Leagues Quotations | Page 2

People in Hawaii have a built-in twinkle in their eye, and bring a sense of play and ohana to their work. When you leave work for the weekend in Boise, Idaho or Delaware, Maryland, you don't see your coworkers again until Monday -- that's not true of Hawaii, which has the most bowling and softball leagues of any state in the union.

My mind frame is that I'm going to break (camp) with the team and contribute to the team like I know I can. Any thought of the minor leagues hasn't crossed my mind. I'm going in focused on one goal, one mission.

Marlins Park is what I call my office in Miami, because I work for the Venezuelan Museum of Baseball and Hall of Fame. My job is to go to all the MLB stadiums and to talk to and collect articles from all the Venezuelan players in the big leagues and those Americans that played in Venezuela.

I think Pelfrey is on a quick road to the big leagues. Of course, you don't want to rush a young pitcher, but depending on how well he does in this league, and with the needs they have for starting pitchers in New York, he may find himself in the big leagues as early as this season.

I think Morgan is on the shortest list of the best players we've ever had here, ... I would have said that without him getting to the major leagues because he had a great career for us.

I think Manny did a good job with all of us. He is real easy to get along with and has the personality to deal with all the stars we had. He loves the game. Do I think he can be manager in the big leagues one day? Of course, I do.

I think the teams are to blame. They start out by giving guys out of high school millions of dollars and contracts that guarantee they'll be in the big leagues by a certain time. Then they coddle them all the way through the system. They get used to having things given to them rather than having earned them.

Managing in the big leagues is a challenge. I knew that from the get-go. Would I prefer it wouldn't be this way? Absolutely. Am I sorry about it? Absolutely not.

That's been a topic of discussion for the last couple of years. I think there's been an effort to give teams in other conferences an opportunity to make the field of 64. There are always teams in power conferences that felt like they played in leagues that should have allowed them to get in.

I would love to play in one of the other top leagues in Europe, I am ready to play abroad. I watch the Spanish football on Saturday and Sunday nights and have often dreamed of playing out there.

My career's pretty much a major fluke. I probably wasn't the guy that was expected, or should have been in the big leagues or even the minor leagues when I first started. I was very fortunate in a lot of ways having people take a liking or just a chance on me. I've benefited by far more than anyone could have ever dreamed of.

You don't expect guys that's in the big leagues to come down here and try to be a part of our team again, and see us do well, and maybe go all the way. That's been the trademark of this club, how well they've got along and pulled for each other all year.

Willie Eyre is champing at the bit to get in the big leagues (and) probably deserves a look.

We were unanimously ranked as the No. 1 seed by all five of the league representatives at the seeding meeting; this is uncommon for all the leagues to agree.

We were 15 games under .500, and Barry always remained positive. We started bad, and he never gave up. He kept pushing us. He's 27 now, with six years in the big leagues and a Cy Young Award. We didn't want to lose a great teammate.

Those guys are the future. I just wanted to go out there and do good. If you can do it, it gives you that much more motivation to play in the big leagues and do well at the big-league level.

We played on fields that were leased for a dollar a year from Goodyear. They're still there. They used to be the home of where Decatur Little League played. Then we expanded it to two leagues ... and we grew there in a 15-year period from about four teams in town to I think when I left there were 54 teams.

We believe the leagues should determine their playoff teams through their bylaws. We feel the coin toss isn't a good way, but encouraging coaches to run up the score is even worse.

We came out earlier today and they all just kept looking around and I was doing the same thing. We have a lot of players knocking on the door to play in the big leagues and now they are getting a chance to see what that feels like.

Yeah, of course I'll mess around with him, ... But he's been in the big leagues already. He can hold that over my head.

We are obviously extremely disappointed for Bobby at the outcome of the work permit hearing. However, I am confident that he will one day fulfill his ambition of playing in the top leagues of Europe.

We made him a substantial offer. He was a Kiwi player we really wanted. I was a bit worried he was over-valued because of the leagues he's played in. Now he's gone to one of the most unstable clubs in the A-League.

The preparations with the local players will begin during that period and it gives us an opportunity to not only work with the guys who are currently on the team but also to see some others because we are also looking at one or two from other leagues in Europe.

