Off the Couch
“I didn’t think I got a chance to prove who I was. The thing I would like to know is why…. I thought Carl and I were closer, but he had to do what he had to do. When it was done it really sent me out to lunch, and we haven’t spoken since.”
— Gunther Cunningham, on being fired by the Chiefs, FoxSports.com
“Problems? Concerns? Question marks? Sure. Who are you, Peter Gammons? Go be a skeptic somewhere else. You want to gripe, well, we’re not listening. La la la la … This is the year the Royals have been building toward for years. The pieces are in place…. This is the year. It can happen.”
— Joe Posnanski, The Kansas City Star
GH: JoPo puts out more fluff than Pillsbury. The Royals’ payroll is still $80 million below the Yankees’, and that means more of the same come October.
“It’s opening day [of spring training], and Kansas City already has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.”
— David Whitley, columnist, Orlando Sentinel
“This year’s Royals team would probably beat the ’85 Royals team…. I can guarantee you this Royals team would beat the ’77 Royals team.”
— Kevin Kietzman, WHB 810
GH: This Royals’ squad will be fighting to stay out of the AL Central cellar along with the sad-sack Twins. Pitching costs money, and David Glass has refused to pay the ante.
“I’m not a leadoff batter. I like to be aggressive at home plate. To be a leadoff batter is a guy that takes a lot of pitches.
— Carlos Beltran, KMBC Channel 9
GH: Maybe Beltran’s pet monkey can hit leadoff.
“Somebody in Kansas City wrote something about something being wrong with the game if I can make what I’m making. It just depends on how you look at it. I think it’s an illustration of what’s right with the game. The market will bear what it will bear.”
— Gregg Zaun, KCTV Channel 5
GH: Zaun played in only half of the Royals games in 2000, hit seven home runs and drove in 33 but still managed to win his arbitration case for $1.15 million. Zaun also threw out only 18 percent of the runners who attempted to steal off of him last season. If the market will bear $1.15 million for this guy, the market is a mess.
