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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS v CARDINALS


October 14, 2013


Gerry Davis

Joe Torre


LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Three

Dodgers – 3
Cardinals – 0


JOE TORRE:  Well, I was driving to the ballpark, I got a call from Jerry Layne who informed me of Wally's (Bell) passing, and it just shocked me.  I had just seen him in the Division Series with the Cardinals, and I just give these guys a lot of credit because there was a ton of emotion in that umpire's room.  They really hitched up their belts and went out there and did a remarkable job.
It hits you right between the eyes.  I think in this position I'm in now, it's certainly a different perspective of the umpires, and I couldn't be more proud of the brotherhood that they have and the caring for each other.  But aside from that, Gerry?
GERRY DAVIS:  Well, as you probably can imagine, it was a devastating loss for us.  Wally was a true umpire's umpire, and anyone who ever worked with him loved him, and I think that's not only true of the umpire brotherhood.
But I think if you'll check with the players and teams they felt the same way because Wally always gave 110% on the field.  We're, as Joe mentioned, we're a very tight‑knit group, and it's going to be a big loss for us.

Q.  Just when did you hear about it?  How long did you have before the game start Thad you had heard about it?
GERRY DAVIS:  We heard probably an hour before the game, I guess.  The umpire network, if you will, works pretty quickly, and we heard about it an hour before the game which was obviously very difficult, and we had to regroup rather quickly and put our concentration where it needed to be.
We kept telling each other that that's the way Wally would have wanted it, and we know that that's really true.  One of the things that we shared in the locker room afterwards is that I'm sure he's very proud right now.

Q.  Did anybody from either team know what had happened and express condolences to you?
GERRY DAVIS:  Not to me.  I'm not sure if the teams were made aware of it.
JOE TORRE:  Yeah, I think we released a statement.  You guys know when it was released.  We wanted to make sure‑‑ I had talked to Wally's girlfriend during the game, and she assured me everybody that needed to know family‑wise knew, so it was okay to release the fact that he had passed.
THE MODERATOR:  And I know Mike Matheny did not know until he walked in here, and I told him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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