Lloyd McClendon Quotes (68 Quotes)

I was in uniform as a Pirate the last time we had a winning season. Nobody loses more sleep over that than me. For us to continue to improve, we need our young players to grow up fast. Most places you can get your feet wet a little, but here you've got to dive right in.

I'm sure (rust) factored in. His breaking stuff was not as sharp tonight. He has pitched very sparingly as of late. That all comes into play.

It must be the hair.

This doesn't mean Lloyd McClendon is a bad manager -- far from it. They felt they had to go in another direction. I understand that and respect that.

Their pitchers don't walk guys and their players catch the ball, ... They're playing with a lot of confidence. That's huge, particularly when you have the talent.

He left a pitch up and in the middle of the plate.

He's probably the hottest hitter in baseball right now. And we didn't make some good pitches to him. When you elevate balls in the middle of the plate to him, he's not going to miss them. Certainly not when he's on one of those streaks.

I think Jason was scared more than anything. When we were coming in, he didn't say anything bad at all. He wanted to stay in the game, but at this point you want to make sure everything is OK.

He threw the ball OK. We had him on the ropes a couple of times but he threw the ball well when he had to. I think his stuff was just OK, though. It wasn't electric. I have seen him when he's been more electric than that.

There was some pushing and shoving, just two competitive clubs. Both clubs want to win. Things probably got a little bit out of hand.

His pitches had gotten up and certainly we did not want him to extend any further than he had extended it. He got his work in.

I don't think they dislike me in any way. Duke pitched every fifth day and was 8-2 for me he did a great job. He will have a great career. I never had one run-in with the young man. And I like Ian Snell -- I mean, I really like Ian Snell and I've told him he has a bright future. The one thing I've always tried to demand was he gives me everything he's got.

Over the past 15 years, it's been a wonderful ride, ... I'll always be a Pirate at heart.

(Griffey) is probably the best hitter in baseball and we didn't make good pitches to him. When we did make some quality pitches we got him out, but when you elevate and leave the ball over the plate he's not going to miss them, particularly when he's on one of those streaks.

We battled probably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time and we didn't embarrass ourselves. He dominated us, but at least we didn't embarrass ourselves.

No matter what's fair or what's right, it's what is, ... I know this was a very difficult thing for Dave to do. It was very difficult for both of us. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dave. I consider him a friend, and I wish him nothing but the best. I really do. This is the way it goes in this business.

I, for one, never believed he was out for good. He has too much passion for the game, too much love for the game. He got to a point where he was disenchanted with some things, but he's charged up and ready to go.

I am really happy to see it. I don't want him to do well against us, but this guy is good for the game of baseball. You look at his numbers, and they're just tremendous.

We played a good game. We pitched well, we caught the ball, we ran the bases ... we just didn't hit. Four hits against a fifth starter is not going to get it done.

It was the type of play I thought would energize us. But again, we kept on swinging and missing.

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. But from an offensive standpoint, we just are not swinging the bats worth a dime. We had opportunities time and time again. We just couldn't put anything together.

I thought Kip was outstanding. He threw the ball extremely well, particularly on short rest.

It was a clean play. Those things happen from time to time.

He gives us another experienced bat in the lineup. We haven't had him for such a long time. It's nice to have him back in there.

I'm very happy here. I'm among friends but, more importantly, I'm among good baseball people.

I was with the club for 15 years. Obviously, there are some good memories. Some bad. But most are very good. It's good to reminisce about that some.

We're going to re-evaluate him (today).

He's the hottest hitter in baseball right now, and we didn't make good pitches to him.

Choke up. Spread out. Hit the ball the other way. You give up a little bit to get positive results.

I know we haven't been playing well, but I was somewhat surprised. We've struggled for so long, but now that we've got a group of good young players, some excellent young pitching, I was excited to see what we could do. But I've been with the Pirates for 15 years, and I appreciate the opportunity and wish them well.

Until this stretch, we've actually been playing pretty good baseball. We have to keep things in perspective.

He has a good ability to work the count. Freddy can get on base. He can hit with two strikes. I think it's awfully hard to defense him. He slaps the ball all over the place.

From a manager's standpoint, losses are never easy to swallow. You take them to heart. You take them real hard, ... But am I keeping my eye on the big picture Of course I am. And do I know that we have a core group that has the potential to be good from the start of next season to the end of next season Of course I do. And that's exciting.

I've heard how Jim was burned out, but I didn't see it back then, and I don't see it now. More than anything, he was disappointed by how some of the guys were going about their business.

He just pitched behind in the count too much today. He did a good job against left-handed hitters, but he really got himself into trouble against right-handed batters.

Particularly pitching in the eighth inning in meaningful games when it's all on the line. I'm extremely happy to have him and have his veteran leadership. He's done a fine job for us.

It was a lot of pitches in a short amount of time. He did a nice job.

The bad news is Zach twisted his ankle, but the good news is that's all he did to it.

It's real easy to say, 'Give him a breather and let someone else close,' ... It takes a different animal to get it done. Those are the toughest three outs in baseball to get. Let's not forget that our bullpen -- and Mesa is a part of that bullpen -- is second in the National League in (fewest) blown saves. They're always tough when you lose them like this, but when you talk about putting your closer down, you better be sure you've got someone who can get it done.

One thing Jim always says is that we're not working for him we're working with him. He's run a great camp.

Jim may be a few years older, but nothing has changed. He still has the energy. He's still very enthusiastic, and the players have taken to him.

He was impressive. I'm almost at a loss for words.

I had a good spring and I was the last cut. I had an opportunity to play and I took advantage of it.

I really think that this team, if we can acquire a couple of pieces next year and shore up the pitching, is going to do a lot of damage in this league. You can see it. You can see the core group and you can see these guys coming together and the chemistry in the locker room.

He's really stabilized things for us in center field. And he did a hell of a job for us leading off. Those are two things we don't have to worry about. Every team is looking for a left-handed center fielder who can lead off.

I went into the Pirates job with my eyes wide open. I understood how things were. It's unfortunate in this business, but time just ran out. I wasn't the first, and I won't be the last that it happens to. It's just the way the game works.

You have to block that stuff out and manage. If you're thinking about that kind of stuff, you're not going to be a very good manager. One thing I've always felt is that my players take on my personality. If I'm sitting there worried about my contract ... nothing's going to work.

I like what we are as a ballclub right now. We're young and going about our business the right way.

He threw a hell of a game. He was quite poised. And that was about as good a sinker as I've seen since Zach Duke.

Mr. Dave Littlefield extended that opportunity, ... That gave me an opportunity to grow as a manager and as a man.