the UFC fight? CURTIS GRANDERSON: It was called the Sports Cafe, I think it was, not too far from the hotel. A really nice place. They took care of us. They put the baseball games on for us. Italy against Venezuela. Q. How many of the guys were there, you think? CURTIS GRANDERSON: I'd say, probably about 12 of us. The only reason a couple didn't go is they got too tired. They had other family commitments. Wasn't like, I'm not going to hang out with you guys. So when you start having that type of chemistry away from the field, that stuff correlates and translates to just a good (indiscernible). Q. Did you have any hesitance about coming here and being part of this? CURTIS GRANDERSON: My big thing is would I be ready, you know. It's March, what's today, 6th, 7th, 8th, and my swing is never usually right at this point. The one thing I am excited about, my legs feel good, my arm feels good. But I usually just don't have my rhythm right. I still feel the same way like I have in every other spring about the same point. Hopefully it's just a matter of time before I can get right at the plate. Q. Did you (No microphone.) CURTIS GRANDERSON: The slider, one of the best things, somebody at home was watching, man, that was just a filthy pitch. I could just imagine trying to hit it. The fact he is young and coming right at you in that tough situation. I tip my hat to him and tell him, You have great stuff. A friend from home watching it, getting all over me for leaving guys on base. Q. As far as you felt, the kind of star quality about them? CURTIS GRANDERSON: Well, the big thing, you know, I've got a chance to play against Youkilis a lot, and to be in that environment in Boston, where they have a sellout every day and every night, then they have the big rival with New York, when you come into a situation like against Team Canada the first time, the noise that Venezuela brought throughout the course of this game, and it can change big hit, after big at-bat, after big walk. And you understand why that is. The environment, once it changes, it still doesn't affect him either way, and he is able to do that. That's one of the guys, I've definitely noted as the first two games have done. Q. Can you describe your action in the dugout when Adam hit that out? CURTIS GRANDERSON: The big thing was he was talking about it beforehand. And it's amazing. It seems like every time he comes up there, and he knows he might come out of the game, he wants to leave a message. This time, I think he hits the home run, then he gets one more at-bat and walks. So another great at-bat. I think there was words coming out, so it's just his way to leave the mark on the field a little bit. But guys jumping up. I told Shane Victorino, you know, We do this in college, but yet we can't do it in the big league side. But here in tournament play, everything comes out, so why can't we continue to keep that going over the course of the season. So hopefully we'll get that trend going, get everybody out there and celebrate. Q. Did he talk any trash to you? Did he say anything to you when he came back to the dugout? CURTIS GRANDERSON: I was getting ready to get on deck, so I caught bits and pieces of it. So I didn't catch everything. But, you know, I think he told a couple guys he was going to do it. So the fact that he was able to deliver, you know, it's amazing. I can't, even if I tried one hundred times, say I am going to hit a home run, come up and do it. I think he was able to do it. Don't quote me 100 percent, you know. I'm not sure exactly. I heard he said that. I didn't hear it from his mouth. Q. (No microphone)? CURTIS GRANDERSON: I only got a chance to watch 2006. I think from Davey Johnson's point of view, the manager, it was treated like everyone had to get in to play. Here, guys are going to play that are in that day, and most likely are going to play the whole day. He feels that if you are in there for that third, fourth, fifth at-bat, there's a better chance you'll get into a good rhythm versus getting two at-bats. Now the next person comes in and gets two at-bats, I think that's what's helped out the line-up so far. Q. You heard center field chanting every player's name. How do you react to that? CURTIS GRANDERSON: It's amazing here in Canada, and fellow Americans that came out to support, and the nods of the entire team, I mean, it's hard not to know this team with the number of guys and all-stars and MVPs you have, but they're into it. They stayed into it. They're here throughout the whole game. It was amazing, and we thank them for their support, for coming out, and cheering us on, especially in another country. End of FastScripts |
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