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REJOINING SOCIETY

“And I miss looking that pitcher in the eye. I can’t look my son in the eye when he’s throwing me a Wiffle ball and say, ‘I’m going to rip one off your forehead.'”

–former A’s infielder and current sports radio talk show host F.P. Santangelo, on what he misses about playing professional baseball (Sacramento Bee)

“Not that I need it, but I get that same adrenaline rush when I’m driving in to do a show. I never had that once coaching. So that’s how I know this is my new direction.”

–Santangelo, on the similarities between baseball and his new job

“There’s nothing to gear up for. I think a lot of guys a la Ken Caminiti, Pete Rose, guys who played like me … I think they have the biggest trouble assimilating into regular society.”

–Santangelo, on the difficulties adjusting to ordinary life after playing baseball

“That’s stuff you, as a kid, dream about. So when you’re up at the plate in a major-league setting, and they’re chanting ‘F.P., F.P., F.P,’ it’s almost like you step back and (think), I’m going to milk this.”

–Santangelo

“A lot of athletes base their self-worth, their identity, on being an athlete, being a professional, by the cars they drive, the house they have, by the material things they have. For me, it was never about that. I wasn’t better than you because I was a baseball player. I was just a lot luckier.”

–Santangelo

$UCCE$$

“It means a lot to me. That’s not just some chump change you’re throwing around right there. I feel like I owe the organization whatever they want out of me now. I’m basically theirs.”

–Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford, on his new six-year deal, worth up to $32 million (St. Petersburg Times)

“I feel like the organization is going in the right direction to win more games. I think the Tampa Bay area has a lot to look forward to because we’re young and exciting and we’re going to win games. I know right now things are not looking as well, but I feel that in time the talent will rise and we will have a winning team.”

–Crawford, demonstrating that the organization can get whatever they want out of him now, and that he’s basically theirs

“It was not our goal just to sign and develop young men like Carl. It was to sign and develop them, get them to the major leagues and see them prosper and sign them to contracts like this.”

–Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar, on the Crawford deal (Tampa Bay Tribune)

“That’s awesome that they took care of him pretty well. Now, I’m sure they’ll take care of everyone else and get this thing rolling.”

–Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli, planting the seed

“It’s a very positive message to not only our major-league team, but our minor-league kids. Get up here and play well, and there’s something waiting for you.”

–Devil Rays GM Lou Piniella, on the message this contract sends to the players

“It hasn’t completely set in. It’s a little weird. But I’m definitely excited.”

–A’s pitcher Rich Harden, on his new four-year, $9 million contract (Sacramento Bee)

“It made sense from our standpoint [to sign Harden]. He’s a young kid with fantastic stuff. … He’ll be one of the top pitchers in the American League, if he’s not already.”

–A’s Assistant GM David Forst, on the Harden signing

BUILDING VS. REBUILDING

“It’s comparable to being a toddler, because the team is growing up. I think the reason to care is everyone is going to grow with the team as the team reaches success.”

–Devil Rays Managing Partner Vince Naimoli (Tampa Bay Tribune)

“First of all, it’s a growing experience, and we have been making progress. You have to continuously improve. We have to be better this year than we were last year, and next year we have to be better than we are this year. It’s a progressive upward slope. And as we progress upward, all things progress upward. Our sponsorships, our tickets, our player payroll.”

–Naimoli

“It’s just a matter of what’s burning inside of me. I’ve always said I’m my own judge. And I’m never going to be happy until we win.”

–Naimoli

“I’ve stayed away from the term ‘rebuilding.’ I think it’s possible to do both [rebuild and compete]. I expect we’re going to be a pain in the butt in the next few years, whether it’s starting the first day of this season or in May. At some point, this is going to be a very, very good team.”

–A’s GM Billy Beane, on his expectations for this year (Contra Costa Times)

“I never give away anything. I don’t give away Instructional League games. As far as my private expectations, I’ll leave them private. You’re in the wrong sport if you go into the season and don’t think you have a chance to do something special or to compete.”

–Beane

“I was excited during the winter. Nobody else was. The last couple of springs I didn’t go to the games on the road. Now I try to catch every inning I can. It’s been fun. It’s exciting knowing we’ll have these young players here for the next few years.”

–Beane

THAT OVERBEARING CALIFORNIA WORK ETHIC

“I’ve never had so many meetings – every day they tell you what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong.”

–new Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera, on getting used to his new team’s organizational philosophy (Los Angeles Times)

“They’re trying to get everyone to work as hard as they can during spring training, but a lot of the guys told me Mike [Scoscia] loosens up during the season. There’s a lot of concern about what you’re doing on the field here. They want perfection. That’s good, because you want to have everyone on the same page.”

–Cabrera

“I got to Minnesota for my first game and started asking guys what the signs were [on defense] for a double steal. They said, ‘The catcher just throws to second base.’ But what about the sign from the catcher? ‘The catcher will do a lot of stuff, but he just throws to second base.'”

