(Boras) updated me. He's still negotiating. We're still in it, but the time is getting short. They've given us no indication (Beltran is close to signing with the Mets). We're patiently waiting for some positive developments. We have three days to go, and in baseball, that's a long way to go. We did not change our offer in any way. |
Barry Axelrod has told us Jeff will be there and we'll welcome him and give him every opportunity. We have a rehabilitation program, and that's what we'll start on (today) when he gets here. |
By our going ahead and extending him, this shows the respect and admiration we have for Phil ... as a leader and as a person of accomplishment. |
Each year, with our players, I ask them what their goals are. I said, 'Roy, what is one of your goals?' He said, 'To own a bulldozer.' That kind of took me back a little bit. I had never heard that before. |
He came here at an awkward time at the All-Star break last year. He made a huge difference this year. It took time with Andy Pettitte coming off (elbow) surgery and Lance Berkman coming off knee surgery. |
He was one of the first to contact me. |
His prestige, the respect people had for him then was extremely important. We wouldn't have won it without his support. |
I am easy. I'm kind, thoughtful, benevolent, easygoing. I'm a pushover. |
I don't know what the going rate is. I know we paid him $18 million last year. We're just going to have to think it through and see where Roger is at. |
I found him to be very honorable. |
I haven't heard from Scott Boras since Thursday. |
I think we have a better opportunity than any other team. I think the key time will be the winter meetings. |
I'm going to call him the first day. Roger knows that and Randy (Hendricks) knows that. I told Roger he better be ready to go May 1. |
If we could have gotten that one big hit, we could have won that game. We just didn't get that hit. |
If you read the fine print, it says that ($30 million) figure doesn't account for interest, depreciation and other things. You take all those off, and most of that disappears. |