Those are some challenges some young guys have to face, even guys as talented as he is. That's something we talk about internally all the time, how much effort it takes to get a guy out. Those 100 pitches in the major leagues are a heck of a lot tougher than those 100 pitches at the minor league level.

Those were wonderful moments, ... The excitement of the World Cup in 1966, the establishment of two professional leagues and then the NASL in 1969. That was a long way from where soccer is today and you're right in honoring Lamar who had an instrumental role. The generosity of spirit and the values he brings to sport is at the heart of why he wanted to grow soccer at the grass roots. It's fitting it's the U.S. Soccer Foundation that honors Lamar because he knows its not just about winning on the field, but contributing to community. Being here tonight is one of the highlights of my professional life.

When you sign a player, you hope he gets to the big leagues with you, but if not, you hope he gets to the big leagues with someone else.

We had an opportunity to add a high-end premium arm to the system. We felt he was close enough to the big leagues to warrant that type of contract. We were well aware of what type of commitment it would take before we took him.

We opened the tournament to teams in recreational and pickup leagues and raised the age from 19 to 23, so we could keep competitive junior players out of the tournament.

This season has been very gratifying and extremely satisfying as well. The player development system validates itself when players come to the big leagues and not only just get there, but perform well.

The fact remains that the cost of admission -- that is the value of these franchises -- has risen to such a degree that in most situations, the leagues have outgrown the family ownership situations. My opinion is ... you are going to see a lot of large conglomerates participating in professional sports.

The reality of getting to the big leagues is not very good. But I can still get it done. I still have the passion. But this wouldn't be a bad way to go out.

There are a lot of players with the Pirates who were in the minor leagues just a couple years ago. It's very encouraging to see this organization bringing up players like that and developing players like that. It's definitely a good incentive to work hard and see where it takes you.

Those young players act like they've been in the big leagues for a long time, ... They play like they belong here.

We think this will work because of the relationship between our fans and the team. Last year, Cleveland was in the top five in all the major leagues in TV ratings for baseball.

To me, that was worth the whole trip. I think he understands that young pitchers who settle into the big leagues quickly settle in not because they're fastball-curveball (pitchers) but because they're fastball-changeup.

We have to bring the best from the minor leagues to help this team play, ... If they're not ready to play, then they'll have to go back to (Triple-A) Charlotte to learn.

There is quite a bit of turnover in the minor leagues and explains why there are a substantial number of jobs available each year.

We loved it. The kids have uniforms with the likeness of a cat. The cheer is like letting out a mountain lion growl. Unlike the higher leagues that have familiar names like the Yankees or Dodgers, this is unique.

The players' association negotiated for a clean slate when a player is promoted from the minor leagues to the major leagues. That clean slate, however, is a two-way street. If minor-league discipline does not count in determining the severity of the penalty to be imposed for a violation of the major-league program, then such discipline cannot immunize the player from discipline under the major-league program.

When Ryan is done playing in men's leagues at age 45, it will still be the biggest shot of his life.

When Mike goes up now, the scouting report is he's a good defensive catcher and you don't run on him. My opinion is there's a future for him. When you go to the big leagues and perform, you're back on the map.

While they are doing well, the process to getting with the big leagues is quite a leap.

We've had a lot of people comment that maybe our league deserves an automatic bid more than leagues that have automatic bids, without naming names.

With young pitching, it's not a process that happens overnight. There are going to be some steps forward and some steps backward. Mistakes that you might get away with in the Minor Leagues are exposed here. There has to be a level of patience as young pitchers come along.

We all know the situation - those umpires, regardless of whether they're in the big leagues or in A-ball, they have good days and bad days.

We've never had three teams ranked in the top 25. There's not only those three, but you throw in (TCU) and Wyoming, it gives us a depth few other leagues have.

This will be a very exciting day for him. He's put in as much hard work into becoming a starting opening-day player as anybody that we've ever had. He's had 11 years in the minor leagues and to get this nod at this time in his career has to be very gratifying.

We knew he was going to be good. He was very quick, he was really quick. One thing that impressed me the most about him was that he challenged the shooters. Those were the two biggest things I saw with him the freshman year. He also did a lot of work off ice, got into better leagues and worked hard to improve himself.

