Brad Ausmus Quotations

With the shortened arm path, the ball seems to jump a little better,

We have to go out and win with what we have. We know Roy and Andy are 1-2 around here, and that's the way it was before Roger got here. We need people to step up and perform, but we're not worried. Roy and Andy are a pretty good pair of pitchers.

There's absolutely no excuse for throwing a piece of equipment on an umpire or any player. You can argue your point and at times may accidentally bump an umpire, but to consciously throw a piece of equipment at someone is unforgivable.

I would love to say that I have an eighth-inning guy, a seventh-inning guy, a left-handed guy, a long guy.

Performances will determine who actually ends up being the eighth-inning guy.

There are some nuances to hitting in the eight hole. It's nothing that thousands of players haven't done throughout the course of baseball history. Sometimes you don't get much to hit, but there are other times when they come right at you. I've hit there enough that I usually know the situation, but sometimes it surprises you.

She's part of the reason he came here to pitch.

I didn't notice a dramatic difference. The difference is if his leg is bothering him, he can compensate with his arm. But if he's compensating with his arm, he's not going to last very long. He'll end up not only with a sore leg but a sore shoulder. And Roger is a classic leg-driving pitcher.

I am a little tired and my legs are heavy.

Frankly, it's a little ridiculous that MLB would take control of that. This isn't their game.

I don't think he was feeling 100 percent, but with Andy Pettitte, he's got the mental wherewithal to overcome any type of tenderness and soreness with brainpower,

I don't think he's moving out here to be living close to me, per se, ... I think the idea of living in this climate and his affinity to golf is a big attraction for Baggy. There are tons of golf courses out here, but I've never played golf with him out here.

He tried to act like he was happy for us and smiled, but you could tell it was eating him up inside, ... He came here with Roger hoping for the promise of the postseason and the World Series. But after he had that surgery, his season ended.

He was the one guy that anyone could and would come to if they had a question. And also the one guy that if he said something in front of a group everyone would listen. I think he'll be around a little bit. I don't think he's going to be a ghost.

He's certainly one of the best pitchers in the game,

He did a great job, ... I don't think he was feeling 100 percent, but he's got the mental wherewithal to overcome any kind of tenderness or soreness.

He did what pitchers do when they're successful. He moved the fastball in and out, he kept his pitches down for the most part, and he got away with mistakes when they were up.

He has the ability to get out of trouble because he knows when to make a big pitch to get a ground ball for a double play or get that big strikeout with a man on third. That's why he's 20-4.

He'll hit this year and then he'll be back next year going for 500 (home runs). This isn't the last of Jeff Bagwell.

When he took himself out of the second game (Tuesday) I became a little concerned about him. He'll make that decision, and he'll be honest with himself and the organization.

To come out and lose again and to lose like this is draining.

He's always been one of the better offensive players in the game. Despite the fact that he's 40 years old, he continues to be one of the better offensive players. He's a huge part of our offense. We need him to hit like he has for this team to do well.

He's got the mental fortitude to block everything out and just focus on the hitter, focus on the task and then execute the pitch to get that hitter out. Andy would be my guy.

He is the strongest-minded pitcher I've ever played with. He has the ability to put pain and discomfort behind him and focus on nothing but the catcher's mitt. He's amazing.

He is the most likely of all the young players on the team to become a team leader. Other players will want to look to him as his career progresses.

I think you learn to understand although you may be down, you're not out.

I think it's ridiculous, ... that Major League Baseball would stick its nose into this business all of sudden, when we're down 0-2 in the World Series, having never mentioned it for 81 regular-season games or five postseason games.

I think it's ridiculous Major League Baseball would stick its nose into this business now that we're down 2-0 in the World Series. I'm sure it has something to do with television.

Jeff's very realistic. If he comes in here and two weeks into it he can't swing the bat or he's back to where he was last year, swinging the bat and it turns to pain, I think he would say, 'I'm not able to play.' Barring that, I think he has every intention of playing this entire year.

Our bullpen is definitely deeper (than last year). Guys like Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler were kind of feeling out what roles they would have, but they established early in the season that they would be legitimate late-inning guys.

Our bullpen is definitely deeper (than last year), ... Guys like Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler were kind of feeling out what roles they would have, but they established early in the season that they would be legitimate late-inning guys.

