Transcripts

JIM BICKAL: It's amazing how quickly things can change. A week and a half ago, when the American League Championship Series was about to get underway, the Twins were given very little chance of beating the Detroit Tigers. Now, on the eve of the World Series, the Twins have to be considered the favorites to win it all.

Key Cardinal players Jack Clark and Terry Pendleton are injured, and the Twins are playing their best baseball in years right now. And once again, the Twins will have the home-field advantage. If the series goes seven games, four of those games will be played here.

The fan support has changed, too. In the middle of the season, Gary Gaetti of the Twins complained that the fans were leaving in the seventh inning. Now the noise made by the loyal Metrodome crowd is legendary. Cardinals starting pitcher Joe Magrane says loud noise can affect his concentration.

JOE MAGRANE: I'm probably going to wear earplugs tomorrow night just that seriously, just to cut down some of the noise a little bit because I think when people are screaming like that for nine innings, it's like they put such a frantic pace to the game. You keep looking over your shoulder, wondering if a blimp is going to crash through the roof or something.

JIM BICKAL: In addition to battling the noise, the Cardinals will have to deal with the strange environment of the Metrodome, especially the Teflon ceiling as a backdrop to fly balls. Manager Whitey Herzog says it's similar to baseball's first dome, the Astrodome in Houston.

WHITEY HERZOG: Well, we've played in roofs before. And the way the weather is outside, we might be damn lucky we're playing on a roof. And the outfielders last night all took the ball off the bat. And we played a little bit of a game, and we didn't have any problems. So it's amazing to me that the first dome that's ever built is still the best one though.

JIM BICKAL: Baseball is the only remaining major sport that does not have interleague play. That means the Twins have never played the Cardinals in an official game before. Gary Gaetti says it's difficult to face a pitcher for the first time.

GARY GAETTI: Yeah, I think the pitcher has the advantage, at least the first time around in that situation. But the game can't be that much different. I mean, he's got to throw it across the plate, and we got to try to hit it. I mean, we don't know his pattern and don't know his pitches, but hopefully we can find out early enough.

JIM BICKAL: Because the leagues are separate, the style of play in each league is different. Twins pitcher Dan Schatzeder has played in both leagues.

DAN SCHATZEDER: The biggest difference, I think, is not only the players go for a little more power over here. I think the ballpark is a little bit smaller. It's more of a home run league.

The other league, a lot more hit and runs, stolen bases. I think there's a little more strategy involved because there's no DH over there. But I can see over there, you get a guy on, you get him over, and get him in. Here, you try to get a couple guys on and go for a home run.

JIM BICKAL: The Cardinals are a classic National League team, especially without slugger Jack Clark in the lineup. Cardinals left fielder Vince Coleman Stole 109 bases this year. Dan Gladden led the Twins with 25. Starting pitcher Frank Viola says it will be important to keep guys like Coleman off the bases.

FRANK VIOLA: We have to keep them off the base [? via a ?] walk. We have to make them earn their hits. They earn their hits, you got to give them credit.

But when they do get on base, being a lefty is an advantage to me. I get the ball to the plate in a hurry. I'll give Timmy a chance to throw him out at second.

But the biggest thing I have to remember is that if there is a Vince Coleman on first or Ozzie Smith, I still have to pitch my game. I can't just change my whole style of pitching. You go fastball, fastball, fastball. It'll give me a chance to throw him out at second.

JIM BICKAL: Viola says he learned something from his experience pitching in the playoffs against Detroit.

FRANK VIOLA: The biggest adjustment I learned in being in the divisional playoffs [? of ?] something of that magnitude was that the adrenaline flow, you have to keep that under control. It's easier said right now, but it was just an unbelievable high I started off with. And then in the sixth or seventh inning, I think, it just came down to Earth. And mentally you become fatigued, and that just causes physical problems. So if there's anything, it's just trying to keep yourself under control and just stay within yourself.

JIM BICKAL: While the families of most of the players will be attending the games, the Viola family will be split. Frank's brother John is getting married Saturday afternoon in New York, and Frank says he was supposed to be the best man.

FRANK VIOLA: His wedding was planned a year and a half ago, in the midst of a '71 and '91 season. So we figured that the likelihood of making it to the World Series wasn't that great at the time. So we went ahead and made the plans.

JIM BICKAL: Pitcher Frank Viola, who will start game one of the World Series for the Twins. I'm Jim Bickal reporting.