“[This season] has taught me that when I go through a winter and go into spring training, I want to have a closer, to tell you the truth. We tried the system earlier in the season. That was not successful for us.”
“You look in the dictionary under 'old pro' and you'll see his picture. He knows how to play the game of baseball. He's been doing it good for a long time. He wouldn't get out there until he was fully ready. He's a pleasure to have around.”
“He's done nothing around here to turn a person off -- in the clubhouse or on the mound. He's productive. You can't help but like everything he does. He doesn't wow you with his stuff. All he does is get people out.”
“It's sticky. There are very few people who think he can't help our club, but is it the best thing for him? He's done a great job adjusting to the outfield, making all the plays, and I'm confident he can do other things defensively, like shortstop and first and third base. In left field, he looks like Dave Winfield.”
“I asked myself, if we opened the season with Atlanta and had 3-2 games every day, will this man be ready to do that, pitch in the ninth inning? In my mind, I say yes, he will. I could see him doing that.”
