GOTCHA. CAN’T WIN, DON’T TRY
"I don’t think you can teach a guy to get walks. I really don’t. He’s
going to have his batting style and you’re not going to change him."
—Larry Bowa, Phillies manager
"It’s like people who say we need to walk more. Sure, that’s great to say.
But then you take away our hitters’ aggressiveness, and maybe you screw
them up even more. Same thing with Febles. You can’t ask Carlos to be
anything except what he is."
—Tony Muser, Royals manager
THE DRYER GOES ON THE RIGHT
"I told them, ‘Hopefully I can hit a couple of home runs for you.’"
—Jose Canseco, White Sox designated hitter, to a group of children with
cancer before his game against the Royals
"Hopefully they don’t forget it. Whether it was coincidence or luck, who
knows?"
–Canseco, after hitting two home runs
"I used to collect Canseco baseball cards in high school. I tried to put
that out of my head."
—Chris George, Royals pitcher, on giving up those two home runs
SORRY. DIDN’T MEAN TO GET YOUR HOPES UP
"It reminds me of ’96 all over again. I’m talking about the fire sale."
—Jason Kendall, Pirates catcher/outfielder, on his team’s recent moves
"We’ve been rebuilding for six years. [The trades] took away some fire out of
the clubhouse. I mean, we had a closer with ice water in his veins. I know
the guys we got in return are pretty good ballplayers. That’s what we want.
But we were told mano a mano we weren’t rebuilding. It definitely leaves you
a little confused."
—Jason Kendall, Pirates catcher/outfielder, on owner Kevin McClatchy
telling the team a they would not rebuild
"We lost some quality individuals, guys who are not only important in the
field but important in the clubhouse. So from that aspect, we’ve certainly
taken a hit. This is baseball. It’s part of the business, whether we like it
or not. The young players received in return have tremendous upside and have
a chance of being good players. We hope they will continue to develop and be
productive major-league players for us."
—Lloyd McClendon, Pirates manager
"Did the Cubs win today?"
—Aaron Boone, Reds infielder, joking after his team’s fifth straight win
brought them 19 games behind the Cubs
NO ONE CAN GIVE MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. BY DEFINITION THAT IS THE MOST ANYONE CAN GIVE…
"I’m sure to some of these guys, this is a hobby. To others, it’s an
occupation. You have to have 25 guys who think it’s an occupation."
—Larry Bowa, Phillies manager
"You don’t have to throw anything, but you can sit at your locker and think
about it. Don’t worry about what the spread is. We have people who attack
the spread like it’s their last supper."
—Larry Bowa, Phillies manager, on how to act after a loss
"I snapped in the shower. But we’ve had three tough ones in a row. I think
the first time, everybody snapped. And then the second time, you snap again.
And then the third time, you’re just kind of in shock. I’m in shock. It’s
like one of those bad dreams that seems so real. You keep waiting to wake up.
You keep thinking that didn’t just happen. But it did."
—Robert Person, Phillies pitcher
"I want to try to throw a fastball down and away. I didn’t get it down.
That’s one bleeping hitter. If Bowa has a problem, he should come talk to me
about it."
—Ricky Bottalico, Phillies pitcher
SOME OF THESE GUYS HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE, SKIP
"It’s not the most functional family, that’s for damn sure."
—Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher, on his team
"Jimy, I think, draws straws every morning when he gets to the ballpark, and
that’s how he comes up with the lineup."
—Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher
"I think if you ask the majority of the guys, they respected Jimy for a long
time. And I don’t know what happened; I haven’t been around to really get
into that. "
—Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher
THE REST
"Save Fenway, my ass! All the people who say, ‘Save Fenway,’ should be here
to see this. Save Fenway? Save the world!”
—Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher, surveying a water-flooded clubhouse
"I left before they planted the trout."
—Jimy Williams, Red Sox manager
"It’s scary. This thing is about to fall apart. I love this old stadium,
but woooooooo!"
—Dante Bichette, Red Sox outfielder
"It’s the best defensive team I’ve ever played for, and I’ve been on some
good ones. We have the best pitching. Our offense is the most disciplined –
well, except for me and Ichiro. I mean, Ichi and I swing at anything, but
the rest of these guys are veteran hitters who know how to play and what it
takes to win."
—Bret Boone, Mariners infielder
"A trade’s not bad for me. I’ll be wherever God wants me. I was happy here.
I was happy somewhere else."
—Woody Williams, Cardinals pitcher, on being traded
"Nothing Ichiro does surprises me. I was having trouble throwing strikes
from 60-feet, 6-inches – and he threw one from right field."
—Paul Abbott, Mariners pitcher, on an Ichiro throw that held a runner on
third
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