January 26, 1998

The Week in Quotes

January 5-25

by Dennis Cleary

DON SUTTON

"When you gave him the ball, you knew one thing -- your pitcher was going to give you everything he had. You win as many games as he did, to me, that should be automatic Hall of Fame."
-- Tommy Lasorda, Dodgers vice president

"I thought it was a no-brainer the first year he was eligible. He has taught me so much about pitching, it's amazing."
-- Skip Caray, Braves announcer

"I revere Cooperstown. It is a sacred place where the holy grail of baseball is."
-- Don Sutton

SIGNINGS AND ARBITRATION

"After a subpar 1997 season, we are looking forward to him returning to the form that made him one of the NL's best second basemen."
-- John Hart, Indians GM, on Carlos Garcia

"Hello, my name is Orel Hershiser and I'm a reformed Dodger. I spent three years in Cleveland in detox, and I'm much better now."
-- Orel Hershiser, now with the Giants

"Charles [Johnson] is an historic catcher. He has gone where no receiver has gone. With that said, he obviously should be one of the better-paid players in his service class."
-- Scott Boras, Johnson's agent

"I know I'm worth that."
-- Raul Mondesi, on his 4-year, $36 million contract

"I'm so hyperactive I hate to make that statement, that I'm through making deals. Until I run out of money, I can't guarantee it."
-- Billy Beane, A's GM

"We were attracted to Rey's all-around abilities and simply couldn't pass on the experience he offers us."
-- Brian Sabean, Giants GM, on Rey Sanchez

THE REST

"I've kind of been thinking that, sometime, somebody will smack me in the head and wake me up from this bad dream."
-- Andy Benes

"To me, the most cost-effective way to run a baseball team is to have young people who are ready to come to the major leagues. I was never a big advocate of dipping into the free agent market."
-- Joe McIlvaine, Twins assistant GM

"Starters make the whole thing work. You can talk about your bullpen all you want, but you can't win without good starters. That's where it all lies."
-- Dennis Eckersley

"I'm looking at our team now, with Eric Karros signed for three more years, Eric Young who recently signed a long-term deal, and with many of our pitchers in good contract situations. From an overall standpoint, this really stabilizes our team. This gives us a chance to let our farm system continue to produce."
-- Fred Claire, Dodgers GM

"God does things for a reason. I hadn't missed a start in eight years, but this adversity will strengthen me. It will make me a better pitcher and better person."
-- Alex Fernandez

"Short of telling you to go out and buy your postseason tickets, I think we're going to have a great summer."
-- Tony La Russa, Cardinals manager

"It's kind of funny, today everybody talks about how Tony Gwynn watches tape all the time, and 20 years ago we did it and thought nothing of it."
-- Joe Morgan

"We're very concerned about having a monster to the north that does not care about running the ballclub in a responsible manner."
-- John Moores, Padres owner, on the potential sale of the Dodgers to Rupert Murdoch

"I like high expectations. Bring them on. We don't have high expectations very often, so it's nice."
-- Mark Grace

"If I find three other morons in my league, if it's a good idea for the league or if it's not, I can block something."
-- Tony Tavares, Angels president

"I think what this club needs most of all is guys who will do the little things it takes to win. That's what I want to do."
-- Cecil Fielder