June 8, 1998

The Week in Quotes

June 1-7

by Dennis Cleary

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"We got the guy we wanted and that doesn't happen often enough."
-- Brad Sloan, Padres scouting director

"The thing you've got to remember is [J.D. Drew] has a very high ceiling. This guy, I think, is arguably the best player in this draft and may have been the best player in the last two or three drafts."
-- Walt Jocketty, Cardinals GM

"It's exciting to see [Tim Raines Jr.] drafted. It's the first step in what will hopefully become even bigger things."
-- Tim Raines, Yankees outfielder

"It's difficult to sit in that room and see 102 names come off the board before you even pick, but we'll trade that any year for a Jay Bell and a Willie Blair."
-- Don Mitchell, Diamondbacks scouting director

"I'm very happy to become a Philadelphia Phillie. I'm thrilled to have been selected. It is an honor to be the first pick overall, and I look forward to playing professional baseball."
-- Pat Burrell, overall first pick of the draft

"I represented three No. 1 picks besides J. D. Drew last season, and they all signed within five weeks of the draft. I've represented 34 No. 1 picks in my career, and almost one-fourth of them -- eight -- signed within five days of the draft."
-- Scott Boras, agent

RANDY JOHNSON

"Continuing speculation about unsubstantiated rumors of a trade for Randy Johnson has prompted this clarification of his status with the Seattle Mariners. Randy Johnson is a valued pitcher for the Mariners who is under contract for the balance of the 1998 season. Randy will pitch for the Mariners throughout this season. Accordingly, we have no plans to trade Randy Johnson."
-- Chuck Armstrong, Mariners president

"It would be great to get [Randy Johnson] out of the league."
-- Gary DiSarcina, Angels shortstop

"I sometimes think my own teammates are intimidated by me."
-- Randy Johnson, Mariners pitcher

PROSPECTS

"The first thing that went through my mind was, 'It's about time.'"
-- Paul Konerko, Dodgers infielder, on his first major league home run

"I'm happy to be back. I understood why I was sent down. I wasn't hitting. But I had a good attitude when I went down and worked on some things, like hitting off-speed pitches. I also became more patient because I had 15 walks."
-- Karim Garcia, Diamondbacks outfielder

"[Matt Clement's] a good find. He's a keeper. There isn't an organization that isn't looking for this kind of guy."
-- Jerry Royster, Las Vegas Stars manager

THE REST

"I think because I never really saw the ball and I don't have the horror of that last image in my mind of the ball just before it hit me I don't have that image to remember. It's not something I think about before every pitch I throw, which I think helps."
-- Mike Mussina, Orioles pitcher

"I don't know who the hell I'm going to be pitching two weeks from now. We don't know what the hell we're doing. What's the difference? We're not going anywhere."
-- Jim Leyland, Marlins manager

"[Eric Cooper's] a big man now. Seventeen years in the big leagues, I've never been thrown out. Never had an argument with an umpire. And this Triple-A umpire who just got called up throws me out."
-- Wade Boggs, Devil Rays infielder

"I'm very grateful the Dodgers traded me to a team where I'd be happy."
-- Hideo Nomo, Mets pitcher

"It sucks. We're trying to win a championship here. You hold a ball club to one hit in eight innings and you walk off the field with a loss. It shouldn't happen like that. One run shouldn't beat this ball club, and it did. It's hard to swallow."
-- Tim Wakefield, Red Sox pitcher

"[Greg Maddux] isn't a pitcher; he's a surgeon. There are doctors and there are surgeons. He's a surgeon."
-- Doug Mansolino, Brewers coach

"We are all accountable -- myself, the coaches and the players. The bottom of the lineup has got to pick it up."
-- Jim Riggleman, Cubs manager

"It's a great feeling. I feel like there's a big load off my back. But the main thing is I'm just glad everything's going good so far."
-- Dennis Martinez, Braves pitcher, on becoming the winningest Latin American pitcher in major league history

"I have no excuses. I didn't hit in my starts. Granted, 27 is not a lot of at-bats. But I flat-out did not do it. That's the breaks."
-- Eddie Williams, Padres infielder, on being optioned to the minors

"I've never been to Fenway. I heard it gives you chills just to be there. It's not easy to play there, but it's going to be fun."
-- Mike Piazza, Mets catcher

"I think this club is a lot better than everybody thinks it is. Before the year is over, I'm going to pull out a lot of things that were said and written in May and we'll talk some more."
-- Ray Miller, Orioles manager

"I wish we could play [the Braves] every day for a month. I really do. Then we'd see who can play and who can't. Some guys will make the adjustment. Some guys won't."
-- Phil Garner, Brewers manager

"Fox is the mother hen here. If you don't want to be a part of it, which is what you're saying when you turn down $87 million, then to hell with you. There's Fox, then there's the Dodgers, then there's the individual. Before, there was the Dodgers. It's not like that anymore."
-- Eric Karros, Dodgers infielder

"I honestly believe [Rickey Henderson] could play until he really wants to stop. He's an incredible athlete who keeps himself in enviable shape."
-- Art Howe, A's manager

"Personally, I like the National League style, where you earn what you get. If you ask me now, I like the game without the DH. But I might be nearing a stage of my career where I could have a DH job waiting for me soon."
-- Tony Gwynn, Padres outfielder

"I've been told I'm an overachiever. I hate that word. No one is an overachiever if you work at your skills. I like to be described as a guy who works as hard as he can. To me, that's the ultimate compliment."
-- David Dellucci, Diamondbacks outfielder