–Cabrera, on joining the Red Sox and figuring out their organizational philosophy

“They didn’t bunt, they didn’t hit and run. We won a World Series with no signs. Then you come here, and it’s a big difference. Here, you do what you’re told.”

–Cabrera, comparing his old team to his new team

NONVIOLENT PROTEST

“No. I’m going to make the Toronto Blue Jays pay every cent of my salary.”

–former Blue Jays pitcher Billy Koch, on whether he’ll sign with another team after being released by Toronto (Toronto Sun)

“To be released after four outings? What’s four outings in the spring? Nothing. They can pay my gas money for my car, they can pay to fill up my 240-gallon tank for my 30-foot Pursuit, they can gas up my jet boat and our three jet skis.”

–Koch

“Not only are we going, but I’ll be sitting with you and we’ll be holding up signs reading ‘Go Devil Rays!’ “

–Koch, on whether he’s still going to a Rays-Jays game in Tampa Bay after buying 240 tickets for his kids’ classmates

YOU TRIED YOUR BEST AND YOU FAILED MISERABLY. THE LESSON IS: NEVER TRY

“We’re happy to get a prospect and a little financial relief, but in the big picture, this was a disappointing end to what could have been a nice career in Boston for a very talented pitcher. But it didn’t work out and I’ll take responsibility.”

–Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, on finally trading ineffective reliever Byung-Hyun Kim (Boston Herald)

“In hindsight, the contract was a mistake. I’ll take the blame.”

–Epstein

“If the guy was pitching the way he did three years ago, you don’t acquire him in this kind of trade. We only got him because he is down, but at his age, we see the potential as an upside.”

–Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd, on acquiring Kim (Rocky Mountain News)

ADIOS Y GRACIAS, EL GATO GRANDE

“This is a sad day for me, but I honestly felt it was the right time to step away. I just wasn’t playing up to the expectations that I have set for myself throughout my entire career, and I wanted to walk away on my own terms.”

–Mets first baseman Andres Galarraga, on his retirement (New York Daily News)

“Playing has been a part of my life for so long, but I just felt this was the right time to give a younger guy a chance to play.”

–Galarraga

“He said, ‘Look, I’m not playing to my standards. I’ll make the decision for you.’ What classier person in baseball have we come across?”

–Mets GM Omar Minaya, on Galarraga

WORKING ON YOUR SKILLS, LIKE PLATE DISCIPLINE SKILLS, COMPUTER HACKING SKILLS…GIRLS ONLY WANT BOYFRIENDS WHO HAVE GREAT SKILLS

“But he doesn’t have that one quality that, for a leadoff hitter, is very essential to anybody, which is not to be afraid of hitting with two strikes on him. I’m not saying that he’s afraid. But when hitters can go up and work the count, even take two strikes and then still be successful, that’s when we say they’re not afraid to hit with two strikes.”

–Nationals manager Frank Robinson, on why Cristian Guzman isn’t a good leadoff candidate (Washington Post)

“I like walk, but I swing now. Now I like swing. No more walk.”

–Dodgers first baseman Hee Seop Choi, on his new approach at the plate (Los Angeles Times)

“Today I tried to hit a homer. I’m ready for opening day.”

–Choi

“I know if I stay within myself and have a good approach at the plate, I’ll be fine. I can’t say what my numbers will be, but it all comes back to good pitch selection and timing at the plate. If I get those two things going, I’ll be fine.”

–Rangers 1B/DH Adrian Gonzalez, on potentially making the team out of Spring Training (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram)

THE REST

“If he doesn’t make this team, I should resign and go home.”

–Nationals GM Jim Bowden, on outfielder J.J. Davis (Washington Post)

“If we don’t keep Blanco, I should resign and go home. Because then we’ve totally missed what we’re trying to do here.”

–Bowden, on Rule V pick Tony Blanco

“Every year you’ve got to try to add something different. Next year I’ll start throwing a knuckleball.”

–Angels reliever Brendon Donnelly, on the sinker he’s been toying with this spring (Los Angeles Times)

“When I speak, people know I speak the truth. The thing is, our team has nothing to really hide. We’re kind of out there.”

–Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon, on his new book Idiots: Beating “The Curse” and Enjoying the Game of Life.” (MLB.com)

“He worries after just one game of 0-for-4. I went 0-for-4 every day and didn’t worry.”

–White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on Scott Podsednik’s worrying (Chicago Sun-Times)

“There is no mechanism for a player in Ryan’s position to demand a trade.”

–Phillies GM Ed Wade, on prospect Ryan Howard’s trade demand (Philadelphia Inquirer)

“Look at what kind of player I am. I’m never hitting any home runs. I never take any steroids because I don’t need them. I take a lot of stuff I buy over the counter.”

–Devil Rays outfielder Alex Sanchez. Sanchez failed a drug test, becoming the first player suspended under MLB’s new drug policy (Tampa Bay Tribune)

“Play ball!”

–home plate umpire Joe West in last night’s NY/BOS game

John Erhardt is an editorial assistant at Baseball Prospectus. You can contact John by clicking here or click here to see John’s other articles.

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