We know what we need to do; we have guys who can score goals. They look to us to make sure we don't get scored on.

We were underdogs from the beginning and we are again. Everyone is writing us off already.

I don't know how the rules changes will affect the playoffs, and if the playoffs will be called tight. We'll see how many fights go on. But it's something we know we have. It's a comfort to have on the team.

August was very good for us, but we lost some momentum in the last few days due to Hurricane Katrina.

It took us a little while to get that change in, but I think it's a testament to just how supportive the administration is in understanding how important a spring game is to give our alumni a chance to come back and see where the program's at in the transition.

He knows, like Manny (Ramirez), we're trying to deal him, but there have been no threats made to us about spring training. He's been pretty good on the phone, understanding our situation. He won 15 games and is a very good pitcher, so we need to get a very good deal for him. Generally, the conversations we've had with him have been very positive. He understands that we need to get fair value for him in the market.