TRADES “When I got the phone call that I was traded, especially for a talent like Dante Bichette, I knew [the Rockies] had plans for me. I’m looking at this as the opportunity I’ve been waiting on.” — Jeffry Hammonds, new Rockies outfielder, on winning the lottery “If you’re going to deal with premier players,…
WORLD SERIES, DURING “I don’t care how good they are. We shouldn’t be doing this bad. We knocked Randy Johnson out twice and he has the best stuff in baseball.” — Ryan Klesko, Braves infielder, before Game 3 “We’ve done it against Texas the last two years, San Diego last year and now against the…
ALCS “I didn’t make the right call. That’s a frustrating thing for an umpire, because we like to call everything properly.” — Tim Tschida, umpire, on Game 4 “They made mistakes that umpires make and they’re man enough to admit it. They missed a couple calls. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad umpire.” —…
INDIANS VERSUS RED SOX “You might say we’re celebrating a little too hard, but after a series like this, you have to kick off your shoes a little bit.” — Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher “We were shorthanded, beat up and we still went out and gave a great effort. We battled but we just…
CLOSURE “Tonight we say goodbye. But we will not forget. Open your eyes, take a look around, and take a mental picture. Moments like this will live on.” — Ernie Harwell, former Tigers announcer, on the closing of Tiger Stadium “Tiger Stadium is life, as far as I’m concerned.” — Willie Horton, former Tigers player…
THE RACES “We’re building a lot of character right now. Let’s hope it’s character we can use in the playoffs.” — Orel Hershiser, Mets pitcher “We just didn’t need the added frustration of playing a game like this with these umpires. The season is over within a week, so we don’t have to deal with…
UMPIRES “The resignations will stand and the new umpires are permanent employees. We are proud to have them on board.” — Bud Selig, MLB commissioner “I have no idea what I’m going to do now. There aren’t a lot of opportunities out there for a 48-year old ex-major league umpire that I know of.” —…
YOUNG PITCHERS… “I think I’m just happy to get that first one out of the way. I just want to come in and help the team win as much as I can.” — Rick Ankiel, Cardinals pitcher, on his ML debut “I can’t worry about whether I’m going to be here next time or the…
BREWERS FIRE GARNER AND REASSIGN BANDO “Change is not always easy, but there are times when you need to make changes to move forward.” — Wendy Selig-Prieb, Brewers president “I suggested that it was time to make a change with Phil and myself. It’s something she obviously had been thinking about, because she understood how…
MILESTONES “I’ve exceeded everything I expected of myself.” — Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder, on hitting his 500th home run “The way he’s hitting home runs, he could break the record next year.” — Hank Aaron, on the possibility of Mark McGwire breaking his home run record “To get 3,000 on my mom’s birthday is a…
TRADING DEADLINE, EARLY “This is a little different because it’s the National League and I’ve never been a National League pitcher before. But when I’m healthy I’ve proven that I’m a pretty good pitcher…. one of the best in baseball.” — Kenny Rogers, Mets pitcher “[Javy] Lopez is definitely a big loss for the Braves,…
THE HALL OF FAME “It’s special this year that George Brett, Robin Yount and Nolan Ryan can enjoy the moment in their first year of eligibility. They are three guys I greatly admire. I think they earned the right to go in the first year.” — Don Sutton, announcer “I think this is the final…
ALL-STAR GAME “I was having fun. I love doing these things. Earlier in my career, when I didn’t accept myself as a home-run hitter, I didn’t like doing these things. But now I enjoy them. I think sometimes it’s better than the game because I haven’t really had a great All-Star Game.” — Mark McGwire,…
KENDALL OUT FOR THE SEASON “It was one of the worst things I’ve seen. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was probably going to set the record for steals by a catcher, but will that speed come back? I just don’t know.” — Gene Lamont, Pirates manager “It’s one of the most gruesome things…
JIMENEZ NO-HITS D-BACKS “It’s unbelievable. I can’t explain it. I just want to fly tonight.” — Jose Jimenez, Cardinals pitcher “If that doesn’t thrill you, then you should be doing something else for a living. He really had tremendous movement on his pitches. He has Kevin Brown-type movement.” — Tony LaRussa, Cardinals manager “Since I…
LARRY DIERKER “It was scary to hear that he might have a tumor. You couldn’t eat or sleep last night. It was great to see that he is OK. Now we can go out and do what he trained us to do the last three years, have fun and play hard.” — Derek Bell, Astros…