Italy postgame interviews March 8

Q.  Marco, did you expect these results that you got against Mexico and Canada?

MARCO MAZZIERI:  Results, I don't know, but I know what we were getting as far as people.  And I love of my team.  I love all my players.  We got a great coaching staff and we knew we were going to do well.  How well?  We couldn't tell.  But we prepared to do well.  And actually these guys just executed and it couldn't be any more perfect.

Q.  Alex, you pitched here in the States, you went to Japan, independent league there, and now in the Big Leagues in Japan, how did those experiences help you in this game today?

ALEX MAESTRI:  All the experience that I've done so far, they have been helping me out.  All the coaches that I've been working out with, they all give me something.

Yeah, pitching in the Big Leagues in Japan, that definitely gave me some experience, I guess, and here today I was just trying to be as more relaxed as I could.  I know my team has a great lineup, so I knew I only had to keep the game there and have somebody else come in and relieve for me, and I knew they were going to do a good job too.

So it was a very great game.

Q.  Chris, have you ever had a chance to celebrate two walk offs in a row quite like that?

CHRIS COLABELLO:  Never in my life.  But I would rather celebrate twice than not at all.  It's a pretty outstanding feeling.  It's just a tremendous group of people.  I give a lot of credit to the guy sitting to my right (Mazzieri) for putting the right pieces together, and it's awesome to be a part of.  I couldn't be more ecstatic.  A loss for words almost is a good way to put it.

Q.  Marco, how are you able to put this group together in the relatively short period of time that was available to you as a functioning cohesive unit?

MARCO MAZZIERI:  Well, the idea was to bring over the core group of players that won the European championship in last September in the Netherlands.  And then we would add those guys that were with us four years ago in the Classic, like Punto, like Denorfia, like Grilli, those guys.  And for the few extra guys that were missing to get to the 28 man roster, I kind of chose the guy that really wanted to be here.  The guys that were only not only good players but also good people that could in some ways mesh into this group.

There's no place for egos in this group, and that's what I was looking for.  That's what I'm getting.  We're very happy about it.  And that was the idea.  I believe a lot in energy, positive energy, and I just try to direct that energy in one direction.  And these guys have been outstanding.

Q.  For both Alex and Chris, can you talk about what has changed in each of you from when you played together as teenagers?  What do you see different in each other since all those years have passed since you played together.

ALEX MAESTRI:  First of all, we're playing against each other, so this time we're playing on the same team.  No, it's just great having a chance to play with Chris again after all those years and having this kind of game out there.

Yeah, it's I'm just speechless.  We haven't seen each other for so long, but it feels like the last time we saw each other was yesterday.  So it's a good feeling.

CHRIS COLABELLO:  I can say he's grown up a little bit, obviously.  The one thing I'll say about Alex, even from when he was little, is that he always    he always seemed to be so composed under pressure.  And that's the one like glaring thing.  Always had a smile on his face, ready for whatever was in front of him.  And obviously there was    I told him yesterday, I said    or before the game, actually, I said, There's not a guy I would rather have on the mound today than you.  And I meant every word of it.

Because obviously to experience what he has in baseball and to do it overseas now, it's pretty special.  And I was rooting for him toward the end of the year there when he was up in the Big Leagues in Japan, and it's a great opportunity to be able to share this with him and see how far we can go.

Q.  Big revenge with respect to USA.  How do you like this day?  Because you fight many years to arrive Major League and not arrive it?  And, Chris, question for you.  Is it a big day for you?  Do you think that some scouts will look at you today as special?

ALEX MAESTRI:  I don't think it's a revenge.  I was here in the States for six years and I had some great experiences.  I had a tough year in 2010 and I got released, but that's part of the game.

You just got to keep going on.  I got this good opportunity in Japan and I feel very good over there.  So it's not a revenge.  I'm just glad that our team is winning now and I'm just going to keep doing my best to help the team winning.

CHRIS COLABELLO:  My number one goal coming here and joining these guys was to be able to get a couple W's and see how far we could go.

All personal stuff aside, like he said, it's such an unselfish group, it really doesn't matter who does it.  Personally, I think that I'm just trying to go out and be the best me I can be every day and be thankful to the people that brought me here and thankful to the Twins for letting me come do this and just enjoying the game as much as I can, and wherever that road leads is    obviously the ultimate goal is to    as a team here is to be able to go as far as we can and eventually win this, and, on a personal level, to get to the Big Leagues some day.  If that's possible, then great.  And but for right now I think we're going to enjoy this moment.