Mariners Quotes

[Morse, in a prepared statement released through the Mariners, said the test results this year showed an] extremely low level ... that the level [of steroids] was so low that it was 'undisputed' that it had 'no performance-enhancing effect' on me. - Michael Morse

[Mariners 2, Athletics 0: Felix Hernandez allowed four hits and a walk in seven shutout innings for visiting Seattle, which left the A's 1 1/2 games behind in the wild-card race. Hernandez, 19, outdueled Joe Blanton and didn't complain when he was pulled.] Felix, if he had a mouth full of nickels, he wouldn't give you change for a quarter... He doesn't speak much. - Mike Hargrove

[He was batting .151 for the Mariners, and the harder he worked, the worse he fared.] I lost all of my confidence in Seattle... even though I worked my (rear end) off every day on hitting, blocking, receivingeverything. - Miguel Olivo

[Garcia's ear problems began in 2002, when he ruptured one eardrum by sneezing as the Mariners' plane was landing on a road trip to Texas. The other eardrum burst on the return flight. Garcia finished out the year and elected not to have off-season surgery. During his up-and-down performance last season, however, Garcia sometimes wore earplugs when he pitched to help with his equilibrium.] He'll say it didn't affect him... but I know there were times he was struggling with his ears. It only takes a small thing to make the difference between winning and losing at this level, and I don't think there's any question that some of Freddy's problems were physical. - Bob Melvin

[A's G.M. Billy Beane is suitably impressed by Mariners phenom Felix Hernandez.] There aren't too many 19-year-olds with those kinds of weapons, that kind of command, that kind of velocity, ... He's going to be a dominant guy in this league for a long time. - Billy Beane