November 2, 1999

The Week in Quotes

October 25-31

by Dennis Cleary

WORLD SERIES, DURING

``I don't care how good they are. We shouldn't be doing this bad. We knocked Randy Johnson out twice and he has the best stuff in baseball.''

-- Ryan Klesko, Braves infielder, before Game 3

``We've done it against Texas the last two years, San Diego last year and now against the Braves. It's not just the other guys not hitting. We have something to do with it.''

-- David Cone, Yankees pitcher, on shutting down opposing offenses

``It was special. I don't think -- in fact, I know -- I've never hit a walk-off home run. I've heard people talk about tingling. I've never felt that before -- the electricity running through my legs.''

-- Chad Curtis, Yankees outfielder, on hitting a game-winning home run in Game 3

``I wanted to finish. I thought I was still pumping pretty good and Skip was going to give me an opportunity.''

-- Roger Clemens, Yankees pitcher, on being taken out of Game 4

``Roger [Clemens] was the MVP tonight, but all of us -- the manager, the coaches and the players -- are MVPs here. Everyone talked about last year and how it would be impossible to repeat those numbers, so to go out and sweep a team like Atlanta means a lot.''

-- Mariano Rivera, Yankees pitcher, on being named Series MVP

WORLD SERIES, AFTER

``It was a tough road for us this year. For us to win as many games as we did and get by with a lot of our main guys out of there, I know everybody in that room is pretty darn proud of what we've done this year.''

-- Bret Boone, Braves infielder

``This club is so special. To do this is even better this year because we validated what we did last year and didn't rest on our laurels.''

-- Joe Torre, Yankees manager

``Right now, I'm numb more than anything. We're feeling lot of things now, a lot of happiness, a lot of relief.''

-- Scott Brosius, Yankees infielder

``The Yankees are head and shoulders above. We don't deserve the blame. They deserve the credit.''

-- John Smoltz, Braves pitcher

``It's frustrating. We never thought we'd come into this thing and get swept. We thought we had a pretty good chance to win it.''

-- Kevin Millwood, Braves pitcher

``We knew we had the best team in the world and we came out and showed that here.''

-- Derek Jeter, Yankees infielder

JIM GRAY INTERVIEW

``I'm not going to admit to something that didn't happen. I know you're getting tired of hearing me say that. It's too festive a night to worry about it.''

-- Pete Rose, former player, on being asked why he hasn't admitted to betting on baseball

``I don't apologize. I stand by it and I think it was absolutely a proper line of questioning.''

-- Jim Gray, NBC correspondant, on his interview of Pete Rose

``After viewing the videotape, I can understand the reaction of many baseball fans. I thought that it was important to ask Pete Rose if this was the right moment for him to make an apology. If in doing so, the interview went on too long and took out some of the joy of the occasion, then I want to say to baseball fans everywhere that I'm very sorry about this.''

-- Jim Gray, two days later

``We were pretty much all disgusted with Jim. It was a night of celebration for Pete Rose. Every player who ever plays cares about Pete Rose. It was embarrassing. It didn't sit too well in this clubhouse.''

-- Darryl Strawberry, Yankees outfielder

``For some reason, we've lost sight of the word `respect.' We deal too much in shock value.''

-- Joe Torre, Yankees manager

``For Pete to just stand there and look Jim Gray in the eye and deny he bet on baseball, it's obviously a challenge that any interviewer can't let go. I recognize it was aggressive, but Rose was aggressive.''

-- Fay Vincent, former MLB commissioner

``As for the forum, it was not the time or the place to expect Pete to give that type of statement. I don't think Jim Gray is the conscience of America. I don't think him asking Pete on national TV was what NBC wanted him to do.''

-- Rob Dibble, former player and current ESPN radio talk show host

THE REST

``I can't begin to describe to you what a big thrill this is. As a kid, you hear about Roberto Clemente. I sat right behind him in right field at Dodger Stadium and was able to realize this guy doesn't get as much credit as some of the other guys do.''

-- Tony Gwynn, Padres outfielder, on winning the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award

``I don't think you need to have been a manager to be a manager. I'm not opposed to getting the experience. I haven't had the opportunity. I've coached for six years and we've been in the postseason five of them. I feel ready to go to the next level.''

-- Willie Randolph, Yankees coach, on interviewing with the Brewers

``I pretty much understand that the strongest candidate we have is Don Baylor. I believe that Don Baylor would be a good decision.''

-- Sammy Sosa, Cubs outfielder, on the team's open managerial position

``This guy's a hitting machine. He's a very special man with the bat. Whether at Coors Field or away, this man can produce.''

-- Jim Bowden, Reds GM, on trading for Dante Bichette

``I have lived with the excitement of the Dodgers, and I have lived through some tough moments over the years, and each one of them would set the tone on how I come to the dinner table or how I go to work the next morning.''

-- Bob Daly, on being named Dodgers CEO

If you would like to submit a quote, please email Steven and be sure to include both the quote itself and a URL pointing to the quote.