The Week in Quotes: January 18-February 7

"We’re not owned by a Murdoch, Disney or Ted Turner, and baseball
can’t afford the kind of imbalance where the Dodgers’ Kevin Brown alone
makes twice the Montreal Expos’ entire payroll."

"From our perspective, we’re trying to run the business on a
stand-alone basis. We felt we needed to make a commitment to winning,
and that’s what we did."

"I think the Dodgers misled everybody in baseball. I feel somewhat
stabbed in the back by what they told us and what they’ve done."

"A pitcher cannot be worth more than an everyday player, much less
one who has won two Most Valuable Player awards in three years."

"I consider myself a fine wine; I get better as I get older."

"It’s going to be a psychological boost that the Reds management
has made a commitment to winning now. Now with a 20-game winner like
Denny Neagle, Vaughn and an improved bench, we’re starting to put the
pieces together."

"I don’t think this should in any way, shape or form be considered
a fire sale. All we’ve been trying to do, and we’ve been saying this all
along, is trying to get younger. We’re trying to add some youth to the
ballclub."

"You can’t win championships without a reliable closer, and so
having someone with a special talent like Billy Wagner and knowing
he’s part of this franchise for the years to come is certainly
comforting."

"Carlos [Baerga] is an experienced, quality infielder who gives
us good offensive potential at second base and versatility from both
sides of the plate."

"I’m really excited about it. I’m looking forward to swinging the
bat. I hope I can hold my own."

"[Tim] Raines will definitely be a welcome addition in the A’s
clubhouse this season. He knows what it takes to win and he’ll show
the youngsters the way to go. It will be nice to have his bat in the
lineup or on the bench to use in key situations."

"Omar [Daal] is one of the players from the expansion draft who
really made the most of the opportunity that expansion afforded him."

"We are very pleased to add a player of Wilfredo’s caliber at this
point in the off-season. He brings more depth to our ballclub and can
help us in a variety of ways either as a role or every day player."

"I’m going to have fun this year. I’m going to make sure I have
fun. That’s what I think I lost last year."

"Everybody is accepting failure, but I’m not. I’m not done. I’m
a baseball player."

"In some ways, how far we go depends on how many innings Kerry
[Wood] can throw. But we have to be cautious because of all the torque
and strain he puts on his arm at so young an age."

"If this is the toughest thing we have to deal with, then I’m OK."

"The Mariners shouldn’t be concentrating on me right now; they
shouldn’t be concentrating on Alex [Rodriguez]. They’ve got to get
somebody who can get some damned outs."

"I deeply appreciate the many fans that have cheered and
encouraged me, both on and off the field. Without them, we as players
would not have the opportunities that are made available to us as
major leaguers."

"A mid-market team, which we’ll still be with our new stadium,
really can’t realistically hope to win more than two out of every five
years. It’s an economic fact of life."

"You hear debates across the country, whether stadiums are economic
generators. What we’re doing here is seeing if they are economic generators
— and we’ll cover the difference if they’re not."