May 12, 2003

The Week in Quotes

May 5-11, 2003

by Ryan Wilkins

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"I didn't want to take him to 141, but he was throwing better at 120 than he was at 20."
--Dusty Baker, Cubs manager, on Kerry Wood's 141-pitch outing on Saturday (ESPN.com)

"I didn't seem like that many. But I'm not worried about how many I threw."
--Kerry Wood, Cubs pitcher, on his 141-pitch outing (ESPN.com)

"I didn't think it could happen again... Unfortunately it has."
--Jeff Torborg, former Marlins manager, after the injury to pitcher Mark Redman (AP)

"He doesn't have a clue."
--A.J. Burnett, Marlins pitcher, on Baseball Tonight analyst Bobby Valentine, and his criticism of former manager Jeff Torborg (Miami Herald)

MILESTONE

"It's just a great accomplishment... I never thought when I started playing this game that I would reach this milestone. I guess when you first start, you don't really think about numbers. You just want to make it as a player and have a career. I've worked very hard and I've been very fortunate that I've been able to play this long."
--Rafael Palmeiro, Rangers first baseman (AP)

"I don't belong up there with some of those names, believe me... I've got the numbers, but talk about Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams and Willie Mays, and guys like that, those are the greatest players of all time."
--Palmeiro

"It felt like a big giant gorilla just jumped off my back."
--Palmeiro, on hitting No. 500

THE SWITCH

"We had a frank and open conversation with Mike... Mike was very receptive to the concept."
--Steve Phillips, Mets general manager, announcing that catcher Mike Piazza would be moving to first base (MSG Network)

"It buys us a few days to talk through some of the details of what to do and how to go about it... This is the very first step in what will be a process with an undefined timeline. It's not as easy as taking a couple of grounders."
--Phillips, on Piazza

"I'm a little perplexed at the whole thing... I don't really know what's going on. It's hilarious... there was no conversation that took place. We'll do that when the time comes. We'll form a general consensus."
--Mike Piazza, Mets catcher, on Phillips' announcement

"It's the ultimate catch-22... If I was saying now that I want to go to first base, it would be the ultimate turnaround. People will be telling me that I'm selfish. It doesn't make any sense to me. It's not fair to this ballclub. We have guys who are playing hard and pitching hard and it's turning to an issue that's really not doing any justice for these guys."
--Piazza

BLACKBALLED

"Three years ago, I had a few players come up to me and say that I was being blackballed... One of the players to tell me that I was being blackballed, to me, is the greatest player in the world, Alex Rodriguez. All the athletes know why I am out of the game, it's an internal thing, it's kept in the family."
--Jose Canseco, former major-leaguer (AP)

"I don't remember that. I really don't. I don't recall that. I just wish him the best."
--Alex Rodriguez, Rangers shortstop, on Canseco's comments (AP)

"The whole world will have everything there is to know about it... That's for the book to tell. Who used them, what was involved and how."
--Canseco, on who in the majors uses steroids

"You know, I've never said I have and I've never said I haven't."
--Canseco, on his use of steroids

"The reason I'm doing that is because what baseball in general has done to me in the last two or three years has left a real bad taste in my mouth and I really don't want any memories of it."
--Canseco, on "writing" a book about his experience in the major-leagues

THE REST

"Rey knows the rights and wrongs. But we're not going to make a big issue of that as a team. We've got too many other things to worry about. If we're in first place, nobody cares. You could be getting a full body shave."
--Mo Vaughn, Mets first baseman, on the rumors that Rey Sanchez was caught getting a haircut during a game (ESPN.com)

"Everybody asks if I'll play to age 50... It won't happen. But I'll consider next year if things go well this year. My teammates, they kind of think I'm a freak playing at 46. Guys playing at age 50, I think they're a freak."
--Jesse Orosco, Padres pitcher, after appearing in the Padres 5-4 win against the Mets (AP)

"I think that Lloyd McClendon is one of the finer up-and-coming managers around."
--Baker (AP)

"We think he can help us now in the 'pen from the left side... We think there's still some upside left to him. It's been a bit of an enigma as to why he hasn't replicated his minor league success in the big leagues. Maybe a change of leagues will help.
--Theo Epstein, Red Sox general manager, on acquiring reliever Bruce Chen (AP)

"I've heard of those (kind of) people. It's called 'ego-itis.' When the ego weighs more than the brain and swells, it affects your powers of memory and recall."
--Kenny Williams, White Sox general manager, on Billy Beane's less-than-flattering comments in the recently-released Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Chicago Sun-Times)