Doug Mirabelli Quotations

Woody uses it more as a strikeout pitch. He's using it the way other pitchers might use a splitter or a cutter. There's no doubt it's a good weapon when you're working with it like he does, ahead in the count.

We're playing mediocre ball right now. There's a lot of guys who need that day off, mentally and physically.

If we can't make up a half-game deficit over the last 10 games, it wasn't meant to be anyway.

If we can't make up a half a game, this wasn't meant to be, anyway. It's a virtual tie.

I don't think I've ever been so nervous in a game. Even in warm-ups, the first time I saw the knuckleball I dropped a couple. I thought, 'Oh, oh. Here we go.

He's been solid for us all year, and we need him now more than ever.

Kids, I want to encourage all of you to keep your eyes on the finish line and finish your goal.

I think I can still play a big role. In my mind, I'm going to catch a lot of games and we'll both get our at-bats.

It definitely had that playoff atmosphere. It was two guys, going head-to-head, that are arguably our No. 1?s right now.

I thought it was a really good pitch,

I understand their point of view. (Piazza is) a great player that they got at a discount price. How do you pass up on that?

The whole time on the flight, I'm thinking there is no possible way this is going to work out. I was nervous as anything.

The whole time on the flight I'm thinking there is no possible way that this is going to work out. I'm glad I got through it because I was nervous as anything. I don't think I have been that nervous in a ball game every in my career.

After it got so close, you knew it was going to come down to the end. Would I rather be a half-game up at this point? There's no doubt about it. If we can't make up a half-game deficit over the last 10 games, it wasn't meant to be anyway.

As a player, it feels great to hear how the fans appreciate you and your hard work.

The big thing was not coming in here and getting swept.

It's a tough loss, there's no doubt about it. For them to come in and score five runs with two out in the eighth, that's tough to swallow.

It's great for the girls to grow up in a community like this. We like it a lot. We're excited about being here.

The biggest thing was not coming in here and getting swept. That would have put a damper on where we?re trying to get to. We play these guys three more times. We knew that as long as we didn?t lose six times to these guys out of the last 20 games, we feel confident in our ability to win the East.

It's definitely a grind. But that's how it's been set up for us.

His ball was darting in, it was darting away. It was effectively wild in the strike zone. I had a tough time today catching the ball. I hadn't had a game like that where I felt like I was going to have a hard time catching the ball.

I don't know if he gets the concept of a teammate or if he grasps that. People have tried to help him out. You've got to give him some leeway for language but at some point (you realize) he does speak more than he lets on. So at that point, you start to think he's making that choice.

He strikes out people with his movement. Obviously, the ball was dancing. He mixed in some other pitches when he needed to.

(General manager Kevin Towers) told me that I would start unless something fell into his lap, and Piazza will help this team. I'm just surprised that he couldn't find work in the American League (where he could be used as a designated hitter). Getting a hitter like Piazza for what? - $1.25 million a year (plus incentives)? You can't turn that down.

You want to come in here and sweep because you can extend your lead, but you don't want to get swept. By winning yesterday, there was a lot of pressure taken off this team as far as having to avoid a sweep today and leaving here with a one-game lead.