YET MORE ROCKER
-
“I wouldn’t sit in the same room with him. I wouldn’t sit with someone
who’s a racist. He says he’s not a racist, but he makes racist comments.”
- — Derek Jeter, Yankees infielder
“Obviously, this is a big problem for our team. He’s put the whole team
in a situation where not only John but the whole team has to answer
questions about it.”
- — Kevin Millwood, Braves pitcher
“I’m glad there’s finally a decision. Maybe we can get this behind us one
of these days.”
- — Bobby Cox, Braves manager
“There’s part of me that thinks it would have gone a long way toward
showing remorse if John would have just said, `OK, forget it. That’s the
price I’m going to pay, and I’ll pay it.’ But at the same time, I
understand. Nobody’s ever been suspended this long for saying something
stupid.”
- — Tom Glavine, Braves pitcher
“That’s our house in the clubhouse. I’ve never been in a clubhouse where
all 25 guys liked each other. I’ve never been in a clubhouse where there
were not certain problems. The ones that are successful, much like ours,
are the ones to address these situations.”
- — John Smoltz, Braves pitcher
YET MORE GRIFFEY JR.
-
“The situation hasn’t changed. There’s not a player I’d rather trade for
in baseball, but I don’t want to give up our whole young nucleus for one
player who may leave after one year. It just does not make sense.”
- — Jim Bowden, Reds GM
“Everybody’s mad at me because I want to be near my family. I want to give
my son something my father never gave me.”
- — Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners outfielder
“I turned down $140 million from the Mariners. Does that sound like a
guy who cares about the money?”
- — Ken Griffey Jr.
“I gave the Mariners an option that if they wanted to trade me, they
could trade me. But it’s got to be where I want to go. And I’m the bad
guy in this? I don’t get it.”
- — Ken Griffey Jr.
“When you get death threats from Seattle fans, then that’s bad. Something
like that is pretty much the last straw as far as me staying in Seattle.”
- — Ken Griffey Jr.
SIGNINGS
-
“I thought there was a 70-80 percent chance I was gone. That was pretty
devastating to me. Now they want me to stick around for three more years.
It shows how quickly things can change.”
- — Andy Pettitte, Yankees pitcher
“You build teams up the middle and certainly with Rey [Ordonez] and
Edgardo [Alfonzo], we have as strong a combination as arguably any in
the game. They have been an important part of our success and one we
feel is part of the formula for success. Therefore we wanted to secure
that for as long as we could.”
-
— Steve Phillips, Mets GM, on signing Ordonez to a 4-year
contract
“We are part of the entertainment industry, and I think this will add
some excitement to our spring. I don’t know what sort of impact it will
have on crowds, but it will add excitement.”
-
— Steve Phillips, on inviting Garth Brooks to spring
training
“Bobby [Cox] and I feel that [Bobby] Bonilla adds great depth and
strength to our bench and provides us with another very productive
offensive player.”
-
— John Schuerholz, Braves GM, on signing Bonilla to a
minor league contract
“I said it before: I’d like to sign a long-term deal, but it’s not up
to me, it’s up the team to make that decision. I don’t think the team
owes me a long-term deal. That’s not how it works. I have two more years.
Then you can start negotiating. Then you can make decisions on your own.”
-
— Derek Jeter, infielder, on signing a one-year contract with the
Yankees
THE REST
-
“Fans will look at batting average, but on-base percentage is the
most important thing. That’s what I gauge myself on. I always try to
stay around that .400 level.”
- — Jeff Cirillo, Rockies infielder
“I’d love to finish my career here with the Yankees. It would be nice.
I’m sure the Yankees have some things in mind. We’ll have to see what
happens. Whatever happens, I’ve had a great time.”
- — Tino Martinez, Yankees infielder
“With the pitching we have, we have to be able to catch the ball.”
- — Jerry Manuel, White Sox manager
“Everyone knows the price I have on the market. I’ve heard that they’re
paying $140 million to my friend Juan Gonzalez and that Alex
Rodriguez and Ken Griffey could surpass that amount.”
-
— Sammy Sosa, Cubs outfielder, on wanting an 8-year $160 million
contract
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