Notice: Trying to get property 'display_name' of non-object in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-seo/src/generators/schema/article.php on line 52
keyboard_arrow_uptop


AND PEOPLE SAY BARRY BONDS IS BAD

“He went in late and kind of threw an elbow. It was a little cheap but no big deal. I’ll remember, I play second base. I’ve got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That’s it.”
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, on an inappropriate slide by Alex Rodriguez.

“I went back out and I said, ‘Hey, you should look at that; it’s a double play if he does that.’ I haven’t played football in years. That was all right.”
–Pedroia


“He probably got carried away, but it happens. He was trying to help his team win. I’m just trying to turn a double play. I’ll get killed if I have to. I’m just trying to get that out.”
–Pedroia (Michael Morrissey, New York Post)

THIS WOULD SOUND DOWNRIGHT BEAUTIFUL WERE HE HITTING .360

“My knee is still my knee. My knee is not my butt.”
–Ichiro’s position on his collision into a wall. (Geoff Baker, Seattle Times)

“I hit it against the wall, but it’s not big like my butt.”
–Ichiro

“For my interviews, please expect that much from me. Please do not come here with a soft heart.”

–Ichiro

MAYBE THE BENGALS NEED A WIDE RECEIVER

“I’m just going to play ball, that’s it. I’ve got to go. I’ve got a video game to finish.”
Elijah Dukes, Rays’ center fielder, on threats to his ex-wife that reportedly included a text message of a gun.

“I don’t know those to be true. I do know I think she is clearly using the media to leverage this divorce proceeding. There’s money involved, and unfortunately she’s going to the media.”
–Dukes’ agent, Scott Pucino

“He has made a lot of strides, but obviously this is something that certainly requires our attention.”
–Rays GM Andrew Friedman

FORTUNATELY THE YOUNG’UNS HAVE THEIR LEADER BACK


“It’ll be great. You saw what he did when he was in the lineup. He hits, he plays great defense, he steals bases. There’s a different energy to the team. Everyone likes him in the clubhouse, so when you don’t see him around, it’s weird.”

–Rays right fielder Delmon Young on Akinori Iwamura.

“It’s not only what he does statistically, but the guy works such great at-bats, and I think he’s contagious. I think when other hitters watch a hitter having good at-bats, it reminds them what they would like to do sometimes. I think Aki really presented that to us early in the season. He worked good at-bats, saw lots of pitches, (got) crucial hits, utilized the whole field, put down a bunt.”
–Rays manager Joe Maddon

“He’s one of those guys that when he gets back in there he’ll help the whole lineup like we were before he got hurt.”
–Maddon, on Iwamura.

“He just played the game really well. He played the game intelligently. I think he’s contagious to the rest of the group in a positive way.”
–an infectiously optimistic-sounding Maddon (Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times)

EVERYONE ELSE IS ON A SERIES OF LITTLE HOOKS

“He’s on a big hook. He wanted sole authority, [and] he got it. Now he’s got to deliver.”
–Yankees owner George Steinbrenner

“I think Roger is capable of sparking the team. He is a veteran and will bring stability. I am happy he is coming back. I love him.”
–Steinbrenner


“He should have kept his mouth shut. The matter is in the hands of the baseball commissioner.”
–Steinbrenner, on Jason Giambi (Associated Press)

IF WE WANTED TO WORK FOR AN UNLOVABLE LOSER, WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN A JOB IN THE COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE

“The boss is the boss. There are no surprises here. He’s said this to me privately.”
–Brian Cashman, on George putting his GM’s job on the line.

“I’m on the hook. You can’t describe it any better than that. It’s my job to figure it out. So far, it’s been a long, short season. We’ve got to fight through this.”
–Brian Cashman

THE REST

“I know for sure I can be a Cy Young [winner]. When I see the guys that have won the Cy Young, there’s no doubt. I think I have good stuff. I’m very talented. It’s every pitcher’s dream. But you’ve got to take it one day at a time.”
Angels starter Kelvim Escobar (Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times)

“Last night guys don’t make pitches, and we capitalize on them. Today they do and it’s a different case.”
Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier
(Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times)

“We threw 162 pitches before we recorded an out in the sixth inning.
Tough to win games like that.”

–Iowa Cubs manager Buddy Bailey, on a 13-3 loss to Oklahoma. (Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register)

“I can say that was the first time I ever wanted to have a day off. Both my hamstrings feel like they weigh 700 pounds.”
Mariners right fielder Jose Guillen (Geoff Baker, Seattle Times)

“I came in on the ball when it came off his bat. It didn’t sound right. I saw the barrel break off, so I broke in about three steps. I had to turn around and go back again. So it was quite impressive.”
Indians left fielder David Dellucci, on a broken-bat homer by the TigersMarcus Thames. (John Lowe, The Detroit Free Press)

“I was trying to get ahead and he jumped on it. It was down, and he’s a good low-ball hitter. But I’ve got to keep the ball down. So it’s kind of a catch-22.”
Royals starter Brian Bannister (Bob Dutton, Kansas City Star)

Alex Carnevale is a contributor to Baseball Prospectus. You can reach Alex by clicking here. You can also find his Football Outsiders work here.

Thank you for reading

This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.

Subscribe now
You need to be logged in to comment. Login or Subscribe