June 10, 2002

The Week in Quotes

June 3-9

by Derek Zumsteg

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RICKEY LEADS OFF

"I really don't snack in the dugout. Seeds are going to make us fat. I tried them, but they're really not that good for me. I am always telling everyone to lay off the seeds or else they'll be getting fat. There's fat in those seeds. And they always say 'Right, there's a lot of fat in a seed.' Maybe my favorite is water. Water's kind of boring though. I like to chew bubble gum. Maybe that's my favorite. Rickey's going with bubble gum." 
--Rickey Henderson, Red Sox outfielder, on his favorite dugout food

MORE FINE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS QUOTES

"Oreos. You can only get 'em in the clubhouse, but you can sneak 'em in the dugout." 
--Robin Ventura, Yankees infielder

I put sunflower seeds in my back pocket, so when I'm on deck or in the outfield, I've got some. I eat 'em one at a time. I might choke, otherwise." 
--Rondell White, Yankees outfielder

"Those little Snickers bars, the bite-size ones. They're good. You get one of those, you're rolling." 
--Mariano Rivera, Yankees pitcher

NOT JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT

"I say this and I mean this, I'm one of the best shortstops in the game. No doubt about that. In this day and age, I don't understand the evolution of baseball. For some reason, a shortstop regardless of how good he is has to go out there and be hitting .300 at every given opportunity." 
--Royce Clayton, White Sox infielder, on being benched

"The fact is that I'm leading the whole entire league in fielding percentage, which is my job. And I've done my job. So whatever other decisions that are made are out of my (control)." 
--Clayton

"I'm not the kind of person that's going to go out publicly or use the media to try and voice my opinion or my point. I think people throughout baseball know what type of player I am." 
--Clayton

"We ironically have too many good players on a last-place team. That is something they were talking about in spring training, making some kind of move or doing something." 
--Mark Loretta, Brewers infielder

UMM... NO

"If any member of the Gestapo is offended, then I apologize." 
--Bobby Valentine, Mets manager, after comparing umpires to the Gestapo following an ejection

DIFFERING APPROACHES

"I'm aggressive. But Wendell [former Red Sox 3rd base coach and current Expos bench coach Wendell Kim] was too aggressive. I just thank God he isn't an air traffic controller." 
--Dan Duquette, former Red Sox GM, on his strategy as a junior league third-base coach

"I don't play with a vengeance. That's not my personality." 
--Travis Lee, Phillies first baseman

"If you look good, you play good. If you play good, you win." 
--Adam Dunn, Reds outfielder, on a new haircut

"If you take a walk, instead of a solo homer, someone might end up with a three-run homer. If you go for 0-for-2 but walk twice and score two runs, you've helped your team." 
--Jeremy Giambi, Phillies infielder

"It's a philosophy of not being afraid to hit with two strikes. I'm not sure you can teach that. You've got to learn it with experience." 
--Larry Bowa, Phillies manager

THE REST

"This is a working-class team. We give you a full nine innings." 
--Sean Casey, Reds infielder

"I went to dinner at Legal Sea Foods with my wife the first night we got here. I brought [my 2001 World Series ring] with me. The bartender/food server sees the ring and says, 'Are you with the Diamondbacks?' I told him who I was and he said, 'You've got carte blanche here. Anything you want. You beat the [censored] Yankees!'" 
--Mark Grace, Diamondbacks infielder

"I'm not here to entertain people, I'm here to try to win ballgames." 
--Joe Torre, Yankees manager, after intentionally walking Barry Bonds three times in a game

"It might have been the greatest upset in American sports history! And no one here cares! If we ever won, where would they hold the parade? And how many would come? Ten? Well, [I] would be one of them." 
--Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox infielder, on the United States team's World Cup win over Portugal

"I had two stimulation machines on me so I had four electrodes [hooked up]. As I'm trying to rip the stuff off [to get to the field]. I'm getting electrocuted for about eight seconds before I can get away from the thing. It freaking hurt, that's for sure." 
--Luke Prokopec, Blue Jays pitcher, on trying to get out of the bullpen for a brawl

"He hasn't acknowledged me since he left. He basically took the last four years off here. We told him when he hit 30 he needed to do conditioning, and he didn't do it. Pedro [Martinez] did it. He didn't want to play here." 
--Duquette, on Roger Clemens

"Kidney failure bothers me." 
--Ventura, on not using steroids

"Everything's new. If that doesn't work, I guess I can look for a new job." 
--Cliff Floyd, Marlins outfielder, on trying new batting gloves, a new bat and new shoes to break the Marlins' slump