Jeff Bagwell Quotes (70 Quotes)

make his career complete.

Hitting is no problem. The question is if I can make throws.

The last one cut, ... I felt all right the whole at-bat, the whole night, but I swung at a couple of high fastballs. I didn't do a good job of getting the ball down. He's a guy who just comes in and throws hard stuff. With a guy like that, you've got to get it going, because decisions have to be made fast or it's sayonara.

I wouldn't say I'm all the way back, I'm just pinch-hitting. I'm capable of doing that.

Mentally and physically, this has been the most difficult, most exhausting, most frustrating season I've ever had. Being an Astro my whole career, I felt the same way about this team that a lot of people did, that this was the year we'd get through the playoffs and into a World Series. And I felt that I was letting the team and the city down.

I think the teams are to blame. They start out by giving guys out of high school millions of dollars and contracts that guarantee they'll be in the big leagues by a certain time. Then they coddle them all the way through the system. They get used to having things given to them rather than having earned them.

Getting back out there this year is probably not going to happen. I need more rehab. I don't want to irritate it by throwing to where when I go to hit, it feels weak.

If you didn't beat us by the seventh, you weren't going to beat us. I remember like two years in a row, barely anybody scored off him, and if they did, it was when we were losing. Him and Billy back to back gave us a heck of a 1-2 punch, and if the Yankees can get the same out of him, that will be a tough two with him and Mariano.

But you look at it the other way, he was the first guy to pay a guy a million dollars, and that was Nolan. He did a lot of good for this city, for baseball.

I threw 20 balls and took about 15 swings on videotape and went and saw Dr. Andrews, who was a heck of a trouper for seeing me in his hospital bed after a heart attack. We had a good conversation. He examined me, and that's about the extent of it right now.

Oh trust me, there are plenty of thoughts like that. You're not human if you don't get frustrated and wonder, 'Is it worth doing this' But I still know I can do some things that are very positive. Am I going to be the same player I was in the '90s and 2000 Probably not. I don't know if I can ever be that player again.

I've had plenty of conversations (in past years) where I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it, but I've always found a way to do it. And that's why I'm here again.

Just to get out here, get back on the field, I felt like it was a little bit of a trial camp today. I felt like I almost had to try and prove something, but yet I've got to sit back and say, 'No, I don't, I just have to get ready for April 1.

From the fans to the players to the manager to the umpires, the support I've gotten the last six months has been mind-boggling. I couldn't appreciate it more. ... It's a heck of a job to have for 15 years.

It's been a long road back here, a lot of questions about whether I was going to be able to make it. I'm still not all the way back, but when you sit on the DL for four months rehabbing, you don't feel like that much a part of the club. Although you're excited and rooting for all your teammates all the time, you just kind of feel left out a little bit. Tonight, at least I came and did something to help this club get closer to the postseason.

There's no other situation this would be OK. A normal guy, that wasn't going to play. It fit for our situation at the time. It's not something I would advocate. But Roger Clemens is a gift from the baseball gods. Anything he does is a gift. ... Craig (Biggio) and I have never had a ring. Our best opportunity to get one was to have Roger around. He tends to his obligations, his kids. And it's not like the man comes in here and pitches five innings and gives up six every day.

Today didn't go that well. My arm was bothering me from when I woke up, so I'm hoping it's just that I slept on it wrong. I tried to get loose and see if felt any better, but it didn't, so I just didn't want to take my chances. Playing catch is no fun, but that's secondary right now. That'll come, hopefully, in another couple of weeks.

It's like going to the (NBA) Finals in basketball or to the Super Bowl,

Today it wasn't bad, for me to be able to come back after the other night and be able to bounce back. I'm happy with it. I don't expect to be able to know whether I can play right now. This is a little too early, I've got to get through my soreness first and then a little later on see what I can do. Right now my main focus is to get out there and throw the ball in between innings, get my legs under me, things like that.

Easier said than done, ... It's not like the guy is throwing soft toss to me. It's hard in those situations. I loved the opportunity, and I wish I had the at-bat over again. That's just not the way it is.

I said I wasn't going to embarrass myself, and I felt like this was a joke. I don't have a problem with my work ethic. I don't have a problem with determination. But I can't control what's going on in my shoulder.

