Running through the notable quotes of the week that was.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS ACQUIRE BOSTON RED SOX (PLAYERS) “I haven't found [a spending cap] yet, but I'll let you know if we get there. We really do evaluate those things secondarily. We think the most important thing is building a team.” —Dodgers president and part-owner Stan Kasten on opening up the wallets to acquire the Red Sox’ three highest-paid players, in a nine-player deal that saw over $250 million in contracts change hands. (Alex Angert, MLB.com)
Running through the notable quotes of the week that was.
BOBBY CLEARLY NOT THEIR VALENTINE “What Tom, Larry, and I heard in the player meeting was one overriding sentiment. Players felt responsible for the record. They weren't blaming injuries or anyone but themselves. At the same time, they openly spoke about what could improve in addition to their play. They made substantive points. We addressed those points. No one in that meeting, at any time, took the position that Bobby should be or needed to be replaced.”
—Red Sox owner John Henry, responding to a story from Yahoo which alleged that a host of disgruntled Boston players “blasted” manager Bobby Valentine in a secret meeting with team ownership back in July. (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe)
Running through the notable quotes from the week that was.
NITKOWSKI EYEING BIG-LEAGUE RETURN “The goal for me when I came [to Binghamton] was to test the sidearm out and see what kind of reaction I would get from the hitters, and the things that I needed to see were swings and misses from lefties and ground balls from righties, and so far that's happening.”
—PitcherC.J. Nitkowski, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, is attempting a big-league comeback with the Mets at age 39. (Andrew Simon, MLB.com)
Running through the top quotes from the week that was.
REDS ON A ROLL “It's like a playoff atmosphere in here almost every day.”
—Reds manager Dusty Baker on his team's recent string of success. On Saturday, the Reds won their 22nd game out of their last 25, the franchise's best streak since the 1890s. (Mark Clements, MLB.com)
Running through the notable notes and quotes of the week that was.
ICHIRO TAKES HIS TALENTS TO THE BRONX “I am going to a team with the most wins from a team with the most losses. It’s hard to contain my excitement.”
—Ichiro Suzuki, after being traded from the Mariners to the Yankees on Monday. Ichiro, who compiled 2,533 hits over more than 11 years with Seattle, went 1-for-4 in his Yankees debut, which just happened to come against the Mariners. (George A. King III, New York Post)
Running through the notable quotes of the week that was.
YOUKILIS RETURNS TO BOSTON “I think the comment I made early, he made a big issue out of, and I don't think he ever wanted to get over it.”
—Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, when asked about Kevin Youkilis, who returned to Boston for the first time since being traded to the White Sox on June 24. The third baseman’s relationship with Valentine was reportedly turbulent. (Gordon Edes, ESPN Boston)
Running through the notable quotes of the week that was.
OZZIE SPARS WITH HARPER, NATIONALS OVER PINE TAR “First time, it’s going to stay between us/ I could have said a lot of [stuff] about this kid. I’ve been praising this kid like everyday. The last three times they asked me about him, the only thing I said was he’s a great player. What he did [today] was unprofessional. I’m not going to tell you guys what he did because I’m not going to be talking about it on ESPN, “Baseball Tonight,” what happened again. I’ll just leave it like that. I’ll talk to his manager in a little while.”
—Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen accused Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper of using too much pine tar on his bat, calling the rookie’s actions “unprofessional.” Guillen yelled profanities in Harper’s direction during his at-bat in the fourth inning. (Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post)
Running through the notable quotes of the week that was.
DISPATCHES FROM WASHINGTON: ALL-STAR EDITION “I’m just excited to get there and just have a good time. I think it’s exciting to go, and I’m excited to get there and be around all the top guys in baseball, of course. I’m just going to take it all in, try to enjoy it with the family, and try to just be as mellow and calm as I can. I’m excited. I really am. I’m really excited to get out there and be around those kind of guys and just try to actually enjoy myself as much as I can and really take it all in.”
—Nationals center fielder Bryce Harper on being the youngest position player to ever make the All-Star team. (Amanda Comak,The Washington Times)
Running through the noteable quotables from the week that was.
KEVIN YOUKILIS (INSERT BANAL JOKE ABOUT CHANGING SOX) “It was an emotional time for everyone, for Kevin and his teammates. He’s been here a long time, he’s been a great player and has played hard every inning he’s been out there.”
—Red Sox GM Ben Cherington on long-time Fenway favorite Kevin Youkilis, who was traded to the Chicago White Sox last Sunday after more than eight years with Boston. (Nick Cafardo, BostonGlobe)
THE GREAT PINE TAR WAR OF 2012 “It's kind of a common practice that people have done this for years, and to point one guy out because he had pitched here a couple years ago, there probably was some common knowledge based on that, and so I thought it was a real cowardly — and I've used that word twice this year (also about Boston's Bobby Valentine) I guess, so it was kind of a (wimpy) move to go out there and do that under those circumstances.”
—Rays manager Joe Maddon on Nationals skipper Davey Johnson, who asked the umpires to check reliever Joel Peralta’s glove upon entering Tuesday’s game in the eighth inning. Peralta, who pitched for the Nationals back in 2010, was caught with pine tar in his glove and subsequently ejected. (Marc Topkin, TampaBayTimes)
The Dodgers' winning percentage without Matt Kemp is better than any National League team's winning percentage.
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A-ROD TIES GEHRIG WITH SLAM “It means a lot. It’s very special. This game is very, very difficult, and if you’re not going to enjoy these great moments, then it’s not any fun. Lou Gehrig was not only one of the all-time greats, but he was one of ours, a Yankee.”
—Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who hit his 23rd career grand slam on Tuesday night, tying Lou Gehrig for first on the all-time list. (David Waldstein, NewYorkTimes)
Daily Hit List: Thursday, September 20
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