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

HOW POOR ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT PATIENCE!

“The first thing that I told him [was], ‘I didn’t do anything.’ Because every time you go to the manager’s office, something’s wrong.”

–Perez, on being called into the manager’s office (Chicago Sun-Times)

“He knows and I told him, ‘Whenever you need me, I’m going to be there.’ I just like to be in the lineup. I don’t care where I’m going to be. It’s no challenge for me. It’s not that difficult.”

–Perez, on being asked to hit leadoff for the Cubs. That’s right. Leadoff.

“I’m not promising you that I’m going to walk, but I’m going to take more pitches and be more patient at home plate. You might see me bunt more, stuff like that. When I’ve got a guy at second base, I might bunt to get that guy to third base. But it’s nothing different. I don’t feel any pressure. It’s just a game.”

–Perez

“I was younger and I used to swing at everything. As you get older, you get more strengths, you get more experience in the strike zone. So let’s see what I can do.”

–Perez

“Baseball has changed a lot. You see a lot of guys leading off and hit 10 to 15 home runs. So I’m just going to do my job. We’ll see what I can do right now and if Dusty likes [it].”

–Perez

“He led off for four years in Colorado, so he knows how to do it. I’m just searching for runs.”

–Cubs manager Dusty Baker, on Perez hitting leadoff (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

“We’re just looking for more offense, looking for a perfect lineup, especially with [Todd Walker] back.”

–Baker

A lot of those kind of [leadoff] guys are playing other sports now. I’d love to go get Allen Iverson. I think he’d be a perfect leadoff man, him and Steve Nash, but those guys are playing other sports.”

–Baker

“In the eighth, Dusty actually asked Neifi and I to take. And you’re certainly going to take if Jennings stays in the game, but when he comes out and Witasick comes in, it’s a tough call because you never know if he’ll be accurate. The patience thing was working, especially in that inning, and I think there’s something to it for sure.”

–Cubs second baseman Todd Walker (MLB.com)

“You never talk about patience at the plate when you’re winning.”

–Walker (Chicago Sun-Times)

TELEPHONES, PANIC, AND ALARM!

“Greenies–they were everywhere. You had young guys taking them, middle-of-the-road guys taking them. I tried to counsel guys when I was playing, but at the end of my career, they were rampant.”

–former Padre Tony Gwynn, on amphetamine usage in MLB (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

“Guys would have them in their locker. They put them in aspirin bottles, they put them in supplement bottles, in bags–they were everywhere.”

–Gwynn

“I’m not going to sit here and say nobody takes them. You see it every once in a while. Personally, I’ve never taken them, so I don’t know what the effect is. I’d be a little scared myself.”

–Twins pitcher and union representative Kyle Lohse

“I was probably naive, but I never really thought of anybody using amphetamines or steroids at all. I remember when I played, we used to pound the coffee. Everybody would throw down a cup or two of coffee before they went out there and have a good lather.”

–former Twins manager Tom Kelly

“Let’s not be naive enough to think all this stuff started happening in the ’90s. Not that I’m saying ignore it, but I’m saying it was prevalent [before the ’90s], and now everybody wants to get self-righteous about it. Let’s not beat up these baseball players about things that happened in the past.”

–Twins third base coach and former player Al Newman

“What enhances your performance is your understanding of the game–not how good you feel. There were days I felt great, and went 0-for-5.”

–Gwynn

I TELL YA I GET NO RESPECT

“I feel as if I’ve just been kicked out of my house…I’ve had a lot of great days here and I didn’t want my great days to end this way. I could deal with a trade and, in fact, I expected it to happen in July. But this way is not right.”

–former Reds closer Danny Graves, who was designated for assignment last week (Dayton Daily News)

“I have 182 career saves and I know how to do this job. It has been a struggle for a while now and I can’t figure it out. I have no answers. Too often lately my stuff is not there and it’s no fun going out there and not being able to do the job.”

–Graves

“We have to evaluate, see if there is a flaw in my mechanics. Health-wise, I’m great and that’s what baffles me. Is there a flaw in my delivery? Why is my velocity down? Maybe it’s because I’m getting older.”

–Graves

“I’m trying to win, I just stink.”

–Graves

“I don’t know where they’re hiding it. I need it, though. My back hurts. It’s therapeutic. That’s what they’re there for.”

–Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on his Sharper Image chair that was removed from the clubhouse last week (MLB.com)

“Poor little guy. He didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t complain. He just came to play every day.”

–Dunn, looking longingly at the spot where his chair used to sit

“So now we’re going to start winning. It was the chair’s fault.”

–Dunn

“And we even won last night. Imagine if we would have lost. I might not have a glove.”

–Dunn

WELL, AREN’T YOU A HAPPY HOMER?

“Broadcasting has changed so much in the last 20 years, it’s unbelievable. When I came in in ’75, you could say anything you wanted to say.”

–White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson (Arizona Republic)

“I’ve been associated with the ‘homer’ tag for so long that I love it. I mean, I wouldn’t have it any other way. D.J. [partner Darrin Jackson] and I both want this ball club to win every day they go out on the field and we pull for them. And I think that’s one reason that we’ve had such good acceptance over the years. Because fans want their announcers to root for their team.”

