I get a lot of e-mail that reads, "I liked reading your article until it turned into another stupid A’s love-fest." It’s a valid criticism: while I talk a lot about the A’s and their player-development philosophy, their success, their control of the strike zone, and their amazing trade acumen, the Mariners have nearly as…
PROGRESSION "I think the decisions we made to enhance this ballpark were good ones. It’s going to make this ballpark stand the test of time. We did some things we probably didn’t have to do. That’s money we’re not going to have. Next year, I know we’re not going to have cost overruns." —Kevin McClatchy,…
There’s an unfortunate but natural tendency to ascribe to players the qualities they exhibit on the field. Great players are often treated as great people, even if they aren’t. There’s a quality of redemption-through-performance that we see most obviously in players accused of big things, like murder. The reverse is also true: while some of…
PITCHING THROUGH PAIN "The way things were going, it was feeling better before the Pittsburgh incident, I thought that I was on the right track and would be able to make it. But, you know, whatever happened then, since I’ve been back the second time. it has not been great the whole time. It’s gotten…
OPPONENTS ON BARRY "The numbers don’t lie." —Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks pitcher, on Barry Bonds "Barry and I are close. Everyone has his own routine and does what he needs to do to prepare to play. What Barry does obviously works for him. And he’s by far the best I’ve ever played with." —Matt Williams, Diamondbacks…
THAT PERSONAL TOUCH "If you look at the long run, the future, I still have three years here. It would be wise to just let me get healthy whenever we can and do whatever possible to win later on if we’re not going to win this year. But we still have chances, and I’m just…
2001 NL MVP "Guys work out all year round now. We have personal trainers–we all do. Guys don’t want to go on breaks. The game has changed…. When we came in the game, a second baseman was a 4-foot-2 slap-hitter. Now you have second basemen that hit 40 home runs. I don’t know what they’re…
COACHING "Sometimes, they learn better from their peers than us genius coaches." —Bob Boone, Reds manager, on pitcher Jose Rijo‘s tutelage of Jose Acevedo "I think he’s going to be a good big league player. He’s very disciplined for a young hitter. He takes a walk. He hits the ball to the other way well….
YES, SARGE "Early in his career, Sammy [Sosa] was very similar. He wanted to hit the ball out of the ballpark, but he wouldn’t get a good pitch. That’s just a matter of not waiting long enough. But he was aggressive. That was his mind-set. If you look at Sammy now, he’s a much more…
WOULD ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME SMELL HALF AS SWEET? "I’ve been accused of everything. But I’ve never been accused of being a cocaine dealer and a drug seller before. All I can tell you is, you’d better have credible evidence if you’re gonna write that kind of stuff." —Pete Rose, in a Jayson Stark…
There are new, ugly accusations about Pete Rose floating around, but rather than deal with them I’m going to look at how the story has developed. Rose’s camp initially said they weren’t going to comment on the situation, but as it grew, they did, and Rose has now given an interview to a sympathetic ear….
GOTCHA. CAN’T WIN, DON’T TRY "I don’t think you can teach a guy to get walks. I really don’t. He’s going to have his batting style and you’re not going to change him." —Larry Bowa, Phillies manager "It’s like people who say we need to walk more. Sure, that’s great to say. But then you…
NO BLOCKBUSTER DEALS THIS YEAR, THEY SAID "I think anyone would agree that this makes us a better team." —Billy Beane, Athletics general manager, on the three-way trade that brought outfielder Jermaine Dye to the A’s "We’re trying to create a deep, 40-man roster. We have a lot of holes to fill. It’s going to…
DUDE, WHERE’S MY WALK? "I’ve thought for a while that he’s the best player in the history of the game. Name someone better." —Brady Anderson, Orioles outfielder, on Giants outfielder Barry Bonds "Bonds is way better. Look at the walks, dude." –Anderson, responding to ‘Willie Mays‘ "It’s all about on-base percentage. That’s the most important…
THOSE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT "I played it the way I play here when the wind is blowing in, as it was today. We played ‘small ball.’ Sometimes, when you do that, all you need to get a good rally going is a walk and a sacrifice bunt or two."…
(Ed. note. Derek Zumsteg spent a few days last week taking in the All-Star Week festivities at Safeco Field. This is his report.) "The Star Spangled Banner" is a march. It should be over in two minutes. Preferably it’s sung loud, defiantly; it’s not as good a piece of music as, say, "O Canada," but…