September 17, 2001

The Week in Quotes

September 11-16

by Derek Zumsteg

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OPPONENTS ON BARRY

"The numbers don't lie."
--Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks pitcher, on Barry Bonds

"Barry and I are close. Everyone has his own routine and does what he needs to do to prepare to play. What Barry does obviously works for him. And he's by far the best I've ever played with."
--Matt Williams, Diamondbacks infielder

TEAMMATES ON BARRY

"[Bonds] hit two homers the other day, and I was in awe. And guys aren't pitching to him, so it's even more impressive. You know every pitcher is focused on getting him out, and he's still doing it. I definitely want him on my side."
--Jason Schmidt, Giants pitcher

"I'd put him ahead of Sammy [Sosa] and [Mark McGwire] because he can do more things. He's patient. He's thinking of the team, figuring if they walk him, JK [Jeff Kent] will get them. I find him to be a good team player."
--Wayne Gomes, Giants pitcher

"He's a better player than I imagined. I always thought he was great, but he's the best I've ever played with. He's on another level, and there are very few guys you can say that about. I didn't realize how good a hitter he is."
--John Vander Wal, Giants outfielder

"He's just bigger and stronger, and now that I see him every day, he's an even better player than I thought. I appreciate him more because I can see all that he does and how he affects the pitchers. He's been a good teammate."
--Andres Galarraga, Giants infielder

"What I'd heard was that he was standoffish and not a good teammate, but I found it far from the truth. I talk to him, and he's a great dude, way better than I thought as a person. I knew what he could do on the field, and it's still amazing."
--Wayne Gomes, Giants pitcher

"I've always liked him. Everyone has a different personality, and I respect everybody. Everyone is not going to treat you the same, but that doesn't mean they disrespect you. I refrain from judging people."
--John Vander Wal, Giants outfielder

"When [Bonds] hit a home run in my win against Cincinnati, he came in the dugout and said, 'This one's for you.' He didn't have to do that, and I appreciated it. I always form my own opinion about people, and it's been a good impression so far."
--Jason Christiansen, Giants pitcher

"I try not to judge anyone 'til I have a chance to see for myself, and he's been a real good teammate. He's a little hotter this season, so there's a great appreciation for what he's doing."
--Brian Boehringer, Giants pitcher

BACK IN MY DAY

"[Bonds] hasn't been under the microscope all year. I was under the microscope basically for 2 1/2 straight months, to hit 62."
--Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder

"But as far as the media coverage, as far as the scrutiny, there's no way what he's trying to do would even come close to what I tried to go through."
--Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder

"Just look at it. I was leading national TV spots for a month. He's barely leading the sports. Right there says that the magnitude is a lot less. He doesn't have people going through his locker looking for stuff and looking for bad things. In one sense, he's had it a lot easier with the media, which I thought would be more difficult. Unfortunately, he's getting the media but not the way I did. If I didn't make myself accessible, I'd get hammered. The media shies away from him."
--Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder

KIDS TODAY

"[Roy Oswalt] is one of the best I've seen. He's dominant. It's kind of like when Randy Johnson came over in 1998. It's been amazing to see. Every single time he goes out there, we're in the eighth inning, and the other team has no runs. That's nice, because as a team you go out there feeling like you've won before you even go out there."
--Jeff Bagwell, Astros infielder

"He's one of those guys that needs to get called up. This league is too easy for him. I don't know if he gets bored sometimes."
--Jeff Bagwell, Astros infielder

"It almost gets to the point you expect it. This was even better. I looked up in the ninth, and he had five strikes for every ball."
--Larry Dierker, Astros manager

THE REST

"The name's Rose, isn't it?"
--Pete Rose Jr., Reds minor leaguer, asked if he'd be interested in wagering on a college football game

"When [Olmedo Saenz] is swinging good, you can't sneak a fastball by him. It's like trying to sneak sunrise past a rooster."
--Art Howe, A's manager

"They all have a pitch count. I kind of try to limit the young guys. Typically, with young guys I go around 110. I think if they've been pitching easy I'll even go up to 115, 118."
--Phil Garner, Tigers manager

"The pitch limit, most people tend to look at in terms of injury prevention, and I tend to agree with it. But I can't find anybody to tell me what that limit is before the injury happens. Everybody goes back and says, 'You threw him too much.' Well, tell me that before the season starts, and we'll limit it all year. We're all kind of going on feel, how a pitcher feels."
--Phil Garner, Tigers manager

"If we can't hit him, we're probably not going to hit hardly anybody."
--Larry Dierker, Astros manger, on his team's inability to hit Brewers pitcher Ruben Quevedo

"If we're going to be a strong offensive team, that's the way it's going to be. A bunch of extra-base hits and walks. It's not going to be with bunts and stolen bases."
--Larry Dierker, Astros manger

If you would like to submit a quote, please email Derek and be sure to include both the quote itself and a URL pointing to the quote.