The Week in Quotes: October 8-14

ALDS

"Warming up, I kind of heard guys yelling at me, calling me cuss words and
all that. But I was just in a mode where I wasn’t even thinking about it.
It’s not like I was going to turn around and say, ‘Oh, really?’ anyway. And
every now and then, sitting in the dugout, I’d notice how loud the place
was. But once I got on the mound, I didn’t hear anything."

—Mark Mulder, Athletics pitcher

"Experience? It’s overrated, man. People love to use experience if you win.
And if you lose, they say it’s their youth. Who cares? Every team up here
knows how to play, and they’re no exception. If we come back and win the
series, they’ll say it was our experience. But what’s that mean?"

—Derek Jeter, Yankees infielder

"There’s no [sense of urgency today] because [Jamie] Moyer is pitching Game
5. And I think we can be able to beat Moyer. But you really don’t want to
have to fly five hours to play one game. I mean, that’s the bottom line. You
want to finish it in your house, at your home. I just want to avoid the
trip."

—Omar Vizquel, Indians infielder, prior to Game 4

"I didn’t want to take that ride. But that’s the way things worked out."

—Charlie Manuel, Indians manager, after Game 4

NLDS

"You could just see it in his eyes. He was a very focused man today. I was
confident he would do something to help bail me out."

—Bob Brenly, Diamondbacks manager, on infielder Tony Womack

"Believe me, this was a real bitter defeat for our club. But when a guy does
that kind of job, a loss is easier to take."

—Tony LaRussa, Cardinals manager, on Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling

"Honestly, I thought we had a better team than the Braves."

—Larry Dierker, Astros manager

"What happened last year was disappointing and embarrassing. All you can do
is come back and try to do something about it. We’ve done that."

—Tom Glavine, Braves pitcher

"There’s a lot of superstars who are sitting home right now."

—Julio Franco, Braves infielder

SEASON’S END

"If you told me that when we left spring training that we would win 116
ballgames and tie a major-league record, I would have thought that you might
have been smoking dope or something."

—Lou Piniella, Mariners manager

"The person doing it would have to be on a team like the Giants, with a
solid lineup behind him. The man had [Jeff] Kent hitting behind him, you
couldn’t pitch around him."

—Shawn Green, Dodgers outfielder, on whether Barry Bonds‘s
home-run record could be broken

"Sure there’s a chance. There’s really nothing new. My body can only go so
far. So I’m going to sit back, analyze and evaluate everything this
offseason and I’ll let you guys know. Probably by fax or an e-mail."

—Mark McGwire, Cardinals infielder, on whether he might retire

"I’ve always said, I don’t play for the numbers, I don’t play for the money.
It has no effect on my decision if I’m fifth all-time in home runs or 10th
because either way it’s a very elite group. I’m quite proud of where I am
and what I’ve accomplished."

–McGwire

FEUDING

"Honestly, I’m a little down on the organization right now."

—Scott Rolen, Phillies infielder, on why he would turn down an extension
offer

"Criticism done in a respectful manner that is aimed at improvement is one
thing. Criticism that is publicly disrespectful is aimed at humiliation."

–Rolen, on comments by manager Larry Bowa and senior advisor Dallas Green

"I have enough self-confidence and self-esteem not to let some drunk ruin my
career."

—Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays infielder, on alcohol consumption by reporters

"If you lead, you don’t have to let everybody know that you’re leading. The
way I was brought up … there’s some stuff that has to stay in the
clubhouse."

–Delgado, suggesting that criticism of his leadership skills is caused by
his unwillingness to pass clubhouse information to reporters

"Raul [Mondesi] will never be a leader. He’s a spark plug, but he’s not a
leader. I’m not cutting him up. That’s just the way it is. He brings some
other things to the table."

–Delgado, on Blue Jays outfielder Raul Mondesi

ROYALS

"We come out here next season and we start off terrible, the reality is,
most likely somebody is going to lose their job."

—Allard Baird, Royals general manager

"I know that if I was working for most other clubs, I would probably not
still be here. Next year we’ll be exciting again. Believe me. It’s been a
down year. You taste it in your mouth."

—Tony Muser, Royals manager

"Tony Muser is the best man to manage this club. He is becoming a better
manager all the time. We have not performed well this year. But we can’t
blame Tony for all our shortcomings."

—David Glass, Royals owner

"I do understand how a fan feels. I would in no way expect a fan to feel any
differently. But I’ve got to do what I believe is best for this ballclub. I
think we have a good manager. We’re going to ask him to do some different
things … to go about some things in a little different manner to get the
most out of our players. But the reality is you’ve got to win ballgames. I
understand that."

–Baird, on Muser

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