That doesn't count. To be honest with you guys, I'm not really looking to throw. I guess everyone else is.

So, of course, will Gracie. But countless other athletes can't wait to flee for free agency, for all the familiar rationales. Whenever a guy says, 'It's not about the money,' ... the one thing we know for sure is, it's about the money.

He's determined to play through whatever it is. Even if his life's in danger, he doesn't care. He just wants to pitch.

You know, I am not fragile of mind, ... Just because I've been out, this is the kind of opportunity I love. But when a guy's throwing 100, it's pretty tough to catch up with it. And if he throws a cutter at 100 ... man, that's not easy.

This is what we talked about for years and years, ... Obviously, this is a dream come true for us.

I'll be more than willing. Adrenaline will take a lot of pain out of my shoulder, ... But this is not about me, the sentimental choice and all that. ... You've got to put away the years that I've been here and what I've done. You've got to look at what's best for this team in this particular moment.

No problem, no question about it, ... but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

It takes both sides, players and management, working very hard to make that happen.

I played 15 years in the big leagues. That's 15 years longer than I ever thought I would have played. I've had a great career. I've had a lot of fun. I've met a lot of great people. If this is it, this is it. I'm OK with that. But as I've said all along, this was just an opportunity to see if I can do it again.

The first thing I thought about when the ball went into the air was Craig.

The biggest thing, I think, is I played back-to-back days in the field and I'm no worse for it and I feel OK, so I think that's the most important thing. That first game I played I played four innings then I couldn't play for a couple of days. Now, I've played four innings back to back so that's good.

The guy is a gift from God, ... To be able to get a Cy Young at 42 years old, to have an ERA under two at 43 years old, that's mind-boggling. It's ridiculous, really.

Hes just a special individual. Sometimes your will can go a lot farther than your body. The legend grows every day for him. I just think this could be another special time.

Towards the end of my career, I didn't want an opportunity like this to go by.

I had a really good relationship with him. I think if you talk to just about every player who was on those teams when he was the owner, he treated them in a first-class manner. I really enjoyed the man.

Yeah, that doesn't count. To be honest with you guys, I'm not really looking to throw. I guess everybody else is, but I'm not. I'm just trying to get my legs underneath me, get out there, get used to taking throws again, covering the base. All of the things that you seem to take for granted, but it's a little bit different here.

That kid should save that bat. And one of these days, he should sneak in and have Roger sign it. ... Uh, today wouldn't be a good day -- but someday.

The team can't wait on me. They need to know now. I think I'll honestly know if I can or can't.

I hope I didn't play my last game, ... I want to be ready to play next season.

I'll do the same thing tomorrow as yesterday.

He did a lot of good things for baseball in this city, and it's really unfortunate that the one thing he's remembered for is letting Nolan Ryan leave,

I think my swing is there. I hold on with two hands. I'm not having to let go because I'm restricted from getting out there. My hitting will come. The major focus of this black cloud that's sitting over this locker is that throwing arm. If it starts hurting bad enough where it's affecting my swing, we're going to have another talk.

He's going to be fine. Every closer goes through a little bit of a glitch where things don't go their way. Those were Brad's two games. The first one didn't cost us, we won that series, and hopefully this one won't cost us, either.

I thought it all went well, ... I was just trying to get the (bat) head out. In general I guess I did. I hit the ball on the barrel, which is good. It's coming. I just need to keep hitting. It takes a while to get those muscles strong again.

This was what we wanted to do, ... We spent a lot of time in this city and this organization trying to get to this particular point.

That ball actually went farther than I thought it would, so that was good. I've said before I'm not the greatest spring training player in the world. I saw a bunch of pitches today which was good. The more pitches I see the better I'll get.

What led me to this (decision) was the tremendous amount of pain that I just couldn't deal with anymore. I played a couple of days in a row. I came out that first game. Then I played a couple days and I got through it. And I was like, 'All right, let's see what's happening here.' I had to come out of the game in Detroit.

It's very important to be there, ... He's been a friend of mine 15 years, and it goes beyond baseball. We stayed friends beyond baseball. He was a great man, and we owe it to him to be there.

There's been a lot of business decisions that have been made over time,