The Week in Quotes: September 28-October 4

AL PLAYOFFS

"This is the situation I love. It’s party time,
time to get down and dirty. I love pressure situations,
and I can handle it with the best of them."


— David Wells

"When you play a 162-game schedule, there isn’t
too much doubt who had the best year. But when you get
to the playoffs, it’s a whole new world. Any team can
beat any team in a short series. We were hot at the end
of last year. The team that wins a short series isn’t
always the best team."


— Cal Ripken Jr.

"We probably won a game they should have won and
vice versa. You never know what’s going to happen in
these games."


— Joe Torre, Yankees manager

"I don’t know how confident you can be in these
playoffs, as wacky as they have been."


— Mike Hargrove, Indians manager

"It’s coming together now. The defense is there.
The hitting is there. The pitching is there. We’ve got
a lot of veteran guys and they are coming together."


— Roberto Alomar

NL PLAYOFFS

"It feels so good. I’m finally involved with a
team that won a playoff. I never won one before. Maybe
I won’t be dumb for at least another couple of days."


— Jim Leyland, Marlins manager

"Just a few days ago, we were celebrating winning
the division, now we’re going home. You work so hard
to get to this point, then it’s over so quickly."


— Craig Biggio

"It’s just at that moment, you wish you could move
the fence or run through it, jump higher, anything. But
God only gives you what you’ve got. We went out there
and played hard. They went out there and played hard.
They won. Congratulations."


— Barry Bonds

"One advantage for us is we’re used to all the
questions. I’m sure the media and fans will be hounding
the ‘Bs.’ They’re frustrated. It’s unfortunate the
media will dwell on their failures, but that’s the
nature of the beast in the playoffs."


— John Smoltz

"If we don’t at least get back to the World
Series, we’ll fall short of our goal. That’s been our
goal since day one of spring training."


— Denny Neagle

RETIREMENTS

I’m done. Part of me is saddened. Part of me is
relaxed. Boy, has it gone fast."


— Brett Butler

"It’ll hit me in December or January, but I won’t
be back."


— Ryne Sandberg

"I’ll take some time and meet with some people and
we’ll see what happens. Who knows? Right now, I don’t."


— Paul Molitor

"I’ve got one year left, and I’d like to finish it
as a Blue Jay."


— Joe Carter

THE REST

"Brian Sabean did a great job, and we all owe him
an apology because people thought he didn’t know what
he was doing but obviously he did."


— Barry Bonds

"These guys, to me, play with more heart than the
Dodgers. It seems like they’ve got very good chemistry.
They play hard, they never give up. There’s something
to say about a club’s chemistry."


— Kevin Towers, Padres GM, on the Giants

"I didn’t know what to expect going into the
season. I’m told that to get 27 starts as a rookie is
something that doesn’t happen too often. I was happy
about that."


— John Thomson

"If I wanted to just have stats, I guess I could
pop in five painkillers and head out there, but that’s
not what this game is all about. It’s about winning as
a team. That’s what motivates me."


— Larry Walker

"Detroit signed Damion Easley and got lucky.
Anaheim signed Luis Alicea and got lucky. Maybe that
will happen to us."


— Gord Ash, Blue Jays GM

"I have not set a timetable for finding a new
manager. With this young and aggressive team we are
going to have in 1998, I think it is very important
that we find the right person, no matter how long that
process takes."


— Ron Schueler, White Sox GM

"I never keep track of how far a ball travels. No
matter how far it goes, it’s always a thrill."


— Charles Johnson, on hitting home runs

"The season was very good. Only one team ends the
season winning it all. So you have to take a step back
and look at what you’ve gained as a team. I think we’ve
gained a lot and there’s a lot out there for us to get
next year."


— Brian Johnson

"I’m thinking of less involvement every day. I’m
an old, ancient relic."


— George Steinbrenner, Yankees owner

"We’re going to have a busy offseason. That’s what
happens when you don’t meet expectations."


— Johnny Oates, Rangers manager