“It was great. We got to know each other a little bit better, played a little golf. He can hit a golf ball a long way. I know that.”
– Phil Niekro on R.A. Dickey as reported by Adam Rubin on ESPNNewYork.com
“You can’t look back and say, ‘Only if we had David,’ or ‘Only if we had this.’ No, no. We’ve got to get the job done.”
– Josh Thole as reported by Anthony DiComo on Mets.com
“Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but those are mainly Omar Minaya’s players out there.”
– Joel Sherman, New York Post
“We’re taking pitches we can hit. I love our philosophy of being more patient at the plate. But, once in a while you’ve got to hit the balls you can hit. Those last two innings we took some balls right down the middle and you cannot do that.”
– Terry Collins as transcribed by Metsblog
“That I play hard. I’m going to make errors, I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m going to give it 100 percent every night.”
– Lucas Duda on what he hopes Mets fans say about him as reported by Steve Serby, New York Post
“There used to be an old line. A pitcher told his manager, ‘I’m not panicking yet.’ The manager said, ‘Maybe you should.’ That’s how the Mets feel.”
– Ron Darling as reported by Bob Raissman, NY Daily News
“I need to be Ruben. I need to put the ball in play, move the runners, make the plays in the field. That’s what I’ve worked on all the way through the minor leagues and that’s the player I am.”
– Ruben Tejada on pressure to replace Jose Reyes as reported by Jeff Bradley on NJ.com
“I said, ‘Look, I know you, and I know the way you play the game. And if there’s anybody that’s gonna aggravate this hand, it’s probably gonna be you.’”
– Terry Collins on David Wright wanting to play as reported by Mike Mazzeo on ESPNNewYork.com
“I know people do not think much of us. … But that is OK. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. It is our job to prove them wrong.”
Bobby Parnell as quoted by Rich Coutinho on WFAN.com
“I have numbers on my average now, so that’s a good thing.”
– Ike Davis as reported by Anthony DiComo on Mets.com
“Any team is gonna hurt a little bit [when they lose a star player], but you just gotta find ways to battle.”
– Jason Bay as reported by Mike Mazzeo on ESPNNewYork.com