Buck Martinez Quotes on Games (4 Quotes)

I think Barry Bonds was in a unique situation given his injuries from a year ago, the fact that he played in just 14 games. Even though I spoke to Barry in December and he was enthusiastic and excited about the possibility, I think the closer he got to the reality of spring training, and as he got himself in shape for the regular season and the San Francisco Giants, he felt like it may be too much of a challenge to try to push his body at this point in his career.

I think the thing that strikes me is that were there perilous situations for all of the favorites. Panama was close to knocking off Cuba. Venezuela had a couple of close games. Nobody has been routed. That's what's interesting is that none of the big powerhouses have really broken out yet, except for the first Venezuela-Dominican game.

He can throw any of his pitches over at any time and he's got a lot of competitive spirit. He's a lot like Roger Clemens in that regard. He loves to pitch in games like this.

Nathan is a guy that has been in pennant races, and we have a lot of confidence in him. He's a hard thrower, throws lots of strikes and has the ability to close out games, so we think he will fit in well with this bullpen.