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ANDREW FRIEDMAN HEADS WEST FOR LOS ANGELES

“Clearly as good as he is, and as desirous as many other teams are to have somebody who they think is as good as Andrew is, they'll keep coming at him and keep trying. I guess at this point, the timing was just right, specifically for Andrew because he's going into this eyes open. … One thing I can say is, this was certainly not an easy decision for him.”
—Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg, on former executive vice president Andrew Friedman leaving the organization to accept the position of president of baseball operations for the Dodgers. (Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times)

“Erik and Chaim's promotions are well deserved as they have been essential contributors to our operation for years. I look forward to working with them in all facets of baseball operations, and I know they will continue to be great leaders of our deeply talented and dedicated department.”
—Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman, announcing that Chaim Bloom and Erik Neander will each serve as vice president of baseball operations following Friedman’s departure. (Bradenton Herald)

“I know it's going to be different and it's going to take some time for us to adjust. The beauty is that the gentlemen leading this baseball organization have been doing so for many years. We're minus Andrew and it's a huge loss — I can't minimize that and I won't minimize that — but it's going to be business as usual for most of us in the department. And we have a lot of work to do.”
—Silverman. (Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times)

“We’re very aligned on a lot of things philosophically and have thoroughly enjoyed those conversations. We’re going to get together next week and I’ll look forward to building that relationship.”
—Friedman, on Don Mattingly, who was given a vote of confidence as the club’s manager by the newest member of the Dodgers front office. (Dylan Hernandez, Los Angeles Times)

“If you have 70 wins and great chemistry, I don't want those guys. I'd rather win with what you determine to be bad chemistry than lose with what you determine to be good chemistry.”
—Friedman, on chemistry his philosophy regarding roster construction. (Ken Gurnick, MLB.com)

DYSON GOES FROM 50TH ROUND PICK TO WORLD SERIES ROSTER

“I never forget those days that we had struggles. My mom was a strong woman, making ends meet for us kids to survive. She deserves all the credit, all the thanks. It was an uphill battle. I was around a bad neighborhood, but you put your mind together and things'll happen. My mom was able to move us into a decent home and a better neighborhood. We kind of like took off from there; who knows where I would be if I'd have stayed in the projects?”
—Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson, on growing up in the projects in McComb, Mississippi. (Dick Kaegel, MLB.com)

“I loved hitting home runs, though. Home runs feel better than anything I think except probably for robbing one. I had to kind of get away from hitting fly balls and all that. After so many struggles, you tend to find yourself—what type of hitter you are and what type of player you are, and that's what I've learned to do.”
—Dyson, on changing his hitting philosophy from swinging for the fences in the minor leagues to using his speed to his advantage.

“He’s a guy that’s been facing adversity his whole life. He’s probably the most confident person I’ve been around. Hanging out with him, that confidence rubs off on you.”
—Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, on Dyson, who grew up in a neighborhood in Mississippi filled with drug dealing and violence and was selected in the 50th round of the 2006 draft out of Southwest Mississippi Community College. (Andy McCullough, Kansas City Star)

“Everybody thought I was taking something to make me faster. I’m like, ‘I’m fast enough, dude.’”
—Dyson, on taking pain medication for a toothache in 2009 and subsequently failing a drug test that revealed traces of amphetamine.

TWITTER

This San Francisco radio station will be pulling Lorde’s song, “Royals” from its airways for the entire Fall Classic.

THE REST

“I don’t need validation, man. If people ask me about it, I don’t need it. I’m real comfortable with myself. I get criticized all the time. I’m the dumbest manager in baseball. I’m OK with that.”
—Royals manager Ned Yost, on bringing Kelvin Herrera in to relieve Jason Vargas in the sixth inning of Game four of the ALCS. Herrera got five outs before turning the ball over to Wade Davis for the start of the eighth inning. (Andy McCullough, Kansas City Star)

“I walked in, and the whole place went nuts. I mean, everybody came out of the bar, everybody came out of their seat in the dining area. We just couldn’t get past that desk there. We were high-fiving, hugging, taking pictures. It was a tremendous experience.”
—Royals manager Ned Yost, on going to dinner with his family at a Kansas City restaurant a few hours after his club finished off their sweep of the Orioles. (Andy McCullough, Kansas City Star)

“I can't walk across town. I can't be that modest, quiet, back-of-the-room guy anymore. I’m taking a lot of pictures. It’s great. It’s a very humbling feeling right now. It just hasn’t fully sunk in. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like.”
—Giants outfielder Travis Ishikawa, on how everyday life has changed since he hit the home run that sent his team to the World Series. (Henry Schulman, SFGate)

“It was just kind of my time. There were numerous reasons that I felt like I couldn't play at a level that I was accustomed to and wanted to play at if I continued to play. I always said that I wasn't going to be the guy that tried to hang on as long as I could.”
—Former Orioles and Yankees second baseman Brian Roberts, who announced his retirement on Friday. (Dan Connolly, Baltimore Sun)

“Everybody thinks it's such a cool thing, but I don't even know what I think. All I know is that it's a weird feeling. I can't even describe it. I'm so happy for those guys, but there's only one team I can root for… There's only one team I really care about. And it's not them.”
—Giants advance scout and former Kansas City Royal Steve Balboni, on his impending return to Kansas City. (Bob Nightengale, USA Today)

“I don't know if I'm going to live to see it. Someone, at some period of time, will feel it in their heart to give me a second chance. I might be six feet under, but that's what you have to live with.”
Pete Rose, who believes he will, at some point, be admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Justin McGuire, Sporting News)

“The message is clear: Cheating doesn't pay, and individuals like Bosch, who distribute performance-enhancing drugs to athletes and, more importantly, to our children, will be held accountable for their actions.”
—U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer, after Biogenesis founder and owner Anthony Bosch plead guilty to illegally providing performance-enhancing drugs to all athletes. Sentencing is set for December 18th. (ESPN)

“You get yourself in that place where there’s so much stuff built up inside you, all the story lines of the season, the roller-coaster ride of emotions. You’ve got a guy like Michael Morse who hasn’t been this far, and Tim Hudson, the whole history with Ishikawa — it just got to me. All that balled-up hope came rushing out. You realize how humbling this game is and how blessed you are… All I can say is that these players are a hell of a lot stronger than all of us [executives]. They write their own script. From day one in spring training they felt they had a chance to do something, and they pulled it off.”
—Giants general manager Brian Sabean, who broke down in tears after the Giants eliminated the Cardinals to advance to the World Series. (Bruce Jenkins, SFGate)

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