We had our introductory press conference with Eric Gagne here earlier, who said "World Series" seven times in eight minutes, not counting what he might have said in French at the end. That's right, French. Gagne is from Montreal, and there was some French-speaking media here for him. We have quite the multi-lingual clubhouse here.

Some selected Gagne comments:

On being in the setup role, rather than closing:
"I'm probably going to do my regular routine. I'm just going to close the eighth inning. That's the only difference. I'm really looking forward to that. It's going to be a good challenge. ... I want to be a closer. I have always wanted to be a closer. I see myself as a closer. But a chance to have 15 more saves or win a World Series, that was a pretty easy choice."

On whether he can go longer than one inning:
"We have to sit down and talk about it. I think I'm a one-inning guy. It depends how late it is in the season and stuff like that. So it depends on the situation and it depends on the bullpen. I'm healthy, so we'll go from there."

On the constant trade rumors this year:
"For being out of the game for two years, to see yourself again on the mound performing is great. But to see that teams -- great teams -- really want you, that's really comforting. That's a great compliment to me in my season. Because I had two years where I really had to struggle and I was hurt. It's a good feeling to come here and feel you're really wanted."

On jumping so much in the standings in one day:
"Pretty nice. About a 30-game turnaround."

On the reaction to the trade:
"I got more phone calls yesterday and today than I did when I won the Cy Young. That's pretty amazing. Because there are so many fans in Montreal and Canada -- especially with the Expos gone now -- and everybody in Montreal are pretty much Boston fans."

Was there a specific point this year where you felt you were back?
"Probably about a month and a half ago. I went back to back days, then I had a day off, then back to back again. That's when I really felt like my arm was bouncing back. My back was feeling good. I felt great all year, but it just got better and it got better every week."

Are you a different pitcher now?
"I think I have the same mentality. I think I just make a little more adjustments. I can't really throw 98 anymore ... I'm still throwing pretty hard. I'm not throwing as hard as I used to, but I got my change-up. I got my curveball. I'm the same pitcher pretty much."