The Week in Quotes: May 8-May 14

RICKEY SAGA…

“I don’t anticipate releasing Rickey Henderson. I think what I’d say to
him is don’t get caught up in all the nonsense.”

— Steve Phillips, Mets GM

“I don’t worry about it.”

— Rickey Henderson, outfielder

“It’s not acceptable, hitting a ball 400 feet and then pulling that [*%$!].”

— Bobby Valentine, Mets manager, on Henderson jogging to
first and missing a double

“Don’t tell me about running and hustling. You got out and do what I do. I’ve
been doing this all my life so don’t ask me no stupid [*%$!] questions like
that.”

— Rickey Henderson

“It becomes this issue added to those issues added to those issues. At some
point, you get to the point where it becomes too much.”

— Steve Phillips

“After considering everything that happened last night and this morning,
something had to be done.”

— Steve Phillips, on finally releasing Henderson

… AND OTHER BAD STARTS

“It’s been an interesting time. There’s been some different things that
I’m not used to, moving around in the lineup, some of the double switches.
Most of my offense in the years past has been late in the game. It looks
like now I’m going to have to get it done early because I’m out of there
by the seventh.”

— Dante Bichette, Reds outfielder, on his lack of offense

“It’s nice to win. It’s nice to go out when the team needed me and do a
good job. It’s just a small step. The key tonight was feeling comfortable
and keeping my focus.”

— Mike Hampton, Mets pitcher

“Maybe I should start walking more people. I don’t know what to do. I’m
as confused about pitching as I’ve ever been.”

— Mike Mussina, Orioles pitcher

“I don’t know if we needed this win more than any other. We needed any
kind of win.”

— Dean Palmer, Tigers infielder, on beating the Yankees

“People are always asking me about his .210 batting average. Well, let him
keep hitting .210 as long as he keeps hitting homers and winning games for
us.”

— Jack McKeon, Reds manager, on outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

NEW SENSATIONS

“That’s the first time I’ve done that in the majors, a walkoff home run.
It’s a great feeling. I got pummeled at home plate, and I’ll have to get a
neck readjustment. But I’d love to do that every night.”

— Scott Spiezio, Angels infielder

“It was good. It’s just like getting a win because it saves the win for your
team. I enjoy the job.”

— Dustin Hermanson, Expos pitcher, on being named closer and getting
his first save of the season

“That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It’s way more exciting than my first win
or my first save. I don’t even hit home runs in batting practice. I won’t
sleep tonight.”

— Danny Graves, Reds pitcher, on his first career home run (and hit)

THE REST

“There is no talking. Everything is stopped. I want to focus on playing
baseball.”

— Juan Gonzalez, Tigers outfielder, on contract negotiations

“This is supposed to be a big-league field. It ain’t even close. If we
played like that field looks, we’d all get fired.”

— Eric Davis, Cardinals outfielder, on Busch Stadium

“The only quote I’m giving is I’m a horrible player. I’m just a bad
player. That’s the bottom line.”

— John Rocker, Braves pitcher, on balking in the winning run

“With this club, I’m throwing up one half-inning and the other half-inning
I’m doing jumping jacks. I can’t be like this all year.”

— Johnny Oates, Rangers manager

“BK is amazing. Maybe he can help me with my submarine slider.”

— Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks pitcher, on pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim

“Do you want to ask me if I’d do it again, the answer is absolutely yes. I
would do it again and I would not regret it.”

— Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher, on hitting a batter and drawing
a suspension

“We could not be more pleased than we are today. Jim is certainly one of the
game’s top players and to know he will be a major part of both this team and
the community for many years to come is a real tribute to Cardinals fans.”

— Walt Jocketty, Cardinals GM, on signing Jim Edmonds to a
6-year extension

“It’s arena baseball. I thought they only played arena baseball in Denver.
It’s not baseball anymore. It’s entertainment.”

— Joe Torre, Yankees manager

“I just like his aura. He doesn’t seem to be worried about anything. It just
seems like something’s going to happen when he’s around.”

— Phil Garner, Tigers manager, on infielder Jose Macias

“I called my wife at home and I started crying because I was so frustrated.
I said, `Why is the guy upstairs picking me again?’ Something good has to
come out of this, but right now there is nothing good about this. I am not
happy at all.”

— Larry Walker, Rockies outfielder, on going on the DL

“I’m very honored. It means I’ve been around a lot, and it means I’ve been
pretty consistent hitting home runs, and I’m pretty proud of it.”

— Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder, on tying Mickey Mantle
with 536 home runs

“I think that `step up’ is a bunch of hogwash. You can’t step up, because
you’re supposed to be playing as hard as you can already. I don’t know where
athletes got that.”

— Jeff Kent, Giants infielder, on the injury to Barry Bonds

If you would like to submit a quote, please

email Steven and be sure to include both the quote itself and a
URL pointing to the quote.