November 17, 1997

The Week in Quotes

November 3-16

by Dennis Cleary

NL MVP AWARD

"It's such a great feeling. I was going up and down the stairs at my house and I don't think I hit any of the steps. I just kind of glided up the stairs."
-- Larry Walker, on winning NL MVP

"[Larry Walker] is the MVP, no question. But I go out and have the best year in my career and don't get in the top five. It's kind of disappointing, but if you don't win it, what's the point?"
-- Tony Gwynn, who finished 6th

"Every Rockie in the future, all of us are thankful to [Larry Walker] for kicking that door down to where the Rockies players can get proper recognition."
-- Jerry McMorris, Rockies owner

OTHER AWARDS

"This would be a good time to thank Steve Trachsel, who was a big part of this. At the time, I wasn't really happy with him. Now I might give him a call and thank him."
-- Scott Rolen, NL ROY winner, joking about the pitch that ended his 1996 season early and made 1997 his rookie year

"What I really want is a team that's going to be in contention and a team that's going to be able to afford me."
-- Pedro Martinez, NL Cy Young Award winner

"It's special to me. I even told my team that one time. I just felt we were going to win. If anybody was going to win in the year of Jackie Robinson, I felt it might as well be me."
-- Dusty Baker, on winning NL MOY

"I really love the game. I never really had a hero growing up. My hero is the game itself. Nothing gives me greater joy than playing baseball."
-- Nomar Garciaparra, AL ROY

"I got one for Koby and Kory. I got one for Kasy, and I needed one for Kody. It kind of takes the pressure off dad a little bit."
-- Roger Clemens, on winning the AL Cy Young Award

BREWERS SWITCH LEAGUES

"Those of us old enough to remember the glory days of Aaron, Mathews and Logan, and Spahn and Burdette, view this as coming home."
-- Bud Selig, Brewers owner

"It's awesome. We look at that NL Central division and we can play with all of those teams. St. Louis, Houston, the Cubs. We can be right there."
-- Fernando Vina

"The White Sox are like the Oakland Raiders: they're good, they wear black and you either love them or hate them. The Cubs really don't seem like a threat because they lose all the time."
-- Mike Fetters, on changing rivalries

"We are very proud to be the first team in modern history to change leagues."
-- Wendy Selig-Prieb, Brewers vice president

"I think it's a wonderful thing for baseball. It's a great day for Milwaukee."
-- Hank Aaron

OFF SEASON MOVES

"Charlie Hayes is a proven commodity who gives us quality depth at both third and first base behind Bill Mueller and J.T. Snow, and also provides the team with another much-needed right-handed bat in the lineup."
-- Brian Sabean, Giants GM

"We had been looking for someone to protect Bagwell. When you put Bagwell, Bell and Alou in the heart of the order, it's a pretty awesome trio."
-- Gerry Hunsicker, Astros GM

"The Marlins have betrayed you. Now it's time to betray them back. Boycott opening day. Boycott the whole season. If you need a baseball fix next year, go to University of Miami games, where at least they aren't asking you to buy a lie."
-- Dan Le Batard, columnist

"If [Peter] Angelos owned the Rolling Stones, he'd fire Mick Jagger."
-- Ken Rosenthal, columnist

"You try to put as much bait in the water as you can and open as many doors as possible, but it's hard to go too many directions."
-- Bob Gebhard, Rockies GM

"Our position with Randy [Johnson] at this point is that we're not shopping him but we will entertain offers. If the season opened tomorrow, Randy would be our opening night pitcher."
-- Chuck Armstrong, Mariners presidnt

"I've put four uniforms on now in the last two years. Whatever uniform I have on I'm going to play for."
-- Jim Leyritz

"I thought that, given the circumstances, it was going to be hard for me to imagine that managing in the upcoming season would make sense."
-- Paul Molitor, on declining the Toronto job

THE EXPANSION DRAFT

"I know there's a lot of work to be done. I'm looking forward to it."
-- Larry Rothschild, Devil Rays manager

"The thing you have to realize about the expansion draft is that you're starting with the 16th-best player in an organization."
-- Buck Showalter, Diamondbacks manager

"No matter how good the draft is and how well you've prepared, it's only a small part in the development of a team. You're not going to come out of it with a championship or competitive team."
-- Chuck LaMar, Devil Rays GM

"It wouldn't surprise me if we made three or four trades immediately after the draft. It's not like we have to move everyone, but there are no untouchables, and enough clubs are interested that there's competition."
-- Dave Dombrowski, Marlins GM

"All the countless hours we've put into this as an organization will finally be shown. I can't say enough how impressed I've been with the preparation and hard work our staff has put in. We want people to be proud when they call themselves Diamondbacks fans."
-- Jerry Colangelo, Diamondbacks general partner

"I don't really feel nervous. I just realize that we're going to lose two good players at least."
-- Sal Bando, Brewers GM

THE REST

"Everyone knows the last four years have been a stormy period for professional baseball. The Dodgers are not immune from the financial losses of the industry. The waves of the industry reach our shores."
-- Peter O'Malley, Dodgers owner

"I kind of get the feeling that people think all I want to do is play shortstop. That feeling is all gone. Being pulled away was difficult to handle at that time. But I have grown from that and made the adjustment and I enjoyed it. The team was better with me [at second] and Nomar [Garciaparra] at short."
-- John Valentin

"I will definitely manage the Florida Marlins next year."
-- Jim Leyland, Marlins manager

"It would be a nice way to finish my career by remembering that I batted cleanup in the game in which my team won the World Series. But I now am convinced that I can still help, and if the right situation presented itself, I would have to think seriously about it."
-- Darren Daulton

"I never, never, never said that. Some Dominican journalist just invented that, just fabricated it, and I'm going to sue him. Anyone with a tape recorder can be a journalist here."
-- Moises Alou, on being quoted as saying he deserved the World Servies MVP instead of Livan Hernandez

"Whatever's best for me and my career, that's what I'm going to do. The doctors will keep me posted on what I can and can't do, but I want to be back. I started physical therapy the day after my surgery. I'll probably start throwing in two months. You never know."
-- Alex Fernandez

"That's one guy I don't want assessing my baseball abilities, especially sitting in front of a computer."
-- Roger Clemens, on Dan Duquette

"I know I had a terrible year and a terrible record. But I am positive about my pitching next season."
-- Hideki Irabu