Don Cooper Game Quotations

Any time a pitching staff does well, I think the first thing you've got to look at is the defense and right along with that you've got to look at the catching. The catcher holds the brain. He's the guy that everybody is looking at to be the leader and take control of the game and keep that pace going. With A.J. and Widger, I haven't felt as comfortable with two catchers in the four years I've been here as I do with these guys. They remember the game plan and they carry it out. That's one of the reasons why we've had the kind of pitching staff we've had this year.

But for what we accomplished one through 11 (on the pitching staff), they went beyond the call. We got 99 wins in the regular season, plus the AL Division Series and four complete games in the ALCS. I know we'll give it all our best in the World Series.

I think that game might have permanently etched Buehrle's name in White Sox history and maybe even begun a legacy type of thing. It couldn't have happened at a better time or a bigger moment.

This is still the guy who won the fourth game of the World Series for us. I'm not going to draw conclusions from one day.

Good pitchers, after a tough outing, bounce back. Real good pitchers don't let too many poor games get in there.

Even if you've had just five days off, with that crowd and a game of that magnitude, you're going to have a lot of energy. You have to harness it, and if you bring that energy to the glove, you have a chance to bring something really special to it.

It's his first full season in the big leagues, so he has a challenge ahead of him. The challenge is to harness those four great pitches he has. If he can throw to the glove this year, it's game over.

With Jon, we did what we could do on the sidelines and with simulated games to stay ready. The relievers are doing the same thing with sidelines. ... It's only a mental head trip if you let it be a mental head trip.