The Week in Quotes: September 17-23

PITCHING THROUGH PAIN

"The way things were going, it was feeling better before the Pittsburgh
incident, I thought that I was on the right track and would be able to make
it. But, you know, whatever happened then, since I’ve been back the second
time. it has not been great the whole time. It’s gotten worse pretty much
every time out."

—Kevin Brown, Dodgers pitcher, admitting he’d been pitching
with a torn flexor muscle for over two months

"The ligament is not damaged, I’m pretty sure, because by examination it
seems stable. And then what’s pulled off is the muscle, where it attaches to
the bone. It started with just a little one, then a little more and a little
more. And it’s still attached, most of it. But it’s becoming painful, and
I’m afraid that it’s going to explode and then give us some real trouble."

—Dr. Frank Jobe, arm surgeon extraordinaire

"I’m not afraid of the surgery itself. I’m not afraid of the rehab. The only
thing… any uncertainty lies with exactly whether or not the damage goes
any further than the tendon, you know, the muscle and the tendon. If it
extends to the ligament, obviously, things become a lot more complicated.
But, you know, I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that I’m not involved in
that."

–Brown

"I don’t have words to describe that guy. I also don’t have words to tell
you how much respect I have for him, as the manager of this team. He’s a
very special individual."

—Jim Tracy, Dodgers manager

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

"If I can still go out and do it, why the hell not? The biggest thing is
whether these guys [the Mariners front office] feel I still have something
to contribute. Eventually, they’re going to make the final decision on
whether I come back."

—Jay Buhner, Mariners outfielder, on returning next season

"He won’t let me. I told him, ‘You’ve just got the batting average. I’ve got
speed and power.’ He won’t let me do it. He’s going to be the hitting coach,
too. They’ve got a pretty good hitting coach and a pretty good head coach.

—Barry Bonds, Giants outfielder, on asking Tony Gwynn–just
hired as San Diego State’s head baseball coach–for a job

"I’d like to be a hitting coach, an outfield coach. I don’t want to be a
head coach, just a guy who can give some help. Young kids have got a lot of
energy. It’s a starting point in their lives. They look up to you. To me, it
would be an honor to do that, like when I was in college having my cousin,
Reggie Jackson, there teaching me how to hit. I’d want to do that at
Stanford."

–Bonds, on his desire to coach college baseball

NOT COMPLAINING, BUT…

"I’m playing for $500,000 this year. I’m competing against guys making $5
million, $10 million a year, and I’m right there with them, maybe better.
I’m not complaining. I’m happy one way and not happy the other way. I want
to win. I have 15 games left, and, with no contract, I’m going to be a free
agent."

—Benito Santiago, Giants catcher

"I felt like, with no men on base, it might be more like starting a game,
and that if we could follow Kevin Brown with our next best guy, that was a
good thing."

—Jim Tracy, Dodgers manager, on bringing Chan Ho Park in
to relieve Kevin Brown in the first game back after last week’s layoff

"He has an ERA of about 2.80 when he has his rest and his pattern. So that’s
his normal pattern that he’s proven to be very, very successful with. Most
organizations, their 1-2-3 starters, they have their five-day rotations. And
the Dodgers made the decision to make those adjustments [and go with a
four-man rotation] and I think it’s something that’s not been beneficial to
Chan Ho."

—Scott Boras, agent, on client Chan Ho Park’s ails in relief and a
shortened rotation

CLINCHES

"It was just something that came together. It wasn’t choreographed. I don’t
think I could be any prouder to be an American than I am tonight."

—Mark McLemore, Mariners infielder, on his team gathering on the mound
with the flag for a moment of silence after clinching the AL West title

"What happened today, I’ve never experienced anything like it in baseball.
It just felt emotional. I was just bawling the whole time as we were walking
around the field."

—Edgar Martinez, Mariners designated hitter

"We got off to that slow start, and we were having a tough time. We suddenly
flipped a switch and before you knew it we were 10 games up on the wild
card. It’s unbelievable."

—Jason Giambi, Athletics infielder, on his team clinching the wild card
berth

"In the second half we’ve done as well as [the Mariners] have done all
season. So you can compare us from that aspect."

—Jeremy Giambi, Athletics designated hitter

THE REST

"If it happens, it happens. Our job is to win the division and have the
home-field advantage through the playoffs, and pretty much, we’ve done
that."

—Lou Piniella, Mariners manager, on possibly breaking the AL or
major-league single-season win records

"But we do feel in the American League, if you have pitching and hitting,
you can be competitive. We have no problem with being last on defense."

—Jerry Manuel, White Sox manager

"I will be in the locker room a lot more now. I will be talking to the young
players to make sure they understand how the game should be played."

—Al Kaline, advisor and assistant to Tigers owner Mike Ilitch

"I’ll be more vocal, yes. If I see something that I don’t like, I’ll go
right to the source. It might be that I think the coaches are teaching
something the wrong way. I no longer have to bite my tongue and wait until
we get in a meeting."

–Kaline

"Three-run homers are great. What about a missed sign or a misplay or a
throw to the wrong base? Or not running out a ball? When you win, you
overlook those things. When you lose, they are magnified 10 times."

–Kaline

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