WILD CARD CONTENTION "It doesn’t matter if you win the division. It’s getting in and winning the whole thing that’s important. We’re not worrying about the division, we’re worrying about getting in." — Jim Thome, Indians infielder "We’re trying to a win a division here. We’re not trying to be the wild card." — Lou…
CARL EVERETT "All that counts is performance, and Carl Everett is a big reason we’re in the wild-card race." — Dan Duquette, Red Sox GM "If I was the general manager, I would back the manager, and if you can’t, you probably need to get rid of me." — Jimy Williams, Red Sox manager "You…
Olympic Prospectus series Second-Half Preview Off To A Good Start Exhibition Roundup Olympic Outlook Team USA Pitching Team USA Hitting The United States finished the preliminary round with a 6-1 record, tied with Cuba for first place in the group. The U.S. is seeded second and will face third seed South Korea in the first…
Olympic Prospectus series Off To A Good Start Exhibition Roundup Olympic Outlook Team USA Pitching Team USA Hitting A look ahead at the rest of the qualifying round for the US team and some wild predictions for the medal round, along with some reader email and a merchandise update. Friday, September 22, Italy Italy will…
Olympic Prospectus series Exhibition Roundup Olympic Outlook Team USA Pitching Team USA Hitting "I don’t believe in pitch counts. We lost our counter, so I have no idea how long they worked. That pitcher [Japan’s Daisuke Matsuzaka] was outstanding. I think that’s the way it should be. I think a young pitcher has to strengthen…
LOSING IT OVER BAD CALLS "The pitchers in the bullpen told me it was a home run. The umpires have got to be closer to the play, but it’s their decision. I can’t do anything about it." — Richard Hidalgo, Astros outfielder, on having an apparant home run ruled in play in an 8-7 loss…
Olympic Prospectus series: | Olympic Outlook | Team USA Pitching | Team USA Hitting (Ed. note: This isn’t another NBC joke. Derek filed this prior to the Olympic competition began, only to see it disappear on the editorial desk. Our apologies to you readers.) I have two things to get off my chest before I…
SAVE THE WATER COOLERS! "That’s just me. I don’t try to please anyone. I show emotion sometimes. This was one of those cases." — Mike Hampton, Mets pitcher, who threw his glove, a towel, his cap, and punched a water cooler leaving the game after walking Pat Burrell "I like everything Mike Hampton does. I…
PEDRO "A no-hitter is not what’s going to dictate what kind of pitcher I am. I think my career is more interesting than one game." — Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher, on having his no-hitter broken in the ninth by John Flaherty "I want to remain professional. Sometimes, it becomes increasingly difficult when you’re given…
One of the things that I heard the Olympic Committee really wanted to get was "foot speed". I read that over and over, and it made me think that maybe they were going to go out of their way to get former major leaguers, like Vince Coleman, so they could steal some bases. They didn’t….
PITCHING DEBUTS "I was just lobbing it up there, like throwing it to a little kid. I was floating it up there." — Derek Bell, Mets outfielder, on giving up five runs pitching mop-up in the Mets’ 16-1 loss to San Diego "He didn’t have his good stuff today. He looks like he needs a…
Today: a rundown on the pitching side of things, but first a followup on yesterday’s column discussing the hitters: Outfielder Brad Wilkerson was a fine pick, and I was wrong to say he didn’t hit doubles. I didn’t locate any Double-A statistics for him for this year, but as several astute and polite readers pointed…
Now that the roster has been announced, I’m much more optimistic about the United States Olympic baseball team’s chances than I have been. While I disagree with some of the choices, the fact is that most of these guys take walks and some of them hit for power. Some even do both. The pitching choices…
THE GOOD WITH THE BAD "I was no good, but I was happy to get the win. On the other hand, I was not very good." — Tomo Ohka, Red Sox pitcher, through an interpreter, on his first major-league win "Fortunately, we got the three games in. But unfortunately, the results weren’t good." — Dusty…
RETURN TRIP "It’s value for value. Their tools are very similar. The guy we got in return is a little older. But he’s got less left on his contract. So it’s a good tradeoff." — Ed Wade, Phillies GM, on Rob Ducey, traded away before the end of one homestand and traded for in time…
ACHIEVEMENTS "I always get nervous before I pitch. It was more excitement than nervousness, though. It felt like a playoff game." — Tom Glavine, Braves pitcher, on becoming the third active pitcher with 200 wins "Not many players have done that. I saw Niekro win his 200th. I saw Maddux and now Tommy. Hopefully, we’ll…