Andres is the most respected man in the industry when it comes to international scouting and player development. This addition is a major step in our commitment to expanding our international program. |
Any pitcher you sign to a long-term contract is a risk ... You do your homework and make your decision. |
At this point, things couldn't be any better. But, in reality, you don't win pennants in January and February. Reality will set in in another week or two. |
Bagwell did one interview that suggested that management did their part, now it's up to us to do our part. That's a pretty profound statement, especially here where the criticism has been that we haven't always done what we needed to do to put a winner on the field. |
But then I realized that it wasn't because the interest wasn't here and the value wasn't appreciated. We're just very fortunate that the ownership we have in place not only is committed to a strong player development plan, but is willing to go above and beyond to see it done. |
He's pitching as good right now as he probably has in the last few years. It's just been a tremendous boost to the franchise, to the team, to the city. He's just lifted everybody's spirits. |
I can't honestly tell you there has been a time in recent years where I've been this fired up, this excited. It's like I'm, well, 28 or 29 again, |
I can't remember a year when there's been this much parity in baseball, when so many teams are still in contention. This could be one of those unique years where everyone stays in contention until the end of September. But, chances are, as we get into the middle of August, some teams will start to fall to the wayside. |
I think as much as anything, this has raised the confidence level of our players. I don't think there was any question this was totally unexpected by everyone, including the players ... To see the excitement on their faces in the Clemens press conference ... |
I think that's more a factor for the national media than it is for the players that play here. If you do a statistical analysis of this ballpark since then, it's settled back to the middle of the pack, ... It certainly wasn't the offensive Mecca that some people thought it was. |
I'm here to support what Andrew wants to do. |
I'm rejuvenated and re-energized, |
I've been in Houston for 20 years, most of my adult life. I've never seen the city this excited about baseball. I think the signings of [ Andy ] Pettitte and [ Roger ] Clemens have left the city somewhat in shock. There's this 'I-can't-believe-this-is-really-happening' feeling. |
In my mind, this is a special opportunity that we have to do something great. But, like any year, a lot of things will have to go your way. |
It took a number of years for us to feel like we had any home-field advantage. For the first three years we didn't play well at home. I think that it was all still a work in progress, a transition. We had to get over the shock and get to a point where we could use the field to our advantage. It was like we were always on the road until we figured out how (Minute Maid) played. |