June 17, 2002

The Week in Quotes

June 10-16, 2002

by Derek Zumsteg

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ESTES HITS CLEMENS

"I missed my spot. I didn't execute my pitch. You can draw your own conclusions."
--Shawn Estes, Mets pitcher, on throwing a pitch a foot behind Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens

"I never doubted Shawn being a good teammate. Read into that what you want. We protect each other."
--Mike Piazza, Mets catcher

"I was trying to gear up for a fastball.He throws pretty hard. I just tried to catch up to it. I was pretty numb after that."
--Estes, on his two-run home run off of Clemens

DUDE

"It was just for fun. It would have been shame or loss of face if it did not go over the fence."
--Byung-Hyun Kim, Diamondbacks pitcher, on side-arming the ball from the last out in a 9-5 win over the left-field fence in Yankee stadium from behind the mound

WALKS

"We do a good job drawing walks. They keep rallies alive. They set up rallies. But sooner or later, you've got to hit."
--Lou Piniella, Mariners manager

"He's hit a little snag lately. He's a five-tool player. It's a matter of doing it every day. In my opinion, average is the most overrated thing in baseball. To me, on-base percentage is probably the most important thing, particularly for a guy at the top of the order."
--Lloyd McClendon, Pirates manager, on outfielder Chad Hermansen, who owns a .298 OBP

THE REST

"I can run the bases a little better than people think I can. I've got a long way to go, but my career goal is to catch Rickey."
--Jason Varitek, Red Sox infielder, after stealing his fifth base

"I feel he's ready. He's 24 years old. These guys are going to be your future. You've got to expect mistakes from young players. He hasn't really made a lot of mistakes. He's just trying to get his offense together. I can't say what's the right thing, but if I'm a GM and got a young guy like that and I'm thinking that he's my future, I've got to let him find it."
--Delino DeShields, Cubs infielder, on Bobby Hill

"It's still early. I don't want to put the chicken before the egg."
--Ron Gardenhire, Twins manager, on his team's first-place standing

"[I]f you look at the record the last 15 or 20 years, outside of the Yankees, we've been in the playoffs and the World Series nearly as much as any other team."
--Carl Lindner, Reds CEO

"I sat near Scott Eyre in the bullpen and he was always talking. He talked my ear off. Finally, I called Buck Martinez one night and told him to pitch me or (Eyre) more because I couldn't stand it. I was traded the next day."
--Dan Plesac, Phillies pitcher, on why he was traded from the Blue Jays

"I can't worry about if baseball is going to get mad at me. I'm not doing anything - I'm here selling baseball. That's something they should be doing."
--Pete Rose Sr.

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.