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CNN Live Sunday

Cubs Could Got To First World Series Since 1945 With Win Tonight

Aired October 12, 2003 - 16:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: You take two teams that already hate each other. Put them on the same field during the postseason. Throw in inside fastballs, brush-back pitches. You've got the recipe for a bench-clearing brawl.
Take a look at the scene than folded last night during game three of the American League championship series. Here's Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez tossing Yankee coach Don Zimmer to the turf -- a regular World Wrestling Federation move there. That was all during a fourth inning melee. CNN's Josie Burke joins us now with more on the aftermath from last night's bizarre game -- Josie.

JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sitting now in the Red Sox dugout. And that's becuase it has been pouring here in Boston for hours. We want to show you the field covered with a tarp. There's standing water everywhere. The rain has let up a bit, but it remains to be seen whether whether this is the image that we'll have for game four today, whether or not they're going to get out there and play.

We know what the lasting images are from game three. It has to be Don Zimmer, that the 72-year-old coach for the New York Yankees, charging after Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox pitcher, about to throw a punch, and Martinez throwing him to the ground.

And it got even more bizarre than that, another image that will stick with everyone, is what happened in the bull pen in the middle of the ninth inning. There was actually a brawl in the Yankees bull pen involving a couple of Yankees players and a Red Sox employee.

According to a Boston police spokesperson, the police are still looking into that brawl. And there is a chance charges could be filed against the two Yankees involved. They are pitcher Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia.

So it's against this backdrop everyone goes into game four, whenever they do play it, a little bit on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRADY LITTLE, RED SOX MANAGER: It's going to upgrade the intensity level and the emotion is already there. At a very high level. It's just increased it.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: It's an emotional thing. But again, I said before this game how we respect their players and I'm assuming, and I'm pretty sure they respect ours. To me, this whole thing started over one pitch. And I don't think it's that we have any anger for the whole team. It's that one incident that bothered us. Just one person involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: One segment of the population here at Fenway last night that did not deteriorate was the fan population. They were actually pretty well-behaved here at Fenway Park. They taunted Roger Clemens a little bit with chants of Roger.

One reason for the well-behaved fans could have been the fact that immediately after the fourth inning, they turned off beer sales here, Renay. That's how worried they were there was a chance this could have gotten out of control.

SAN MIGUEL: It seems the fans were okay, it was the players who had to be watched. Getting back to what's going on today, when will the officials make a call concerning whether or not they actually play? They'll delay this as long as they can until skies clear?

BURKE: Exactly Renay. They're going to do their best. Weather reports have been this front is supposed to move away and the rain is supposed to stop. We are seeing signs of that. The question would then become, how much water has this field taken on? And can it handle in a couple of hours playing this game without the threat of anyone getting seriously injured?

SAN MIGUEL: Maybe it's a divine way to get both teams to cool off a little bit after yesterday's game. Josie Burke at Fenway, thanks so much.

While the Fenway faithful watched their Red Sox dig in for a fight, their counterparts in Chicago are busy icing down the champagne. The Cubs are a win away from their first World Series appearance since 1945.

They will try to finish off the Florida Marlins today in Miami. CNN's John Zarrella is there. I know Cubs fans made the trip from Chicago to Miami. I don't suppose any of those tailgate parties are featuring barbecued goat?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, no barbecued goat out here. The only goat could be the Marlins if they drop three straight here before their home fans. Last night of course they dropped a game 8-3. If you're a Cubs fan, it's pinch me, this can't be real. One game away from the first trip to the World Series since 1945.

And there seemed to be as many Cub fans, maybe more, than Marlins fans. During batting practice this afternoon out on the field, you could hear the Cub fans screaming let's go Cubs. Sammy Sosa the slugger for the Chicago Cubs standing there kidding around with Marlins ball players. I guess it was easy for him to be laid back, considering they're up 3-1. He and Rodriguez, the Marlins catcher, talking it up a while there. Quite a festive atmosphere. And as you mentinoed, the Cubs fans, unbelievable how they have shown up here in droves. We are here with Charlie Whitaker and J.J. Webber. You came down from Chicago like lots of other fans. You've been here for all the games?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely, John. After they clinched, there was a no-brainer. We got on our burros and rode down here. Got in Friday. Saw Friday, Saturday. Going to see the sweep today. We've got our man, Carlos pitching. We're supporting him.

ZARRELLA: Wait a minute, don't you want to let the Marlins win so you can clinch at home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's why we came down here, we came down for the sweep. This is what we want to see. No doubt about it.

ZARRELLA: Do you care who you play, Yankees or Red Sox, if you win three straight from the Marlins?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; We are going to win. It doesn't matter, Sox or Yankees. We already beat the Yankees this year, we'll take Boston.

ZARRELLA: Do you believe what's happening to your team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're confident, we're going to win it all. Five more games to win it all. We'll do it.

