I felt it was in the best interest of the organization to go in a different direction on the player development side, ... I felt it was in Adam's best interest to do it now to give him an opportunity to get a job with another club. |
I felt it was very important that this franchise retain him and not lose him. I spoke very strongly on his behalf. For the new owner's sake, Dana was an important asset that they needed. With the approval of the Commissioner's office, we agreed to terms with Dana. |
I have a lot of respect for Frank Robinson. He has respect for the game of baseball and the way it should be played. I was pleased because he is a man of his word. He said he was going to do something, and he follows up and he does it. |
I have been embarrassed the last two days. There's going to be major cuts in the next 48 hours. It's time to take it to another level. I just don't want to be embarrassed. That's all I ask. |
I have never been a part of anything like this. It's been the most un-fun. To me it's been one nightmare after another. It's like I am working for the fire department and putting out fires every day. |
I just don't want to be embarrassed. That's all I ask. |
I need to give [Robinson] some choices. Between this trade and our callups on Thursday, he has some more choices. We are going to have some fresh legs and some fresh bodies. Maybe they will spark the guys we have now. ... We are going to do what we can to jumpstart us and get some energy. It gives us some depth. It gives us protection. |
I never pay attention to errors in the Minor Leagues. Derek Jeter made 43 errors in the South Atlantic League, and I didn't care. With his hands and his range, I don't worry about that with Zimmerman. He is a good defensive player. |
I recommended to all of them that they seek employment elsewhere, ... There are no guarantees here. I put a memo out to all the other clubs, providing each of our coaches' phone numbers, so that those clubs can notify them if they're interested in hiring them. Their situation is extremely clear. |
I think that this situation, one way or another, will be settled by Opening Day in New York City on April 3 -- that day. It might be 10 minutes before game time. |
I think we have gone in the right direction in terms of getting better. I just think it's going to take time to where we want to go. It's about the young players. We have a pretty good corps of young guys that keep getting better. When you have young guys, they get better and have enthusiasm. |
I think we've made some progress in development, ... But overall, we've got a long way to go. I felt very strongly that we needed to make a change at the top in that department. |
I think you have to plan that he will not be back this year and be pleasantly surprised if he is. |
I thought it went very well. Obviously, both are highly intelligent people. They were very well prepared and asked good questions. |
I'd like to keep them both. Because when we have them both, we're a much better team. |