Roger, as we know, is a classic leg-driving power pitcher. Sometimes when you have a leg problem, you compensate with your arm for a couple of innings. But then you notice it and it can lead to shoulder problems.

I was tired of waiting. I had to get ready for the game. Now, if I had known we were going to get beaten 11-2, I would have stayed and gotten the ring.

I think he feels the door has been opened, and he's getting some shoves from behind.

I think he could beat out an infield single if you made him run all the way to the foul pole. And if he couldn't, it would be bang-bang.

I think (manager Phil Garner ) is trying to push me into my utility-role career, ... He's seen enough of me behind the plate, so he figures if he can make me a utility player, he can get me out of here.

We have a group of guys who realize a lot of the reason he signed here was to be close to his family.

We need these guys to contribute offensively in order for us to win because we don't have the offensive lineup that we had a year ago.

We don't know too much about the White Sox, but we will be ready. We know they have good pitching, but then we have good pitching, too.

There also has to be some luck involved when you have a record like that against some team.

We picked up where we left off last year -- very little offense. But it's just one game.

We knew our pitching staff was the backbone of the team. The question mark is our hitting. It isn't over yet. We've still got two weeks to go, and the offense has to come around. We're day to day with our offense.

This was a much more important game for us than for the Cardinals. We're fighting for our lives at this point. We're the ones in a pennant race. They're umpteen games up with a month to go.

When you have a record like that, it's got to be some luck. But he's also one of the best pitchers in the league and certainly that's a big part of it.

When you have a record like that against a particular team, there has to be some luck involved as well. Roy is one of the best pitchers in the league. If anyone would have a chance to go undefeated against a particular team, it would be him.

We've got to deal with it. We certainly can't sit around and bury our faces in our hands. We were two runs down with seven innings to go. That certainly wasn't insurmountable.

Both pitching staffs, for the most part, did a nice job. And Brunt came up with the big hit to top it all off.

With Roy, even on an off day is very tough on any lineup.

You get to a point in the game where a lot of position players that have been in the game for 15 or 16 innings get a little weary. The legs can get tired and your concentration wanes. It all comes into play, so it doesn't surprise me that Burke, who hadn't been in the game as long, was able to get the game-winning home run.

We're different. We have a healthy Andy Pettitte, which certainly helps. We also don't have Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran and a healthy Jeff Bagwell. Now our reputation starts and ends with our pitching, whereas last year it was a little different. People thought of Bagwell and Biggio and an offensive juggernaut.

didn't have a real good feel for the ball tonight.

Andy didn't have his best stuff. Certainly the Pirates hitters battled with every single pitch. Whether it was to foul it off or take a ball, nothing came easy.

Emotionally it's probably a little tougher to swallow (because of the suddenness). We've lost games before in the ninth inning. We'll have it well behind us when we get to St. Louis for Game 6.

There's something different about each one of them. Roger is different in his preparation and experience. Andy separates himself with his concentration on the mound. And I think Roy probably has the best pure stuff.

I've seen him pitch better, but he's always got good stuff. Even when he's off, he's got good stuff.

People don't understand that pain he has played with. It's not simple pain. It's the kind of pain people associate with an injury.

The most important thing is that he can use his right arm again. I know he's going to get this surgery to remove the bone spurs. You never know what can happen. You hope after the surgery, a month later, his range of motion is better, he's feeling great and who knows, maybe he can play again. But at this point, it's a quality of life issue. Not a career issue.

Once we start the game, my focus is on baseball,

your hands get cold, your feet get cold, but if you can't find a way to keep your mind off that stuff in a World Series, you probably shouldn't be in it.

This is part of our home-field advantage and for major league baseball to try and change that is either a) ridiculous or b) they're American League fans.

A lot of guys get upset in that situation, ... but he was able to shrug it off. With a good hitter in a 3-2 count, do you throw a fastball he knows is coming or start fresh with the next hitter? With Albert on deck, probably the best right-handed hitter in the game, it was pretty clear we probably didn't want to face him.

You don't walk a guy and put the tying run on second base. I don't care if it's Babe Ruth.

There were a number of times I said to myself, this is unbelievable, an instant classic, ... I'll get a copy on tape.

