May 31, 1999

The Week in Quotes

May 24-30

by Dennis Cleary

NO FAT LADIES 'ROUND HERE

``We've got too much talent to be a bad ballclub, therefore the word underachieving fits right now. It hurts to admit that fits. I'm trying to be positive and optimistic that it will turn around and there's still lots of time to turn it around. We're still in a position to get on a run and make everything all right.''

-- Damion Easley, Tigers infielder

``The only people who have written us off are those who don't play the game.''

-- B.J. Surhoff, Orioles outfielder

``We're getting good pitching, good defense and some timely hitting and that adds up to victories.''

-- Mike Mordecai, Expos infielder

BAD PITCHING

``As bad as we've pitched, we're in first place, so that's an encouraging thing and I think every one of us feels like this is not going to be the norm. We're going to get things corrected and we're going to get on a roll and we're going to be fine.''

-- Tom Glavine, Braves pitcher

``I want to win in the big show and show everybody I can do my job. I'm a loser and I don't feel right with that.''

-- Jose Jimenez, Cardinals pitcher

``It seems as soon as it's the sixth inning, it's double time. They start ripping doubles left and right. It seems every pitch has to be perfect for me, or I'm not going to win many games.''

-- Pete Schourek, Pirates pitcher

``I'm very surprised. The unfortunate thing is that we haven't been pitching very well and he has to take the fall for us. To me, it just looks like a shakeup. I'm sad to see him go.''

-- Jeff Shaw, Dodgers pitcher, on the firing of pitching coach Charlie Hough

``I've never been 1-7, but basically that's where I'm at right now and it's frustrating.''

-- Scott Erickson, Orioles pitcher

``They've been talking about [my ERA] the past two months. I'm not going to get caught up in that. No one is more disappointed with the way I've pitched than myself. I know I'm better than what I've showed.''

-- Jason Bere, Reds pitcher

``We can't continue to pitch like this. We're going to have to come up with some pitches nobody's ever heard of or be a little more determined with the pitches we do have.''

-- Phil Garner, Brewers manager

YOUNG PITCHERS

``I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was nervous in my first Triple-A start this year.''

-- Rob Radlosky, Twins pitcher, on his ML debut

``Any strikeout record worth having is in a Texas pitcher's pocket right now. I might come join them one day.''

-- Josh Beckett, Houston high school pitcher and projected #1 draft pick

``A lot of us skipped Triple-A and that's a huge jump to the big leagues. For us to skip that, there's a little learning process there that we have to go through now. But those guys in Triple-A had the same shot we did. None of us was given a bone.''

-- Joe Mays, Twins pitcher

``He threw Piazza a couple of Nintendo sliders. They were like the ones you see in the video games with the huge bend in them.''

-- Damian Miller, Diamondbacks catcher, on rookie pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim

``The kid changed speeds and threw his breaking ball for first-pitch strikes. When you get ahead in the count you throw hitters off and you are going to be successful. That's what he did.''

-- Jim Thome, Indians infielder, on opposing pitcher Brian Rose

THE REST

``You have a 50-50 chance of catching a ground ball. Sometimes you catch it; sometimes you don't. It's a reaction play."

-- Mark Lewis, Reds infielder

``I don't know how to get Lofton out. He's batting a million off me.''

-- Jim Parque, White Sox pitcher, on Kenny Lofton, who is really 8-11 off him

``I always said I wanted to play the game the way my father did, and I've tried. He did a lot of little things to help his team win. I try to do them, too -- y'all just like writing about home runs better.''

-- Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners outfielder

``I don't know what that risk actually is, but I'm not a real worrier about risk anyway. I guess if you're a closer and you live dangerously in the ninth, you don't worry about that part too much.''

-- Jeff Brantley, Phillies pitcher, on pitching with a torn labrum

``The presence of another team will diminish the ability of our franchise to compete with the Yankees, the Indians, the Rockies, the Dodgers and so on. That is the level at which this franchise is functioning. I don't want it to be a competitor with Kansas City or a franchise like that.''

-- Peter Angelos, Orioles owner, on the possibility of a team moving to Northern Virginia

``To our guys, a road trip is like a fraternity party.''

-- John Boles, Marlins manager

``We've lost three games in a row [on the road] because we haven't hit. This team is supposed to hit.''

-- Jim Leyland, Rockies manager

``If he continues this pace, people will have to look at him as one of the major forces in baseball today.''

-- Mike Hargrove, Indians manager, on outfielder Manny Ramirez

``They say we can't trade draft picks, but essentially we traded Todd Stottlemyre, Will Clark, and the 21st pick for Rafael Palmeiro and the 38th, 47th, 118th, and 147th picks. Sounds like one of those NFL deals. But we could spend the same amount on those four picks as Arizona will on the fourth pick in the draft.''

-- Doug Melvin, Rangers GM

``It's one thing to get beat, but we're not getting beat the right way and we're getting beat way too often.''

-- Larry Parrish, Tigers manager

``Have God by your side. Have your stuff working. Have your focus working. Have everything working for you.''

-- Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher, on how to beat the Indians

``If I threw the ball everywhere that I wanted to then I would get a lot more guys out. I've never let a ball go out of my hand with the intention of hitting anyone in the head.''

-- Jaret Wright, Indians pitcher