A lot of guys gave up on the season too early. The veterans who make the most money, none of them stepped up. We had no leadership.

--Bobby Madritsch, on 2005

Jarrod is a proven Major League winner who immediately makes us better in the starting rotation...He has pitched in big games, including in the postseason, and helped a team to a World Series championship. He was a pitcher we had targeted from the beginning of the offseason and we are very excited to have him on the club for the next four years.

--Bill Bavasi

Every time I said something, he just laughed. He would chuckle his little chuckle, and that would be the end of it.

--Jarrod Washburn, on how Angels' GM Bill Stoneman acted every time Washburn brought up his impending free agency

Today we achieved one of our off-season goals...Carl Everett is a clutch-hitting run producer with power. As a switch-hitter, he provides our lineup with added versatility. Carl is a winner, most recently as a member of the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox. His experience and intensity will be welcome additions to our clubhouse.

--Bill Bavasi

That captain stuff is overrated. I would never pick one guy as a captain. I wouldn't want that pressure on me. I wouldn't want to wear the 'C' on my shoulder. I mean, you see guys are wearing that thing reluctantly. That should stay in hockey.

--Carl Everett

Come watch me play. I've been booed here. I enjoy it. I don't mind the boos. You get booed when you can play. If no one ever said anything about me good or bad, you'd kind of second-guess yourself.

--Carl Everett

The inning that hurt us the most was the one where we didn't score.

--Jeff Pentland

If we play like that every day, we're going to win a lot of ballgames.

--Mike Hargrove, on the season opener

We're running the bases aggressively. Your stomach turns and flip-flops some, but it worked and led to some runs...I've said it before. We're going to run into outs, and some of them are going to look really ugly.

--Mike Hargrove

He hit his spots, had command of all his pitches, and we did not hit the ball hard off of him.

--Mike Hargrove, on Joe Blanton

That's hitting. You've gotta make adjustments. We went out and swung the bats, probably a little more aggressively than we should have.

--Carl Everett

Felix was all over the place...He was missing with his location. He had no command of his fastball and his sinker wasn't sinking. It was one of those nights for him, but he kept us in the game.

--Mike Hargrove

I don't know what to tell you...I was one pitch away from getting out of it. But that one pitch is hurting me, it's hurting everyone. I've just got to do my job.

--Eddie Guardado

That's our motto -- 27 outs.

--Carl Everett

If I get one pitch to hit, I'm going to let it fly.

--Carl Everett

I decided not to embarrass myself. I get paid to look like an idiot. I don't need to do it for free.

--Mike Hargrove, on declining to play in a Rangers Old Timers game

Don't ask me about it...I don't want to talk about it.

--Mike Hargrove, on getting swept in Oakland

He didn't have his best stuff when he went out there but he gave us seven innings...That says it all.

--Jason Kendall, on Dan Haren

Man, that closer...He threw me a great splitter. He throws 98 miles per hour, then he drops that split on you? See you later.

--Barry Bonds

Adrian is a good player, plain and simple, and talent will eventually prevail.

--Mike Hargrove

[Getting to .500] is a step for us...You have to go through .500 to get back on top.

--Richie Sexson

Earlier we were losing the one-run ball games...To come back and win a one-run ballgame, hopefully it sparked a lot of confidence.

--Carl Everett

I am concerned.

--Mike Hargrove

I reacted that way because it was so obvious that I hit it...If I had missed the ball, I would have run to first base. So for him to say what he did is to say that I'm lying. I'm disappointed and sad that he saw me as a player that would lie.

--Ichiro

Before anybody says anything, a lot of people out there have stuff to write about me. They know what to write about me, they know more stuff before me, they have their own opinions about stuff about me and, I mean, you guys were out there, you guys saw the game, you can write whatever you guys want. I have nothing to say, there's obviously a lot of opinions out there about where I should be, what I should be doing, how I should be doing. Write whatever you want about me. That's all I've got to say today.

--Joel Pineiro

I didn't think it was close. I think you guys saw the replay...Richie was coming off the bag with the ball in his glove. You make a pitch, Jose made a great play...but that's the way it goes.

