The Week in Quotes: June 28-July 4

“It was one of the worst things I’ve seen. I’ve never seen anything
like it. He was probably going to set the record for steals by a
catcher, but will that speed come back? I just don’t know.”

— Gene Lamont, Pirates manager

“It’s one of the most gruesome things I’ve ever seen. I’m still
shaking from it. I looked over and his ankle was just hanging limp.
You could see bone sticking out. It was bad. Something like that puts a
dark cloud over the whole game.”

— Mark Loretta, Brewers infielder

“I don’t think a lot of us could look at it. It gave me a sick
feeling. It puts the whole game of baseball back into perspective.
It was just sad to see.”

— Brian Giles, Pirates outfielder

“I felt sick to my stomach. You don’t replace an All-Star catcher,
a player who means so much to this team on the field and in the
clubhouse. You just don’t know what effect it will have on your
ballclub.”

— Cam Bonifay, Pirates GM

“You have to look at that with some sense of pride. But what does
that really tell you? It’s taken us that kind of streak to get to
.500. We need to be better than that. A 13-game winning streak, you’d
think you’d be seven, eight games over .500.”

— Trevor Hoffman, Padres pitcher

“No one thought we’d go on a streak like this. This is a good way to
get started in July. We need to run with this, and if we can get into
August, we can make a pennant race of it.”

— Eric Owens, Padres outfielder

“There’s a great aura surrounding them now, like it was with us and
hopefully will be again.”

— Buck Showalter, Diamondbacks manager, on the Reds

“It’s like building for the future and then all of a sudden, the
future comes a lot quicker than you anticipated. And the key is going
to be to stay healthy and consistent.”

— Jim Bowden, Reds GM

“When I take the mound, I think I’m unbeatable until the last out.”

— Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher

“This is no fun. It’s not a fun game to play in. Obviously, we
can’t continue to play like this.”

— Mickey Morandini, Cubs infielder, on losing 19-12

“This is the worst I’ve been through as a manager at any level.”

— Jim Riggleman, Cubs manager, on being outscored 54-21 over
a three-game period

“I think it’s best to leave things unsaid, if you don’t mind.”

— Mark Grace, Cubs infielder

“Their relief pitchers have been out there so much, they’re throwing
more pitches than the starters.”

— Mike Lieberthal, Phillies catcher

“What I’m most happy about is the fact that I’ve been able to be out
there every day. The manager knows I’ll be there. There have been
some ups and downs but I’ve been pretty consistent over the course of
more than 1,000 games.”

— Jesse Orosco, Orioles pitcher, on breaking the major league
record for relief appearances

“I probably shouldn’t have been in the big leagues in 1978 and 1979.
I should have been in rookie ball because I had a tough road early.
I’ve been on some teams, budget-cutting teams that didn’t really score
a lot of runs. But good things have happened after 21 years.”

— Mike Morgan, Rangers pitcher

“Kids coming up want to hit the long ball because that’s where the
money’s at, that’s where the light shines. I liked it back in the
’80s. You had some speed teams, some defensive masters, some teams
with power. Now, everybody’s got offense. Everybody’s the same —
hitting, hitting, hitting. There’s no diversity.”

— Willie McGee, Cardinals outfielder

“It’s a beautiful place. Aesthetically it’s very appealing. I like
the way it sets up. There is not a bad seat in the house. It’s
impressive. I like it.”

— Lou Piniella, Mariners manager, on Safeco Field

“When you see good plays behind a pitcher, a lot of times it’s
because the pitcher works quickly. You don’t have time to get back and
watch the birds fly by.”

— Jeff Blauser, Cubs infielder

“My control is probably my biggest asset. It’s always been there.”

— Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher

“I don’t like playing on Astroturf. The ball gets by you in a
heartbeat.”

— Russ Davis, Mariners infielder

“What else can happen to the guy? I feel for him. People say you’re
only given as much as you can handle, but how much can one person
handle?”

— Denny Neagle, Reds pitcher, on Mark Wholers, who will
miss 18 months due to elbow surgery

“Let’s see if he can throw the ball over the plate and get some
people out. That’s what you want to see.”

— Ray Miller, Orioles manager, on the signing of Jim
Corsi to a minor league contract

“My mom is happy; I’m happy. I’m keeping the game ball for my first
major league win. It’s not the only one coming.”

— Octavio Dotel, Mets pitcher

“It may sound boring, but I try to go out there and take the same
approach every at-bat. I just go out there and battle, and see what
happens.”

— Joe McEwing, Cardinals infielder

“It was a real emotional day to come back here and contribute. I
can’t describe how happy I am to be back with this team.”

— Tom Candiotti, Indians pitcher

“It is hard here and this is a tough place to pitch, but you have a
chance if you pitch your game, throw your pitches and stay aggressive.”

— Andy Ashby, Padres pitcher, on Coors Field

“He deserved to be there. I was told by the American League office
they had been in touch with the Texas Rangers, and they asked that
he not be chosen. Instead of being chosen and not going, they asked
he not be chosen.”

— Joe Torre, Yankees manager, on Juan Gonzalez and the
All Star game

“You know success breeds success. You get that first hit and you get
a little confidence, start feeling good. You start rolling and it turns
into a special night.”

— Jeff Cirillo, Brewers infielder, on going 5-for-5

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