"I didn't think I got a chance to prove who I was. The thing I would like to know is why.... I thought Carl and I were closer, but he had to do what he had to do. When it was done it really sent me out to lunch, and we haven't spoken since." -- Gunther Cunningham, on being fired by the Chiefs, FoxSports.com
"Problems? Concerns? Question marks? Sure. Who are you, Peter Gammons? Go be a skeptic somewhere else. You want to gripe, well, we're not listening. La la la la ... This is the year the Royals have been building toward for years. The pieces are in place.... This is the year. It can happen."
-- Joe Posnanski, The Kansas City Star GH: JoPo puts out more fluff than Pillsbury. The Royals' payroll is still $80 million below the Yankees', and that means more of the same come October.
"It's opening day [of spring training], and Kansas City already has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs." -- David Whitley, columnist, Orlando Sentinel
"This year's Royals team would probably beat the '85 Royals team.... I can guarantee you this Royals team would beat the '77 Royals team." --Kevin Kietzman, WHB 810
GH: This Royals' squad will be fighting to stay out of the AL Central cellar along with the sad-sack Twins. Pitching costs money, and David Glass has refused to pay the ante.
"I'm not a leadoff batter. I like to be aggressive at home plate. To be a leadoff batter is a guy that takes a lot of pitches. --Carlos Beltran, KMBC Channel 9
GH: Maybe Beltran's pet monkey can hit leadoff.
"Somebody in Kansas City wrote something about something being wrong with the game if I can make what I'm making. It just depends on how you look at it. I think it's an illustration of what's right with the game. The market will bear what it will bear." --Gregg Zaun, KCTV Channel 5
GH: Zaun played in only half of the Royals games in 2000, hit seven home runs and drove in 33 but still managed to win his arbitration case for $1.15 million. Zaun also threw out only 18 percent of the runners who attempted to steal off of him last season. If the market will bear $1.15 million for this guy, the market is a mess.