They're either (A) ridiculous, or (B) American League fans,

It's a combination of things. When you have a record like that, it's got to be some luck. But he's also one of the best pitchers in the league and certainly that's a big part of it.

It's a different team in two ways. One, we don't have Carlos Beltran , Jeff Kent and Jeff Bagwell . On the flip side, we didn't have a healthy Andy Pettitte (last year). ... I'd like to assemble a team with last year's lineup and this year's pitching.

It's a great deal of concern for us, a very powerful storm.

It stinks for me, because he's the guy that I could really bounce things off of. He's the guy who I would have a beer with after the game and talk about the game with. The guy I went to eat meals with. Certainly, our friendship doesn't end because he may not ever play again. But I would prefer to have him sitting next to me in the locker room.

It's going to go down to the last week,

It's good to get your feet wet in a little bit of a sloppier situation rather than a one-run game or a tie game. We had a five-run lead, so we had to attack the hitters and force them to earn their way on base. I'm not going to try and trick them. And that kind of plays in hand to what Taylor does generally anyway.

Do it. You don't let the facts get in the way of one of your columns anyway.

The next 24 hours should tell us a lot.

It's nice for those guys that I played with to see me now, to see how I've evolved,

They brought the left-hander to turn Lance around and he came up with a big hit immediately, ... Lane did a great job battling against Devine getting a single. They all had good at-bats, but Lance's was the one that opened the door.

They have to deal with the fact that if you have a bad game, you lose.

It was just a much more important game for us than them, ... I don't think they are worried about making the playoffs. We're fighting for our lives.

Not only to get the strikeout and get out of the inning, but you don't have to worry about facing Albert with the bases loaded.

After talking to him, I think he was battling himself a little bit, ... But trust me, I'll take Andy at any time, at any point with any game on the line.

That might have been more relief. It was an outstanding ending to a very hard-fought game.

I know Roger's going to take the ball if it's going to help us, ... I'm sure he had some adrenaline going. He had another inning or two in him.

I probably was the only guy not jumping around in the dugout.

In my mind, if I think it's close I'm going to tag him or throw the ball to first, or turn around and look at the umpire, show him the ball and get a definitive out call.

In a game like this you certainly want to win, because the guy behind you in the standings is staring at you across the field.

He's the face of baseball in the city of Houston.

He's remarkable because we're in an offensive era. He's not just consistent. He should have won every game he's pitched. And he knows his mechanics. If he has a flaw mid-game, he can fix it.

I don't know if you can expect that every night.

Certainly the game, despite the fact of the wild-card race, is secondary for Roger and his family, but it doesn't surprise me that he wants to go out onto the mound and pitch.

He sustained his velocity for the duration of his outing. Adrenaline may have had a little bit to do with that.

He's tough to compare to anyone, I think, because of not only his success but the longevity of his success. I mean, who pitches for 20-some years and has only one losing season and at the age of 43 has a sub-2.00 ERA?

He said, 'Let's continue with the inning and see how it feels,'

Generally, if there's any question, I would either tag the guy or throw the ball to first or turn around and look at the umpire and show him the ball and get a definitive out call, ... I see both sides of the issue. I think in Josh Paul's mind, there was no question, and the replay seems to show he caught the ball. I understand why he assumed the batter was out, but by the same token he did reach down toward the ground.

If he had any type of run support, he'd have 20 wins easily. He's been that impressive. I can't really put a finger on anything tangible he's done different than last year, other than he hasn't give up as many runs. ... He hasn't changed his approach, he hasn't changed his stuff. His velocity hasn't gone up.

I don't think he ever had a real good feel for his mechanics and release point. Whether it was related to the ball hitting him in the knee or not, I don't know. He always battles you, whether he has his best stuff or not. He has an ability to focus even when he's in pain. It was just a day when the Cardinals were better than us.

The ump sees what, 225, 250 pitches a night and get the great majority of them right. But it's not like his call scored any runs. They did that on their own.

a huge black eye for the city of Chicago. If I was from there, I'd be embarrassed by the way our families were treated. My wife didn't get hit or anything, but people flipped her off and were screaming at her.

You've got to deal with it. You can't sit around and bury your face in your hands. We were just two runs down with seven innings to go.

The last two weeks, ... is like water torture. You play, and you look at the scoreboard and try to figure out where it all falls. Time just seems to crawl.

The main thing is being able to throw.