Let’s provide the quotage from the 2nd day of the MLB League Championship Series. There was a lot of quotage.
Notes from MLB Postseason on TBS – October 7, 2010The MLB Postseason continues on TBS on Fri., October 8 beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET with
TBS MLB on Deck followed by a doubleheader featuring the Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies, Game #2 (6:00 p.m. ET), and Atlanta Braves @ San Francisco Giants Game #2 (9:30 p.m. ET). The night will conclude with the post-game show Inside MLB.Clip of the DayThis is a preview of the piece that will air this weekend during TBS’ studio coverage. It includes an insightful perspective on why the 2009 World Series championship means the most to Rivera.***** ***** ***** ***** *****TBS MLB On-DeckMatt Winer (host), Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells (analysts)Tampa Bay Rays’ manager Joe Maddon on pitcher James Shields starting Game #2: “I feel very strongly about (James) Shields. On any given day, this guy can flip a nice game for you. He’s healthy. He’s throwing the ball well. It’s all about staying in his delivery and making better pitches which I think he’s capable of doing in a hot moment.”Wells on how Shields needs to perform: “(Shields) has to stay down in the zone. He has to throw strikes. He has to keep these guys on their front foot because (the Texas Rangers) are a power team and they swing 3-0. That’s what he has to do be successful. If he doesn’t, he’s in trouble.”Eckersley on Rangers starting pitcher C.J. Wilson: “(C.J.) is the major reason why Texas is here (in the Postseason). He converted from a short reliever to a starter and wins 15 games. He’s been sneaky quick with his gas (fastball) and he has major confidence for a player that’s been doing this his first year.”Eckersley on Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay praising Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz following Halladay’s Game #1 no-hitter: “(Halladay) is one of the classiest guys in the game and probably the greatest pitcher in the game. For him to go out of his way after the (historical no-hitter) and go directly to saying ‘we’, talking about Ruiz, and saying ‘how we did this,’ just shows how much respect he has for (Ruiz). He gave all the credit to the catcher. He knows what he’s doing but relies on (Ruiz) and it goes a long way.”Ripken on how the battery of Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz’s work well together: “They’re on the same page. They’re working together and there’s a trust factor.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****Game 1: Texas Rangers (6) @ Tampa Bay Rays (0) – Rangers lead the series 2-0Announcers: Don Orsillo (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) with Marc Fein reportingOrsillo on the Rangers performance in Game #1: “For so many years (the Rangers) were a one dimensional team. We found out yesterday that they have a bunch of ways to beat you.”Martinez on Rangers new offensive style: “(The Rangers) can still hit home-runs. There’s a difference in this offense. They can bunt. They can steal bases. This team is very difficult to shut down. They can score in many different ways.”TBS’ play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo interviewed Rangers’ manager Ron Washington during the 4th inningRangers’ manager Ron Washington on starting pitcher C.J. Wilson: “He’s staying in control. He’s making adjustments. He’s throwing strikes and putting the ball in play. He’s doing just what we need him to do. We’re very happy with what we’ve seen.”Martinez on poor the Ray’s poor offensive performance: “The (Tampa Bay) Rays need to feel like they’re still (in the game). They’ve been shut out very effectively by (Texas Rangers Cliff) Lee and C.J. Wilson and they struggled to score runs at the end of the season. Playing catch up with the offense that the (Tampa Bay) Rays have featured is really difficult.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****MLB Game BreakWiner, Eckersley, Ripken and WellsRipken on teams finding something to blame when things aren’t going their way: “When things aren’t going your way, you always tend to want to blame something. There’s always one play that seems to be the difference maker.”TBS MLB reporter Marc Fein interviewed Rangers second baseman Michael Young following the gameYoung on the controversial non-strike call that led to Rays manager Joe Maddon’s ejection: “At that point, I’m not really thinking about it. Obviously, I was hoping that he’d call it ‘safe’ and I’d get another crack at it. Once he says, ‘safe’, I have to turn the page and focus on the next pitch. It’s not my place to make decisions right there. I’m trying to focus to help the team win.”Ripken on the inconsistencies of the Rays offense: “(The Rays) are streaky. They force the action on the base paths. They steal runs on the bases by scoring from first on doubles, they score from second on singles. When they get their offense rolling, they are streaky. They can get really inconsistent and not score any runs. But I’ll still give credit where credit is due…(the Rangers) pitching staff has shut them down.