“He takes great pride in it. He's always attentive to the game situation, knows when we're going to probably crank 'er up a little bit more than normal based on the situation. There's no dialogue; he's there before I ever get there. Kind of like you see guys in the Home Run Derby. They bring in their own batting practice pitcher. There's a select comfort you get from somebody.”
“Mark is going through so much, ... There's a lot of significance in really the hard work I get accolades for. He's the guy that's behind the scenes that has much more on his shoulders than going out and pitching a ballgame. This is something that I'm sure we'll share together. ... He was happy I wasn't able to get it in Atlanta or Florida. I might actually have him sign it.”
“The ability to do it for a long period of time, I think, is something that kind of separates a little bit from other guys that had phenomenal years. The ability to hold the position down for a few years and go out and do your job is something I'm proud of.”
“Really, the hard work that I get accolades for, he's the guy behind the scenes that has much more on his shoulders than going out and pitching a ballgame. This is something that we'll share together.”
“But there's been no dialogue. With the new direction they've thought about going, I don't know if I'm in their plans. I don't know what they're waiting for.”
“I'm not very (comfortable) with that, but I know that it's a realistic situation that I need to become more comfortable with, ... Not to point any fingers, but there are people in the organization now who aren't into long-term deals.”