We spent a lot of time on communicating with one another, getting a feel for one another, and understanding that the best thing that happened for him in 2005 was that he got his first year in the big leagues under him.

We went from playing in the very capable minor leagues directly into the major leagues.

We felt relieved. These guys are professional. They've been playing in the big leagues for years and they're used to ups and downs.

Both of us had a desire to manage back then. Guys who have trained themselves properly, gone to the minor leagues and managed and paid their dues coaching for a considerable amount of time and have a great understanding of the game in all aspects. Getting interviewed as much as both of us had been, you always get that feeling that this is never going to happen. I applaud the Devil Rays for giving him an opportunity to go out there and do it. His background is comparable to anybody's. He had the interim job with the Angels a few times and did a fine job.

Bringing a kid like him to the major leagues to just sit around would hurt. It would set him back.

Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson in 1945 and he went to the minor leagues and then to Montreal in 1946 before being called up to the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. That one move still has a huge impact on baseball almost 60 years later.

Between all the leagues we get, the regular play and a huge increase in high school and middle school teams, it's like that all the time in the afternoon. It's just packed all the time.

Even major league baseball has had times when fans weren't coming out to the games, and the leagues weren't as highly touted as they are today.

Every kid in America dreams of playing in the big leagues and they don't, just because. It's not because they blew out their knee. It's just because they didn't make it.

Baseball was big in Buffalo. There were many leagues at all of the parks. Any day or any evening, you could find kids out playing baseball.

As soon as this satellite goes into orbit, it will place us in the major leagues of countries with photography satellites.

At one point, he got called up to the big leagues

At this point, he just isn't ready, performance-wise. He needs some time in the Minor Leagues to get things back together where he feels and we would feel he could compete at the Major League level.

Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of Negro Leagues Baseball,

And this year, we altered our roster in midstream, which was like changing the tires on a bus going 60 miles an hour. We've accelerated these guys coming to the major leagues by at least half a season. We needed these young guys, and they came up with the goods. They've really saved us.

And the third picture is a picture of a Negro Leagues game in Kansas City. The unique thing about the picture is that while there are black players on the field, there are blacks and whites together in the stands.

Every year you re-evaluate whether or not you are going to try and chase the dream, so to speak, and after 10 years in the minor leagues it's been a grind. Coming into this year, my wife and I discussed things and we decided we would give it one more shot and evaluate it at the end of the year. So far, so good.

There's so much more when you get to the big leagues than a young player can anticipate. And that's beyond the pressures of trying to pitch well from the start. So we will have a good long talk about some of the things that can end up being unexpected hurdles when guys get here.

There's no doubt in my mind that winning those two games got us started on the right foot. The Classic 8 Conference is one of the best leagues in the state for girls basketball and all sports. So to get two wins from those two teams helped our conference a lot.

There's no bottom feeding in our league. Everybody's really strong. You don't have that four or six wins built in like some leagues do. Hopefully, everyone will look into how we did in pre-conference season and the competitiveness of the games now.

There's not any spots open in that bullpen, but he's got to understand what an integral part of this program he is. I've said to other guys, 'You're ready for the big leagues, but the big leagues aren't ready for you.' Hopefully he finds himself in that spot.

The top stars play in other leagues - the best players go where the money is.

I've been in this league a long time and I never feel like the SEC is given its due. If you look around the country right now, there are leagues out there that are very top heavy, but there are not many out there that have the balance that our conference has. If you look at what some of our teams have done to quality opponents outside the league, it's pretty impressive.

I've never had a good Spring Training in the big leagues or Minor Leagues before. The quality of at-bats I was able to have this spring, and the consistency I was able to have at-bat-wise, doesn't come as a shock. But I was very pleased to make the team.

They are a level below us. It should be a good game and we are going to hang with them, but they dominated their league so we get to see how the two leagues match up.

I've put in 63 years now in the big leagues as a player, coach, manager. And now just being around these young guys, it keeps you going pretty good.

These comments have provoked significant feedback from community football leagues and umpiring associations across Australia, all reporting dismay within their umpiring ranks about being able to retain numbers.

The stuff is there. I truly believe he's going to be in the big leagues really fast. The stuff that he has, I haven't seen at this level.