–Harrelson

“I never tried to be this perfect broadcaster with the kind of vocabulary that most broadcasters have. My emotions are genuine. I don’t even know sometimes that I moan and I groan. But I do know that there’s nothing wrong with being a homer.”

–Cubs announcer Ron Santo

“Because I was fortunate enough to play the game and know how tough it is, I approach it from the standpoint that these guys are out there busting their tails to do the best they can. I can tell you I’ve never ever met a guy who’s tried to fail. So I’m not a ripper. But, then again, you gotta remember, you can’t insult the intelligence of people at home watching.”

–San Diego Padres analyst Mark Grant

“I believe you can market a product and still maintain your credibility…But I think what’s happened today is unless you’re critical, there’s a feeling you’re not telling it like it is. And that’s wrong.”

–Arizona Diamondbacks announcer Joe Garagiola Sr.

“Say I’m broadcasting a Diamondbacks game and Richie Sexson hits a home run to give the team the lead. I’m not going to say: ‘That’s his first home run in 42 at-bats.’ I’m going say: ‘He just gave his team the lead.’ ”

–Garagiola, on putting a positive spin on statistics

WHO SPEAKS OF VAGUENESS SHOULD HIMSELF BE VAGUE

“It’s not too specific at all. They’ve basically said, ‘Don’t take anything until we find out what’s good and what’s not good.’ Basically nothing’s good right now because you don’t want to take a chance.”

–Dodgers minor league infielder Joe Thurston, on the player’s fear of the new substance abuse policy (Las Vegas Sun)

“To make it through a 162-game season in the big leagues, or a 142-game season here [in the minors], there’s no way you can do it without some kind of supplements, whether it’s protein shakes, creatine or whatever. I’m not taking anything now, because it’s too big a risk. It’s not even worth it.”

–Las Vegas 51s catcher Mike Rose

“It’s tough, especially when you don’t know. You don’t get a list of things that contain banned substances. These kids have no chance.”

–Las Vegas 51s manager Jerry Royster

“If it isn’t a hardcore steroid, how can you be banned? How can Alex Sanchez walk in with a jug of what he took and say ‘This is what I’m doing,’ and he’s penalized, like [Jason] Giambi, who hasn’t been penalized and he’s admitted it?”

–Royster

“We go to GNC to buy stuff to help us get through a season. I don’t think that deserves a 15-game suspension with no pay. That could ruin somebody’s season or their career. A lot of it’s done in the winter. We rely on some kind of supplement to keep us going, keep us healthy and strong and keep the numbers up. That’s our living. That’s our job.”

–Rose

“They couldn’t give me Sudafed because it had ephedrine and some other stuff that are masking agents for steroids, so you can’t take [anything]. I had a fever for 12 days straight and all I was taking was regular Tylenol. That’s all I could take. I lost 15 pounds–it was fun.”

–Las Vegas 51s outfielder Nick Theodoru, on the time he was sick during the Olympics

“Steroids should not be allowed in baseball or any sport, but at the same time we should be able to keep our bodies strong somehow by taking some kind of supplements that are perfectly legal.”

–Rose

THE REST

“To me he ranks at the top. He ranks up there with myself, [Vince] Coleman and Henderson. I would say he’s no less than those guys.”

–White Sox coach Tim Raines, on Scott Podsednik (Chicago Sun-Times)

“I don’t have anything good to say about the guy to be personally honest with you. He is a cancer in every single clubhouse that he goes to.”

–Reds infielder Ryan Freel, on D’Angelo Jimenez, who was designated for assignment last week (Cincinnati Enquirer)

“In the past when we win, it’s because Frank is hot, and when we lose it’s because Frank is not. He’s a big part, but he’s just another player. We’ve been winning with different people. Hopefully, we can continue to do that.”

–White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on Frank Thomas’ return to the lineup (Chicago Sun-Times)

“I was sitting in the chair and turned, and my finger got caught in between chairs. The handles are wood. I turned quick and didn’t know the other chair was right there.”

–Cubs reliever Mike Remlinger, on how he injured his finger and wound up on the 15-day DL

“It doesn’t matter what you make. I make $3 million and I [stink]. That’s the business. That’s the game. [Booing him] because of the salary, is that fair? Is that a reason to boo? I don’t think so.”

–Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar, on fans booing Edgar Renteria (Boston Globe)

“Only two parks can hold me, Turner Field and Yellowstone.”

–Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. (Dayton Daily News)

“In Korea and Japan, most players don’t swing at 3-0.”

–Mets reliever Dae Sung Koo, on the three-run homer he surrendered to Carlos Delgado in the Mets’ 6-3 loss to Florida (The New York Times)

“Guys don’t seem to talk as much baseball these days. They talk about a lot of other things like, what do you call those little things that puts 10,000 songs on there? Yeah, an I-Pod, things like that.”

Dusty Baker (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

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.

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