May 18, 1998

The Week in Quotes

May 11-17

by Dennis Cleary

THE TRADE

"I want to be perfectly clear and accurate about this. I got a call from [team president] Bob Graziano, and he informed me that the trade had been made."
-- Fred Claire, Dodgers GM

"When you start having discussions about players making that kind of money, general managers can't make those kinds of decisions. It speaks to where the game is today."
-- Dave Dombrowski, Marlins GM

"Wow, that's a blockbuster if I ever heard one."
-- Dante Bichette, Rockies outfielder

"I don't think we're trying to hide anything. I assume [Mike Piazza will] be traded if somebody comes calling, and I assume they will. That's really kind of a no-brainer."
-- Jim Leyland, Marlins manager

"If people can't see the lack of revenue that exists with this franchise versus other franchises, then they haven't had their eyes open."
-- Don Smiley, Marlins president

"I was telling [Charles Johnson] that this is a real special feeling for me, because I've always been by myself when I've been traded before."
-- Bobby Bonilla, Dodgers infielder

"Now I can look at the standings again."
-- Gary Sheffield, Dodgers outfielder

"It's unfortunate to see the way the Dodgers have lost that separation from the other organizations. It's not a knock -- it's a fact. The old regime set it apart. Now it's obviously a bottom-line business. They're only seeing the paper part of things; not the emotional part. To me, that's the disappointing thing."
-- Mike Piazza, Marlins catcher

"Fox certainly wasted no time changing the O'Malley image."
-- Pat Gillick, Orioles GM

"Everyone is going to be talking about how shocking this is for a long time, but you really can't say that enough. There are things that you think may happen during a year, and things that never even enter your mind. This isn't in that first group. Not at all."
-- Eric Young, Dodgers infielder

"I have all the respect in the world for [Mike Piazza]. He's one of the most consistent and dangerous hitters we faced. We've faced those other guys with other teams, but I don't know if they'll bring the same flavor to the Dodger lineup that Piazza did."
-- Brian Sabean, Giants GM

PERFECTION

"Couldn't happen to a crazier guy, huh? I'm just going to cherish this for the rest of my life."
-- David Wells, Yankees pitcher

"He'll probably make a lot more money from it than I did. I got nothing, not a penny. I forget if they even shook my hand."
-- Don Larsen, former player

"In the big leagues, on any given day, somebody is capable of doing something that's special."
-- Brian McRae, Mets outfielder

"I had a perfect game into the sixth, but it wasn't on my mind at the time. The last three innings are so huge, you have to have everything fall into place."
-- Pat Hentgen, Blue Jays pitcher

THE REST

"When I think of Candlestick, it brings back some incredible memories, but the one that stands out the most is that comeback game. To stand on the mound against the Reds, the win, the roar of the crowd, the response from the fans."
-- Dave Dravecky, former player

"I told the Phillies before the draft what it was going to take and I'm not backing down. I have pretty strong principles and I'm a stand-up guy and I'm not going to back down."
-- J.D. Drew, wannabe player

"This is not meant to be a knock against Oakland, but getting traded from the A's to the Yankees is like getting called up to the big leagues."
-- Scott Brosius, Yankees infielder

"We need to play like we did in the spring, but we haven't done that."
-- Jay Bell, Diamondbacks infielder

"Every time I get panicky about Travis [Fryman], I pick up his bio and see six years of hitting .270 with about 20 homers and 95 RBI. He's streaky, but he'll be all right."
-- John Hart, Indians GM

"I'm not pitching poorly, but I'm not pitching the way people anticipated me to be this time of year."
-- Randy Johnson, Mariners pitcher

"We've had this offense for 35 games, and it's the same old Seattle. If we hit it out of the park, we win; if we don't, we struggle. Alex [Rodriguez] is my best base stealer. I'm going to give him the opportunity from the No. 1 hole to help us manufacture some runs."
-- Lou Piniella, Mariners manager

"The only reason for optimism is if we start playing better as a team. We're supposed to have a very deep club here, but we're not playing well collectively. This team should not be a .500 ballclub, but for some reason we are."
-- Scott Kamieniecki, Orioles pitcher

"I think it's crazy. If we were outdoors, all you'd hear about is all the rain delays. But we're indoors, so you hear arena baseball."
-- Larry Rothschild, Devil Rays manager, on the team's stadium

"Statistically, you can have bad days. But overall, I can never see having a bad day in the big leagues. I probably realized that in '90 and '91 with Cleveland, when I was up and down to the minors seven times."
-- Jeff Manto, Tigers infielder

"[Greg Vaughn] is a leader. He is playing as hard as anybody. He's having fun, and he's as vocal as anyone in the dugout. And he's playing great defense."
-- Bruce Bochy, Padres manager

"I didn't pitch great and I didn't pitch terrible. But I got the win, so that means I did what I was supposed to do, keep the team in the game."
-- Kent Mercker, Cardinals pitcher

"I'm not ready to give up on [Bob] Hamelin. A guy doesn't go from 18 home runs to nothing in one year. He's got to come around and I think he still will."
-- Phil Garner, Brewers manager

"People need to calm down. [Kerry Wood has] had six starts in his career. Two weeks ago they were asking if we'd brought him up too soon. Now they are questioning why we aren't going to sign him to a multiyear deal."
-- Ed Lynch, Cubs GM

"We're not going to be dismantling our clubs anymore. This is not a lot of fun for us and it's not a lot of fun for our fans. We're going to build teams properly -- we're either going to do it here or somewhere else."
-- Claude Brochu, Expos president

"Obviously, I am very disappointed. We have great fans and arguably one of the best teams in major league baseball. But we come home in the midst of one of the best starts in club history to the smallest crowd of the season. Something is wrong."
-- George Steinbrenner, Yankees owner

"[Team president] Don Smiley knows I wouldn't want to be here if we had a team with a $12 million payroll. I don't think any manager would want to go through that."
-- Jim Leyland, Marlins manager

"The character of the Tigers fit me. They play in a blue-collar, low-key town. The fans know the game. I used to love sitting in Jim Schmakel's office during spring training, talking to Ernie Harwell and Al Kaline. We had many a conversation. Those are the things you can't replace."
-- Travis Fryman, Indians infielder

"We've done a lot better than people thought our pitching staff would. Everyone knows that with a rookie team, we're looking toward the future, and a couple of years down the road, I think we're going to be a great team."
-- Brian Meadows, Marlins pitcher