--JJ Putz, on Mike Reilly

I thought I had a homer, but I hit it straight up and the wind must have taken it...It was exciting, especially when I was running and didn't know what was going to happen once I got to home.

--Adrian Beltre

Our primary focus is to win games right now...We are a better team today with Eddie Perez, Greg Dobbs and Chris getting more at-bats in the DH spot.

--Bill Bavasi

In this kind of heat, we really ought to start Jamie Moyer - he's older and closer to death, anyway.

--Jarrod Washburn

I feel like I'm pitching stupid...All the time in the last three or four games I'm asking myself, 'How could I make that pitch in that situation?' I feel like I'm not pitching smart.

--Gil Meche

I tried to groove one and let him hit it.

--Gil Meche

We just ran into a wall...Right now, they have done everything well. It's not to say they're better than us.

--Eduardo Perez, after Seattle dropped its 12th consecutive game against Oakland

It's one of those games where your head spins a little because you don't know exactly how it unraveled so quick.

--Gil Meche

Just like any of your veteran teammates...you try and learn as much as you can from them...It's good for him. He's going to a better situation than we're in here.

--Jarrod Washburn, on Moyer getting traded

Miserable comes to mind...The others you can't print.

--Mike Hargrove, sharing his thoughts on Seattle's 11-game losing streak

(Ichiro) really is a good center fielder, and it's easier to find a corner man with a bat than it is a center fielder with a bat. He said he wants to play there, so that's good.

--Mike Hargrove

Any time you win a series it's a positive to build on...It doesn't hurt that it's against the Yankees.

--JJ Putz

[The release] was a wakeup call...This offseason I worked hard. I said, 'I can get there. I can do it.'

--Cha Baek

They got me a couple of times and I think Snelling ended up winning the home run derby.

--Jered Weaver

No question, this is the worst I've ever felt after a win," Washburn said. "I don't really even remember pitching. I'm just worried about Rafael.

--Jarrod Washburn

The preliminary tests right now are reassuring. We don't feel it's anything very serious.

--Dr. Edward Khalfayan

I'd like to get No. 10, I would...But really, it's not that important to me. I started the season trying to hit the ball to the opposite field, and I've managed to do that. I think I'm a better hitter now than I was when I started the season. I'm a lot more consistent.

--Jose Lopez

Jake was outstanding...Cruceta didn't have command of any of his pitches, and it didn't look like he was going to get any better.

--Mike Hargrove

Right now I feel embarrassed. My team should feel embarrassed. People are paying to watch us play and that was pathetic.

--Ozzie Guillen, after getting shut out by Jake Woods

It's a big deal...Knowing I'm going to make my first start in the big leagues here tomorrow is pretty exciting.

--Ryan Feierabend

It was probably one of the biggest wins of year, just to get that stupid streak out of the way.

--JJ Putz, after the Mariners ended a 15-game skid against the A's

The whole year was a learning experience for him...Felix had his ups and downs. Early on, he was trying to be macho about throwing hard. Finally, in his last 10 or so starts, he got it. There's no experience or substitute for learning.

--Rafael Chaves

I think that the main pieces are here...I think we'll be significantly better. I expect us to be in the postseason.

--Raul Ibanez

At some point in time, it will be worth all the pain it took to get here.

--Mike Hargrove

After that 11-game losing streak, we didn't fold the tent and go home...That says a lot about the character of this team. You can build off that.

--Mike Hargrove

We have more work to do. And we believe that we have the right people in place to get the job done. Bill Bavasi will continue to lead our baseball operations and Mike Hargrove will continue to manage the team. We believe that they are the right people to lead us to the next level. We have great confidence in their abilities.

--Howard Lincoln & Chuck Armstrong

Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove has always said that he's liked the versatility that Willie Bloomquist has to offer. Now it appears that the utilityman from Port Orchard will be bringing that flexibility for two more seasons, as Bloomquist agreed to a contract extension for the 2008 season.

--Corey Brock