This Month In Mets Quotes, Part 1

In Omar We Trust

"There was a possibility [R.A. Dickey] was going to get released. That was talked about." —Omar Minaya [Wall Street Journal]

Eat your heart out Miguel Batista

"I was going to live and die with my girl. She'd been nice so far. That's just the way of it, you know?" — R.A. Dickey [NJ.com]

Luckily for Benny Agbayani, he figured it out when he was on the Mets

"When I was little I played for the Mets. My Little League couldn't afford a lawnmower & I had quite yet figured out how 2 wear my cup" —Logan Morrison [Twitter]

Southern Gentleman Smack Talk

"I feel like [the decision] is probably being over-thought on a lot of different fronts. Anybody would love to start the game, so if you're asking me, of course I would like to start it. That doesn't mean I'll be insulted if I don't. There are plenty of candidates that are worthy. But I do think the knuckleball angle, as far as that being a deterrent, is a little bit blown out of proportion. Simply because I've worked with so many guys who have been able to get it, basically. And I've gotten one wild pitch this year and I think my strikeout-to-walk [ratio] probably speaks for itself -- as far as the control aspect goes -- so I don't see the real issue with that." —R.A. Dickey [New York Post]

Imagine if your 9 to 5 worked like a baseball team

"In my past places, some of the asking prices, when you go to the players and go, ‘Yeah, we could have gotten so-and-so, but it would have cost that guy,' they all say, ‘Well, you can't move him.' So we'll just have to see what happens." —Terry Collins [ESPN]

Glad to see Flores has his priorities straight

"Amazing. He's one of the best. He's going to make some money." —Wilmer Flores on Zack Wheeler [Newsday]

As an alum, I'm all for furthering your education in Binghamton

"Sometimes you can get away with throwing hard and missing your spots. But in those games, I was missing my spots and they were hitting me. That reminded me of what would happen if I was in the big leagues. It was a good learning experience, so actually I'm glad it happened." —Zack Wheeler [Newsday]

That Reggie Jackson is a great guy

"I went to Old-Timers' games at old Yankee Stadium. And I got to meet Reggie a couple of times. And then in high school we had a workout with the Dodgers before the draft. And Reggie was there and I got to talk to him then. It's really the first time I got to see him since then. It's really cool that he recognized me. Obviously he's Reggie Jackson. We both went to ASU [Arizona State]. He's amazing. So it's great to talk to a guy like that." —Ike Davis [ESPN]

Oh wait, that's right, I hate that guy

"Who is [Reggie Jackson] to question? At least Gary [Carter] was a complete player. It's unbelievable Reggie would criticize a great guy and great player who's passed away. Show some respect." —Wally Backman [Twitter]

I have those type of bats all the time in RBI Baseball

"It's funny how it works. You have some success and all of a sudden your mentality is different. You're aggressive but also confident that if they pitch you out of the strike zone you're going to take those pitches. Whereas, there were times the last few seasons I felt I was swinging before the ball was even thrown. I had those at-bats when no matter what the pitcher threw, I knew I was swinging at it." —David Wright [Newsday]

Case closed in my book, now to enjoy David Wright being David Wright again

"[The change in Citi Field's dimensions is] a huge difference. It allows you to relax and know you don't have to try to hit the ball a mile to see results. And, at the same time, if you do hit the ball well and you see results, instead of a 400-foot flyout, you're 1-for-1 and feeling good about yourself. There were times the last couple of years I tried to muscle up and hit the ball a mile, and that had something to do with my strikeouts going up, too." —David Wright [Newsday]

The kind of business response I would expect from a SNY rep

"This isn't about the Mets' network trying to co-opt Yankee fans. This is a regional sports network that has always positioned itself as the home of all things New York sports taking the program that is most representative of that positioning and going for sports fans." —SNY president Steve Raab discussing placing SNY ads at the Yankee Stadium subway stop [New York Times]

The kind of business response I would expect from a Yankee rep

"There's no such thing as any kind of turf. But I give SNY credit. When you're a consistent No. 3 network, you shoot for No. 1." —Yankees president Randy Levine [New York Times]

Henry Rowengartner learned that in '93 as well

"If you don't command it, 100 mph gets turned around, too. Bobby Parnell found that out a few years ago." —Wally Backman regarding Jenrry Mejia's initial struggles in the bullpen [NJ.com]

I'm embracing Hairston as well

"At the start of my career when I'm 23 years-old, I viewed myself as a starter. Then the role changes, but hey, I'm embracing it" —Scott Hairston [Wall Street Journal]

Mets fans on the other hand did not

"We had a bad year a couple of years ago, and I certainly would not have blamed the organization for saying, 'Dan, we're going to part ways. But I think Jeff, Omar and Fred all supported me." —Dan Warthen [ESPN]

While a valid point, I want further proof of being able to handle the media

"I think I've gotten better. I think I've gotten better with all parts of it, including dealing with you [media] guys, watching things that I say. The good part is I have these guys for three or four years now [Jonathon] Niese and [Dillon] Gee -- and Dickey is now the third year. And it becomes easier. We have better communication. We start to understand each other. We know when to say something, when not to say something. By us all maturing together, I've become a better coach." —Dan Warthen [ESPN]

Not bad Warthen, not bad

"Oh, the John Maine thing. And it was a backhanded compliment, realistically, because all players are that way. They want to play. They want to go out there and they want to compete. And Ollie, when he came back with Mexico -- he had not pitched. He got out of pitching shape." —Dan Warthen [ESPN]