ZARRELLA: You heard it first. They're happy, they're excited, they're Cubs fans. They've got reason to be happy. It has been a long, long time since they have been in this position -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: You won't need a TV set to hear the screams from Cubs fans in Miami if they clinch tonight. John Zarrella in Miami, thanks a lot. Enjoy the game

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Tonight>


Aired October 12, 2003 - 16:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: You take two teams that already hate each other. Put them on the same field during the postseason. Throw in inside fastballs, brush-back pitches. You've got the recipe for a bench-clearing brawl.
Take a look at the scene than folded last night during game three of the American League championship series. Here's Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez tossing Yankee coach Don Zimmer to the turf -- a regular World Wrestling Federation move there. That was all during a fourth inning melee. CNN's Josie Burke joins us now with more on the aftermath from last night's bizarre game -- Josie.

JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sitting now in the Red Sox dugout. And that's becuase it has been pouring here in Boston for hours. We want to show you the field covered with a tarp. There's standing water everywhere. The rain has let up a bit, but it remains to be seen whether whether this is the image that we'll have for game four today, whether or not they're going to get out there and play.

We know what the lasting images are from game three. It has to be Don Zimmer, that the 72-year-old coach for the New York Yankees, charging after Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox pitcher, about to throw a punch, and Martinez throwing him to the ground.

And it got even more bizarre than that, another image that will stick with everyone, is what happened in the bull pen in the middle of the ninth inning. There was actually a brawl in the Yankees bull pen involving a couple of Yankees players and a Red Sox employee.

According to a Boston police spokesperson, the police are still looking into that brawl. And there is a chance charges could be filed against the two Yankees involved. They are pitcher Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia.

So it's against this backdrop everyone goes into game four, whenever they do play it, a little bit on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRADY LITTLE, RED SOX MANAGER: It's going to upgrade the intensity level and the emotion is already there. At a very high level. It's just increased it.

JOE TORRE, YANKEES MANAGER: It's an emotional thing. But again, I said before this game how we respect their players and I'm assuming, and I'm pretty sure they respect ours. To me, this whole thing started over one pitch. And I don't think it's that we have any anger for the whole team. It's that one incident that bothered us. Just one person involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: One segment of the population here at Fenway last night that did not deteriorate was the fan population. They were actually pretty well-behaved here at Fenway Park. They taunted Roger Clemens a little bit with chants of Roger.

One reason for the well-behaved fans could have been the fact that immediately after the fourth inning, they turned off beer sales here, Renay. That's how worried they were there was a chance this could have gotten out of control.

SAN MIGUEL: It seems the fans were okay, it was the players who had to be watched. Getting back to what's going on today, when will the officials make a call concerning whether or not they actually play? They'll delay this as long as they can until skies clear?

BURKE: Exactly Renay. They're going to do their best. Weather reports have been this front is supposed to move away and the rain is supposed to stop. We are seeing signs of that. The question would then become, how much water has this field taken on? And can it handle in a couple of hours playing this game without the threat of anyone getting seriously injured?

SAN MIGUEL: Maybe it's a divine way to get both teams to cool off a little bit after yesterday's game. Josie Burke at Fenway, thanks so much.

While the Fenway faithful watched their Red Sox dig in for a fight, their counterparts in Chicago are busy icing down the champagne. The Cubs are a win away from their first World Series appearance since 1945.

They will try to finish off the Florida Marlins today in Miami. CNN's John Zarrella is there. I know Cubs fans made the trip from Chicago to Miami. I don't suppose any of those tailgate parties are featuring barbecued goat?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, no barbecued goat out here. The only goat could be the Marlins if they drop three straight here before their home fans. Last night of course they dropped a game 8-3. If you're a Cubs fan, it's pinch me, this can't be real. One game away from the first trip to the World Series since 1945.

And there seemed to be as many Cub fans, maybe more, than Marlins fans. During batting practice this afternoon out on the field, you could hear the Cub fans screaming let's go Cubs. Sammy Sosa the slugger for the Chicago Cubs standing there kidding around with Marlins ball players. I guess it was easy for him to be laid back, considering they're up 3-1. He and Rodriguez, the Marlins catcher, talking it up a while there. Quite a festive atmosphere. And as you mentinoed, the Cubs fans, unbelievable how they have shown up here in droves. We are here with Charlie Whitaker and J.J. Webber. You came down from Chicago like lots of other fans. You've been here for all the games?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely, John. After they clinched, there was a no-brainer. We got on our burros and rode down here. Got in Friday. Saw Friday, Saturday. Going to see the sweep today. We've got our man, Carlos pitching. We're supporting him.

ZARRELLA: Wait a minute, don't you want to let the Marlins win so you can clinch at home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's why we came down here, we came down for the sweep. This is what we want to see. No doubt about it.

ZARRELLA: Do you care who you play, Yankees or Red Sox, if you win three straight from the Marlins?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; We are going to win. It doesn't matter, Sox or Yankees. We already beat the Yankees this year, we'll take Boston.

ZARRELLA: Do you believe what's happening to your team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're confident, we're going to win it all. Five more games to win it all. We'll do it.

ZARRELLA: You heard it first. They're happy, they're excited, they're Cubs fans. They've got reason to be happy. It has been a long, long time since they have been in this position -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: You won't need a TV set to hear the screams from Cubs fans in Miami if they clinch tonight. John Zarrella in Miami, thanks a lot. Enjoy the game

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Tonight>