This Week In Mets Quotes: Matt Harvey's a different animal, plenty of Jordany Valdepsin talk, and blame Rick Ankiel's glove

‘Sometimes’ for Mets fans equals since the bottom of the 9th of the 2006 NLCS.

"The game is very cruel sometimes, and right now we’re experiencing kind of the cruelness of it." -David Wright [ESPN]

Agreed with Jose, This Week in Mets Quotes also does not want to touch that.

"I talk to Valdespin almost every day. He’s a very good friend of mine … I don’t know what’s going on over there. I don’t want to touch that. Valdespin, I support him in everything he [does] because he’s a good friend of mine. Other than that, I don’t know what’s going on over there." -Jose Reyes [New York Post]

Well, except for this quote, which really applies to life in general.

"If you're going to pimp it, you're going to suffer the consequences." -Marlon Byrd [USA Today]

Wouldn’t hurt to also have guys behind David Wright, but baby steps, people.

"I'll see how it goes. He's swinging good. He's swinging great. And we've got to get guys on ahead of David [Wright]. ... I figured I'd give it a shot and get him up there enough times and maybe he can do some damage." -Terry Collins [ESPN]

Leadoff batters should be able to get on base, what a novel idea.

"I thought about it in spring training, to be honest, whether or not to lead Murph off. We'll just see how it goes. It might be something we've certainly got to consider as we get deeper into the season, because he can hit. He gets on base. If he does that, certainly we've got to keep our options open with Murph being the leadoff hitter." -Terry Collins [ESPN]

We all know Harvey is special, but I need some insight from Jesse Hahn, high school teammate of Harvey.

"What’s special about Matt, and he’s doing it right now in the big leagues, is the way he attacks hitters," Hahn says. "He knows his strengths and doesn’t care what the hitters’ strengths are. He’s going to come after them." -Jesse Hahn [New York Daily News]

"To this day, I’m not sure if any hitter I’ve seen in pro ball has a hit a ball harder than the balls Matt would hit." -Jesse Hahn [New York Daily News]

Hefner is correct, it’s in the rule book.

"Anybody with a bat in their hands can be a hitter. So I need to make a better pitch there." -Jeremy Hefner on giving up a two-run double to opposing pitcher Scott Feldman [ESPN]

Can those adjustments include having your teammates hit better?

"I wouldn’t say it’s weighing on me, but I want to win, I want the team to win, and obviously we didn’t do that today. I still need to make some adjustments and be better next week." -Jeremy Hefner [New York Times]

2013 Mets Starting Rotation Motto: Just keep pitching.

"If wins don’t come, you’ve got to keep pitching, you’ve got to grind it out, and he knows that. It’s what got him here. It’s the kind of pitcher he is. He just works hard. He’ll be O.K. We’ll get him some wins when we start swinging better." -Terry Collins [New York Times]

I like the sense of urgency Ike is expressing.

"I probably have a month or whatever to figure it out, and then they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. But it’s not a day-to-day thing. As long as I start having good at-bats and start performing better, it won’t happen." -Ike Davis [New York Times]

In general, if a third-base coach is being quoted, he probably did something wrong.

"Obviously it is disappointing. It turned out it wasn't a very close play. I just watched the replay again and it wasn't close. As a third-base coach you always want to make the right decision, and that clearly wasn't the right decision." David Bell regarding Marlon Byrd throwing out Darwin Barney [ESPN]

Wait, you’re saying the media misreported a story in order to make drama where there was none?

"Sandy Alderson handled the situation as best he could. There were some reports where he mishandled the situation. I don’t think so. I have a lot of respect for Sandy. I always have and I always will. There were no hard feelings after everything was done." -Scott Hairston [ESPN]

Got to feel for Scott as a human.

"I was looking more for an opportunity to play every day. I wanted to find a team where I could do that. New York, at the time, really wasn't a place for me to play every day… The way things have shaken out here in Chicago, I’m just basically starting against left-handers. I’m just trying to get in a groove somehow." -Scott Hairston [ESPN]

Rob Castellano agrees with giving Valdespin a chance but not regarding the overanalyzing everything.

"Give the kid a chance. He is a very spirited kid, very young and has a lot to learn, no question about that. But some things are being blown out of proportion. I think we need to back up and not overanalyze everything." -Mookie Wilson [New York Daily News]

He’s a different animal from the rest of the rotation in that he’s actually good.

"You can’t say it enough: [Harvey] is a different animal. This guy is different. He’s not your run-of-the-mill young pitcher. This guy has got some savvy, he’s got great confidence and he knows how to pitch. He just doesn’t have a great arm." -Terry Collins [ESPN]

I mean, I don’t want to, but I totally will. Baseball Quotes 101.

"I don't want to make excuses about the glove. I do think if I have my glove it stays in there." -Proven ML Veteran Rick Ankiel [ESPN]

They can.

"I’m not sure that things can devolve any further." Sandy Alderson [WFAN]