Jeff Bagwell Quotes on Time (8 Quotes)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I just wanted to give it some time to see how I've felt the last few days. Tomorrow will be a big test when I get there and see how I feel.

Their season doesn't last very long, so I only have a certain amount of time. I'll maybe play three games, DH, then come back and pinch-hit. Twelve at-bats over the course of three days, that should be enough of a gauge right now.