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March 15, 2010 The Week in QuotesMarch 8-14A FLEETING GLIMPSE OF PROSPECT FATIGUE
"Seeing him in just one at-bat, it's kind of tough to say. I saw him throw balls offspeed, didn't really think too much about it. I didn't think he was that impressive. He didn't throw any strikes to me with his off-speed stuff. I wouldn't put him up against a Verlander, nothing like that at this stage of the game."
"I had a lot of adrenaline going. I really wasn't able to execute pitches the way I wanted to. I'll keep going with I've been working on and I will be a lot more relaxed. ... I got my feet wet. I know what it feels like to go out there. I know what it's like to face guys I watched on TV growing up. I have that feeling now, so I just want to build on it."
"I can honestly say I don't think it's earned. I haven't really done anything at the pro level. There are guys here who have done a lot that don't get as much attention and maybe never will. It's kind of a shame. But it's out of my control."
"Oftentimes, when you get that kind of attention, a lot of people kind of want to put their hands on you, and I think it's the responsibility of the pitching coach to let him know the pitfalls that are out there. I've read some stuff that he has said, and it sounds like to me like he has his head on pretty good. I think he's probably aware of the potential dangers that are out there." LIKE HANNIBAL LECTER DETAILING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF HIS PREY
"The main thing is we're trying to let him be himself. I've talked to him about some things, family, Cuban baseball, religion. But we got him to pitch. We've got to keep him on the rotation and see how he does. See how he is."
"We don't really know what we have. Everyone is getting ahead of themselves."
"I don't think the issue is control anymore. I think growing up in Cuba under a tough situation, going thorough and planning a defection, that takes a lot of guts and a lot of heart, leaving his family behind, not knowing what the future is going to bring. I think for him, this is a piece of cake, to be honest with you."
"It's hard to plan an unknown entity. You don't know what's going to arise. He's still got to get a driver's license, a Social Security card. He's got to get a lot of things. Pitching is probably a sanctuary from the other stuff." DIVERSITY, YOU ARE A TROUBLING MEME
"People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they're African-American. They're not us. They're impostors. Even people I know come up and say: 'Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?' I say, 'Come on, he's Dominican. He's not black.'"
"As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us. It's like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It's like, 'Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?' ... I'm telling you, it's sad."
"What troubles me most was the word 'impostors' appearing in reference to Latin-American players not being black players. It was the wrong word choice, and it definitely doesn't accurately reflect how I feel and who I am. What I meant was they're not black players; they're Latin-American players. There is a difference culturally."
"But on the field, we're all brothers, no matter where we come from, and that's something I've always taken pride in: treating everybody the same, whether he's a superstar or a young kid breaking into the game. Where he was born and raised makes no difference."
"We come to this country with potato chips. When we leave this country, we leave with a lot of money, we earn it. That's something we feel proud of." YOU WILL LEARN TO LOVE THE PROCESS
"I've had some talks with Mr. Moorad. I know where they're at. I know there's a goal. A three-year plan, four-year plan, five-year plan. Whatever it is."
"It was definitely out of the blue. Mainly, I was telling my wife, ‘It’s kinda nice to hear an ex-teammate think that highly of you to think you can help their team.’ But I can’t control any of that. That’s not a subject I’m gonna talk about because it’s not something in which I’m involved."
"I know, there are no bobblehead dolls for me or Heath. I really don't care. From a personal perspective, people always bring it up to me. I don't know ... they want to promote the younger guys, I guess. I get that." SELECTIVE MISTY WATER-COLORED MEMORIES
"Everywhere I go I get so many [Red Sox fans] come to me and tell me 'Thank you. We miss you. We still love you.' And it's so genuine and the feeling is mutual. Hopefully from my actions throughout my career in that uniform and hopefully my actions today again tell them what it means to me."
"Nomar was such a central figure in everything good that has happened to the Red Sox. It’s appropriate. This is a little bit of a fairy-tale end. In life there is some adversity and conflict, but in the end people can come together and recognize what they meant to one another."
"I always enjoyed playing against Boston because of Nomar. I used to enjoy being mentioned with him."
"We've been fortunate over the years to maintain a relationship after the trade. I think both of us understood at the time that it wasn't about Nomar and it wasn't about me. It was just baseball trades that happen. They're about what's going on with the team at the time and certain things that had to happen. But, it didn't change what Nomar meant to the Red Sox." DR. MINAYA, I PRESUME?
"I had a conversation with our doctors, had a conversation with the representative, and we’re all in agreement that he has elevated thyroid levels."
"I have to be concerned about it and find out what's going on. This is important. We're not talking about my leg. We're talking about my health, so I have to be concerned about it. It can be dangerous for me."
"It would suck if it was eight weeks. It would be tough. You can get by with a week or two. But eight weeks? You're looking into May. That's not good for us."
"For some reason, I just feel like everything is going to be all right." THE REST
"I think both personally and from a family standpoint we’re all enjoying our lives over here in the US, and if at all possible I would like to play over here as long as I can. I guess in the very least I hope that I can play for at least another 10 years here in the US. Yeah, 10 years is a long time and it’s tough to imagine what it’s going to be like that far out, but at the same time when I’m 40, or older than 40, I want to still be able to pitch."
"I was telling Joey Votto the other day about my opportunity to work with the Nationals. When I saw the Nationals uniform with 11 and 'Larkin' on the back, I told them I couldn't put the uniform on. I couldn't do it. I sat in my locker and just looked at it like, 'Something is not right about this.'"
"He said, ‘I’ve been busting my [butt] out here everyday, and they give me two innings?’ If he signs somewhere, it will be with someone he knows. He’s going to have to trust them; let’s put it like that. I don’t know what they’re thinking. It’s not like the other guys are really tearing it up."
"I'm just working on trying to be present in the field and at the plate and in life. I'm also trying to get into my body and out of my head. I've always thought a lot playing baseball and I've always kind of gotten away with it. I think that's not the path I want to be on while I'm playing."
"I didn't have any other choice. That's why I'm here." --- Alex Carnevale is a contributor to Baseball Prospectus.
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Jerry Manuel is in mid-season form. With his head planted firmly in his ass.
What do you want the manager to say- "I guess we're screwed this season"?????
haha. Well at least an acknowledgement of the situation would be nice. Having worked with a few "blind-optimism" type leaders in the past... well I've never seen it end well. What you'd like to see is something like "this is is a blow, but we've got a plan to deal with it"