I've never been exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to being critical of leagues or people in sports, and if this was in any way going to compromise my role as host of 'Real Sports,' then it was probably something we shouldn't enter into, a relationship we shouldn't enter into.

I've loved soccer all my life. I've seen many leagues in Houston, and now I get to come home and see it here. The energy and the fans screaming was just great.

I've always been a fan of the guy. He played for me in Triple-A. He's been in the big leagues the last few years. He's had some success. He's played in some tough towns -- in New York and L.A. -- So that doesn't phase him. He's not a Minor League player. He's a big league player.

Personally, I don't see him making that start. He has to come out and throw in the 'pen but whether he can push himself out there to really know, we don't know. If (he can't go) we'll have to go down to the minor leagues (for a replacement).

People ask who our best prospects are. They're here. They're right here. Now we have a core group we feel are ready to move into the big leagues next season that were already here.

Some people from the minor leagues have told me that once he comes here, he'll never go back to the minors. He's very well regarded.

Some revisions have been made to strengthen the membership by allowing more legitimate associations and leagues to become members in the very near future.

One day, one of my dreams is to someday get to do Nemo in '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'

Defensively, he's ready to play in the big leagues. We don't have a concern about him defensively. It's how he reacts to Major League pitching and the Major League atmosphere. Reggie Abercrombie, as well, is a very talented young player. He has speed and can do things. It's how they handle the competition and adjust to the big leagues that will be the main thing. This is a great opportunity for some of these guys.

Any young pitcher who has stuff like Brito does, (needs) consistency. (He) has to be able to command the strike zone, command his pitches, and handle the running game. ... That's what I saw in the big leagues the last three years in Pittsburgh (as an assistant coach). Young pitchers that were consistent survived.

Any day I'm in the big leagues is a good day.

A scout told me that he could have pitched in the big leagues that night, and he was only 17. But I remember that last at-bat, and he threw a 98-mph fastball and stepped off and shook his arm a little. He struck the guy out, but when he got back to the dugout he said he felt something.

The bus rides remind you you're in the minor leagues but there's a lot of good from it, too. There's a lot of friendships, a lot of talking about game situations that go on during bus rides that you never forget.

As of right now, go back to junior, the WHA or Europe. I guess those are the three main options, and who knows if other leagues are going to form, or what's going to happen if there is no season again... I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought. That's something that I'm going to decide after the season is over - what's best for me.

As I visit with some of the other coaches in leagues that have playoffs, I don't think that there's any excitement about the playoff. Sure, it's a big payoff for one game, but I think it diminishes some of the season. I think it's a let down for a team that has a great season and then puts their season on the line for a playoff game. And it all seems done for no other reason than a paycheck.

That's why you have all these young umpires with limited experience, ... (The young umpires) were called up to the big leagues too soon. Their lack of experience shows each and every game.

You see that he has all the raw tools, and he does everything exceptionally well. The biggest thing is he has to learn he has major league talent and major league tools, but he has to learn to continue to develop mentally. You have to learn to deal with failure. He's gone through the minor leagues quickly, and you kind of want a guy to fail a little bit. I learned more out of that year (in 2003) dealing with failure than I did in any other year when I was doing well.

You see it in the Major Leagues right now. Ten guys are hitting .300 and have six home runs already and nobody knows them. She's definitely to the point where she sees her results.

You never know if you're going to get back to the big leagues again. You hope to play enough to get a hit. You hate for that to be your only call-up and not to get a hit with 10 tries and never get back up again. That's what you fear the most.

You need to reinforce the simple aspects. I think at the major league level, generally speaking, we tend to let fundamentals slide sometimes because there is so much talent in the major leagues that a lot of things get taken for granted. What I think Joe is trying to do is get everybody back to square one in spring training, get it fresh so we're working on the simple things.

You're asking him to do a lot but if it's a possibility here and he could bring a lot of offense to the table then we're going to consider him. If he can get back to the big leagues I think he'll take it any way he can.

This is great. Opening Day 2006. Camden Yards. Big leagues with my brother. It can't get better than this.

This issue will be reviewed under the leagues personal conduct policy. There is no time frame for the conclusion of the review.

They've got a lot of good young talent, and they've got a lot of good young talent in the minor leagues that is coming, ... It's an interesting scenario.