Darin Erstad Quotations

We know how great they are and the great tradition and all that stuff. But when we step on that field, we're playing our game.

We've got a resilient group of guys. We're going to keep fighting. That was a tough one (Thursday), but we've turned the page and moved on.

We're happy that spring training is finally over. It's always fun to get the season under way and to keep score for real.

No, I don't want this to feel like 2002, ... I want to create new memories. This is a new team. We are doing it a new way.

Only our pitchers have been playing well. We've been scratching and clawing for runs. We'll find a way to get it done any way we can, but we've been inconsistently offensively.

I don't care who it is, I don't like to see that ever. Because it means we're walking off the field and we lost.

I can honestly look you in the eye and tell you we did not have a single pitch, not one pitch.

I can go, but this is a chance to let it calm down.

Bart has done a great job this year stepping up and putting an end to a loss.

He's been doing it a long time, and there's no doubt in my mind he's going to continue to do it.

He kind of defines what a pitcher is supposed to do. The thing is, he's never in the training room. For whatever reason, he's been given a gift to do that. I don't think the guy's arm has ever been sore. And I'm sure if it was sore, he wouldn't tell us anyway.

It is hard to describe what he meant to this team and this organization. As a teammate, he was the best -- No.1. Having him at the tail end of games and having his mentality in the clubhouse was everything.

I was kind of foggy for the first four or five innings, then I really started to get into the game. It's not like I was out there spaced out. But we had gone through a lot of high intensity and mental exhaustion the last few games, and sometimes it can be tough to get it going.

People love throwing that out there: 'Is it going to wear on you more, wear on you less?' I don't know. Just play and whatever happens, happens, ... You know, you can't worry about that stuff. You do all your exercises and hope it holds up. I can't do any more work to make it stay healthy. If it goes, it goes.

Sure, we know we can get it done, but we feel that way anyway. We have to keep looking forward.

It doesn't really matter. They told me to get ready so that is what I'll do. It's more about getting my arm back in shape.

It doesn't matter. It's where I've spent most of my time. My palms will sweat a little less.

I still feel like a bone is sticking out of my arm. I'm still in shock -- that is the best way to look at it.

That's the way it is. You know that's the way it's going to be. It doesn't matter what happens the rest of the season; you figure it's going to come down to the end and that's the way it's going to be.

We don't put that on one guy. We're a team here and we'll do it all together. We'll try to have good at-bats, try to get guys on base, and when we get guys on base that's when we can do our stuff.

We're not going to concede one thing. They took it to us the last three games, but it doesn't matter. When it's over, it's over, but we're going down fighting.

Those are fun games. We keep playing till the end. They're a dangerous team, and they're a tough team to keep down. It's pretty much Murderer's Row when you're going against them. Fortunately, we've got good pitching.

This stinks, and it hurts, ... It's going to take a few days.

We didn't square many balls up against him. We never got anything going. He hits his spots. He's very effective.

Any game could be my last, and any at bat could be my last. I'd hate to think it ended without me giving my best effort.

Since I got to the big leagues, there's been a whole lot of Direct-TV sold in Jamestown. People like to keep up with the local boy.

I don't think there's any danger of my ever becoming complacent about losing. I always hated to lose, regardless of what it was, even when the family was playing Yahtzee.

I feel kind of sorry for those kids who just play one sport growing up.

During the season I really don't do anything else but play baseball. I've never wanted to get away from baseball for a break. Why would I want to get away from it? I love the game. I always have. There's nothing else I'd rather do.

When he hit it, I knew that it was my ball. But I had to catch it and it seemed like the hardest catch of my life. I said to myself, 'Two hands, just like your dad taught you.'

We really don't care. We got our foot in the door, and that's all you ask for. Whatever happens, happens.

When people say they've seen it all, they haven't seen it all.

