December 20, 1999

The Week in Quotes

December 6-19

by Dennis Cleary

TRADES

``If I pitch the way I should pitch, I'm a groundball pitcher and those don't go over the fence. If I don't pitch well, it doesn't matter what park I'm pitching in.''

-- Scott Karl, pitcher, on being traded to the Rockies

``I know there will be expectations put upon me because Vinny [Castilla] was the man over there. It will take people time to get over him. But I think once people see me play for a while, they'll realize what kind of player I am. I take the game very, very seriously.''

-- Jeff Cirillo, infielder, on being traded to the Rockies

``This is more than a talent issue; cost efficiency is what we're trying to do. It frees up $9 or $10 million this year and $4.5 million next year. The dollars are big. Last year we had All-Stars at practically every position. We need a better mix.''

-- Kevin Malone, Dodgers GM, on trading Eric Young and Ismael Valdes for Terry Adams

SIGNINGS

``I wanted to get it over with before Christmas. They wanted to win. They made a commitment to take the next step.''

-- Greg Vaughn, outfielder, on signing with the Devil Rays

``To win championships at the major league level, it takes first and foremost championship caliber players. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have signed such a player in Greg Vaughn.''

-- Chuck LaMar, Devil Rays GM

``The more guys we can add like Orel [Hershiser], who are committed to winning, the better chance we have to win. We lacked some leadership. We lacked the right chemistry. We didn't win enough games. We've got to make the necessary changes.''

-- Kevin Malone, Dodgers GM

``I dream every night about pitching in the playoffs and getting a chance to go to the World Series. I couldn't have found a better situation than here in Cleveland. It's a perfect fit for me.''

-- Chuck Finley, pitcher, on signing with the Indians

``You can't overstate what David Cone has meant to the success of the New York Yankees in the 90s. We have been in the postseason every year since he was acquired in 1995, with three world championships in the last four seasons. David is a proven winner and an outstanding leader. We are extremely happy he will be back in 2000.''

-- Brian Cashman, Yankees GM, on signing David Cone to a one-year contract

``Not a lot of guys get to play their whole careers with one team because of the economics of the game. I was an East Coast kid, 21 years old, and I survived 13 years in Texas. Now I have a few more, and you couldn't ask for a better situation. I can't think of a better time to be wearing an Astros uniform.''

-- Craig Biggio, Astros infielder, on signing a three-year extension

``This is something we've been looking to do, trying to become a better defensive team. We needed somebody in center field to catch the ball.''

-- Don Baylor, Cubs manager, on the signing of Damon Buford

JUNIOR

``My hope is that if he goes back to Seattle, the media will allow him to concentrate on his job.''

-- Brian Goldberg, Griffey's agent

``I totally understand where Jim Bowden is coming from because if I was making the decision, there's no way I'd give up Pokey Reese. There's just no way. You've got to be strong up the middle, and you can't weaken yourself that way. Pokey is an amazing second baseman, and anyone who has watched him knows it.''

-- Ken Griffey Sr., Reds coach

``We have a better chance of bringing Goofy back than Griffey.''

-- Jim Bowden, Reds GM

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