Jim Beattie Quotations

Obviously the further along it gets, the harder it is to bring him back. We've been calling and talking to him, and we just have to see where he is the next day or so.

I'd know we're both straight-shooters. He knows what he wants to do.

I am just trying to get a sense of how things have operated, as well as get a sense of the talent, the players. In the minor leagues and major leagues - trying to find out how healthy guys are, are they looking to have better years, worst years, did they have career years ... just trying to get some sense of that so we can get an idea looking forward to the club this year.

I hate to say this, but we're going to make a change.

I can't go there right now but I think it would be tough for him to come back in an Oriole uniform, ... But that would be something to at least discuss with ownership and see what their thoughts are. For us to make that decision now, I don't think we need to.

He won't be dressing for the rest of the year. We felt it wouldn't be appropriate for the organization.

He's getting away from what made him a successful pitcher.

He wanted to come back and play, but I think in this instance we had to do what we felt was best for the rest of the players out there.

I think the market is probably going to be pretty fair. I don't know if there's an ace pitcher out there that's going to be available. But there are plenty of position players, and some No. 3 starters.

I think the job will have fairly minimal involvement, ... I have flexibility. I'm in a situation where I can call clubs. It also gives me the option if I don't find anything else now to wait a year.

I think we've had a lot of distractions and I have no doubt in my mind that has affected our performance,

It is my understanding is that I think he will return to Baltimore, but I don't think he will be dressing out again,

I think it would be very tough for him to come back in an Oriole uniform.

You just see that in spite of all that, he's just not catching up to pitches that I know he would have hit in the past.

We have a few things we're exploring, not only there but in other areas. We've been doing that and will continue to do that. If we had been able to sign him, that would have shut down some of those things.

We would like to do something sooner rather than later, so we can get the maximum benefit. But, at this point, so many teams are still in it that they're not ready to part with players, to go down that road and go ahead with it. That's what the wild card has done. It's kept more teams in it.

We like Melvin a lot, ... But whether we proceed on that now or later we don't know.

We're talking to Raffy right now about that. Rather than comment on hearsay ? I don't think it's a proper thing for me to do ? we'll wait and see when we get into the office.

We're talking to Raffy right now about that, ... comment on hearsay.

We talked about his toe (and) rather than to keep trying to push it ... we decided to give it the time to get healthy again.

Defensively, it would be a big uplift. He plays hard. He bounces off walls. He doesn't leave anything out there.

There was a time when I would not have felt ready to take on this job, just based on my experience, ... There's more to this than just sitting down and taking over the position. There's a lot of things you have to work with as a leader of an organization.

It's a big distraction and he hasn't even been here, ... We decided for the organization, for the players who are here that he not dress.

It's not something that's been brewing for a long time. The decision really was made in the last day that we should make the change. I talked to Maz this morning about making the change. Maz was very professional about it. He understood, and he thanked me. But it was one of those short meetings you have where there weren't a lot of questions you have to ask or answer.

Everybody is obviously open to be traded, or eligible to be traded,

It's a new personality in the clubhouse. It changes the mix a little bit. He'll try to do things to help you win. When you put that with our club, I think it's a good match.

It's better off for these guys to be allowed to play out the season with as little distraction as they can. It's been a long season with respect to that.

It was a matter of him coming back and getting in shape and playing again and all that, as well as the distraction of everything else that's going on. It's been a big enough distraction, and he hasn't been here. So, we decided for the organization and for the players that are here that it would be best that he not dress for the rest of the year.

I've heard that theory, but it's never been a concern of mine.

After that, I'll be here until Bob tells me different.

I know this is a very tough time for him to go through,

I know that our opponents probably aren't going to. We have to stay ahead of the curve there.

I'm very interested, and obviously I get a good chance to get familiar with what's gone on here, so it's helpful for me. It also gives him an opportunity to see me and talk to me and somewhat interview me as well.

Get him back there, be a little more successful, enjoy it again, get his confidence back up, work on the things he needs to work on, then we'll see where we go from there.

If he comes back and is healthy, you try to give him a chance to go out this season healthy,

You understand when players can't play, ... And that's the toughest thing. That's not the Tim Byrdak we've seen in the past. He's been a very reliable arm in our bullpen. I think he handled it extremely well. We've seen the crispness of his stuff and when his arm has been tired, like it has been for the last couple days, you don't see it.