The popup was in no man's land. I've got the largest glove, so I figured I would be the guy to catch it. I turned my ankle when I stepped on the mound and jammed it pretty good. It spasmed, so I had a tough time on defense, but it's nothing serious.

We've gone through tough times and good times and we always take the same attitude, to just keep working and playing our game.

This was, by far, the hardest for all of us. We had to fight through so many things.

What day is this? What city are we in.

You look at guys toward the end of their career that have moved to first to, they say, save on their legs, ... I'm not at that point where I'm ready to throttle back the way I play. I believe you get out what you put into it. Wherever you're at, you can make an impact.

Are you kidding me? He's the face of the Angels. That would be awesome. If he's healthy, you know what you're going to get. The guy's a born hitter.

I understand it, but it doesn't make it any easier. I've been through a lot with these guys and the bonds are pretty strong.

I've watched it so many times and I've rerun it in my head. I just made a decision. It's instinct. As I round third, I see that the cutoff guy has the ball, so I look at home and the first thing I see is Johnny's legs. And I see the plate between his legs. In your mind you see that and you think, I just want to meet him.

It was a long day, but well worth it. It was really good. It was great.

Scioscia has a real good feel for when things need to be done. He's had success making adjustments. Hopefully, this will work out as well.

Run scores, we win. I could care less about that stuff.

That's what we do. We have two guys who can juice the ball, but for the most part we just put the ball in play and make things happen. We're at our best when we're doing that.

Your palms don't get as sweaty in center field as they do at first base when a big left-hander is hitting.

You never know. Some things are certain in life and that is one of them.

They made their pitches, ... They're a very good team. I'll be surprised if they don't win it all.

They don't say that at all. They say the opposite. They say things like 'Those balls in the hole aren't hits any more,' ... It's just people's perspective. What it boils down to is what's best for our team. And with the acquisitions we made this year, putting me on first gives us the best team. And I've said it all along: whatever's best for the team, I'm willing to do whatever.

They're pitching well, that's for sure. We're just going to keep fighting. That's what we do. We grind it out.

They're one of those teams where you know that if you don't bring your 'A game,' you're going to get taken behind the woodshed.

It's all for the same thing, ... Kids playing baseball.

It's all part of the game. It's just the way it is. We lost, plain and simple. It's over. We play again. . . . I don't know what day it is. I know we get to sleep a day.

It's his first time in the playoffs. I'm not sure he's even played on a winning team. I know how it felt for me the first time.

They won, plain and simple, and we lost. One thing I know is we get to sleep (last night).

At this time of year, runs are harder and harder to come by. Given that we haven't been getting hit after hit on a consistent basis, our offensive execution is going to be key.

I'm just getting up to speed with the infield. I'm not completely comfortable right yet. But the transition is a lot easier than it was the first time, ... It's pretty much the same game. Stop the ball and don't let it get by you. Catch and throw. Pretty much the same.

I just think we believe in each other. I don't know how much deeper it goes than that. We have a lot of confidence in each and every guy, regardless of who it is, and we've been very fortunate here to have a group of guys who are like that.

I haven't thrown that way it two years. It's just a process. It's going to be sore some days. We're getting through it. It's nothing major. Just some normal stuff.

I play to win. There is absolutely zero intent to injure anybody. That's not me. I'm just glad Johnny's OK. That's the most important thing.

Hey, you've got to do what you got to do. We'll sleep when it's over.

He's just been a big-time pitcher for us. He just has something inside him where he rises to the occasion, and you can't teach that. It's hard to put your finger on what it is, but I like it.

Come on, what more can you say about that guy? Who cares who we're playing against? He's a special, special player.

Come on. What are you going to say about the guy? He's a special, special player.

He bears down in the tough situations, and we haven't been able to get to him. Lackey pitched great he's been pitching great all year and we didn't do anything all night. It's frustrating.

You could see right then that he had it back. There was still a lot of life in him.

You can't use any of this as an excuse. You've got to start swinging the bats. That's all there is to it.