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****Game 2: New York Yankees (5) @ Minnesota Twins (2) – Yankees lead series 2-0Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and John Smoltz (analyst) with Craig Sager reportingSmoltz on Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte coming back from injury: “It’s going to come down to command. He’s not going to be nervous or rattled; this is his time of year. When you’re away from the game and you’re coming back from injury, you can have all the bullpen sessions you want. But when you get in a game, you have to answer to yourself, ‘my mind feels like it’s going to do it, I know I can do it but can my body repeat the things that it needs to repeat.’ Its rhythm, pitching is all about rhythm. He’s got the stare, he’s got the moment…can he repeat his pitches?”Darling on pitchers studying game film during games: “I think some of it is paralysis by analysis. You have to really watch what you can apply to what you’re doing (on the mound). I’ve always thought that you should do all of your work on the side in between starts and when you get on that mound, you compete and you figure out some way, some how to do it.”TBS’ Johnson, Darling and Smoltz interviewed Yankees manager Joe Girardi during the gameGirardi on Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira: “(Teixeira is) very business-like all of the time. He’s very routine-oriented and he works extremely hard. (He) plays great defense at first base. He’s a great hitter in the clutch and he has done so much for us since he got here and we love him.”TBS’ Johnson, Darling and Smoltz interviewed Twins manager Ron Gardenhire during the gameGardenhire on the resilience of the Twins: “We’ve been battling all year long and you can’t throw too much at us that’s going to knock us down too much.”Darling on Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano: “The more I watch Robinson Cano hit, I don’t know if there is a pitch that can get him out. He’s so quick inside, he stays behind the baseball and he’s got power to the opposite field.”Smoltz on the Twins string of bad luck in the Postseason: “There have been a lot of big moments and the game has been well played. It’s almost like lipping out a bunch of putts for Minnesota. They’ve been so close and they want to feel like they can get back into (the series) with some hits and some good moments.”Darling on Andy Pettitte maintaining his intensity throughout the Postseason: “(Pettitte) pitches the same way if it’s a May 15th game or an October 15th game. I think that’s why he does so well in the Postseason.”TBS’ reporter Craig Sager interviewed Yankees designated hitter Lance Berkman following the gameBerkman on joining the Yankees mid-season: “It’s great, that’s why I decided to come over here, (to get) the opportunity to play in games like this and have a chance to win a World Series. It’s been great, it’s been a lot of fun and October baseball is as good as it gets. I’m glad I was able to contribute tonight. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”Berkman on teammate Andy Pettitte: “(Game #2) was typical Andy Pettitte. He was in control the whole night. He’s the best big game pitcher I think I’ve been around. He’s just tremendous.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****MLB Game BreakWiner, Eckersley, Ripken and WellsWells on former teammate Andy Pettitte: “No matter what happens over the course of a season, (Pettitte) is the biggest game pitcher in the history of the game.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****Game 3: Atlanta Braves (0) @ San Francisco Giants (1) – Giants lead series 1-0Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Bob Brenly (analyst) with Tom Verducci reportingBrenly on Braves manager Bobby Cox, who is retiring after the season: “I can’t imagine Major League Baseball without Bobby Cox. One of the true class gentlemen in the history of this game and you cannot argue with his record of success.”Brenly on the differences between the two Game #1 starters, Braves Derek Lowe and Giants Tim Lincecum: “When Derek Lowe gets in jams, he relies on ground balls and double plays to get out of them. When Tim Lincecum gets in trouble, he relies on strikeouts to get out of jams.”Brenly on rookie Giants catcher Buster Posey: “(Posey is) a very polished hitter. It’s something that you can’t teach a guy. He’s worked hard on his skills behind the plate.”Brenly on Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval: “(Sandoval) starts his swing when he’s leaves the on-deck circle.”TBS’ Stockton and Brenly interviewed Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell during the gameMcDowell on Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe’s confidence: “Derek (Lowe) has a full compliment of pitches to go to and has a lot of confidence in those pitches to throw in any count.”Brenly on how pitchers will try to over-compensate defensive misplays: “Occasionally the by-product (of defensive misplays) will be that the pitcher tries to be too fine. Instead of throwing the ball in the middle of the plate and let the movement produce ground balls, he tries to get pitches out on the corners a little bit more. They try to go for swinging strikes instead of letting batters put the ball in play.”Brenly on Braves relief pitcher Jonny Venters: “With (Braves closer) Billy Wagner retiring at the end of the season, we might be looking at their closer of next year (Venters). He’s got filthy stuff.”Brenly on how dominating Tim Lincecum was in Game #1: “It felt like a bigger lead than one run.”TBS’ reporter Tom Verducci interviewed Giants winning pitcher Tim Lincecum following the gameLincecum on his Game #1 win: “Everything went where it was supposed to and everything happened the way it should have.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****Inside MLBWiner, Eckersley, Ripken and WellsWells on Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum’s style of pitching: “High schoolers and college boys, check this out: you don’t have to throw a strike to get a Big League hitter out.”?Ripken on Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum: “He doesn’t have any Postseason experience but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any experience. By the way he has two Cy Young awards. They said he lost it in August but he got it back and he got it back in a big way.”?Eckersley on Tim Lincecum’s ability to shake batters up with his style of pitching: “I thought he pitched up in the zone with his fast ball tonight. His 91 looks like 98, they were late as can be. When guys swing at breaking balls so bad like that it says a lot. This guy is so nasty. You are talking about 12 swinging (strikeouts) and missing strike threes and not a lot of guys get swinging strike threes. This guy dominates.”?Craig Sager interviewed New York Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson after the game?Granderson on the Yankees ability to come from behind: “I think continuing to go out there and not quit. There is always fight in us no matter what. We know we are going to have opportunities; we just have to capitalize on them as the game goes on.” ?Granderson on Yankees designated hitter Lance Berkman’s presence for his teammates: “I think outside of what everyone saw him do on the field; he has been a very loose and relaxed guy in the clubhouse. That’s always good to have one of those guys, a guy that has been to the World Series, a veteran presence for us and a guy that can also swing the bat pretty well like he did tonight.”?Ripken on the frustration level of Rays manager Joe Maddon and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on umpire calls that led to their ejections: “The frustration level is really high for those two managers. It doesn’t really happen much in the Postseason (getting ejected) but they felt they had to do something.”?Wells on Yankees relief pitcher Kerry Wood as a dominating force in the 8th inning: “When you have a guy like this, a bona fide starter that had some arm trouble and came back as a reliever and is more dominant than ever. That is what type of guy he is for this team. He is a dominating guy for the eight inning. You can’t ask for a better set up guy in the game right now. What he has done for the Yankees this year has been incredible. He is their unsung hero and he might be this for a long time.”?Eckersley on Giants catcher Buster Posey’s controversial steal of second base: “He has done everything this year, He hasn’t had a stolen base so it might as well be in the first Playoff game. But this kid is special. Big part of this team has been Posey all year long.”?Wells on Rangers left-handed pitcher CJ Wilson: “He has followed in Cliff Lee’s footsteps, practically. This kid just went out there and did the job. He kept his composure. He threw the pitches he wanted to from his cutter to slider. This is dominance in the making. You don’t want to be that guy to lose that game and you want to follow suit and you couldn’t follow a better guy than Cliff Lee.”
That will do it. Working on the megalinks right now.
