Dan O'Brien's Best(Worst?) Quotes

[CincyRedsFan30]

Some good ones from him today :


"The deadline will pass with the Cincinnati Reds not making a deal. It isn't that we haven't had phone calls (Sunday) morning). There was nothing that works for us right now."

Asked about a blockbuster trade, O'Brien smiled and said, "About all we can do is pass out Blockbuster Video passes. We accomplished the transaction we needed to accomplish (trading Joe Randa to San Diego).

**Oh Brother** ^^

"To be honest, I'm very happy to retain the players we currently have," he added.

Even an unhappy Aurilia?

O'Brien tread delicately and said, "I have to be very careful on how I choose my words here, but I will simply say it takes two parties to consummate a trade. I know (manager) Jerry Narron has explained to Rich what his role is for the time being and ultimately that's Jerry's decision . . . period."

"You don't know what is going to happen and, unfortunately, we've had our share of injuries. In a constructive way, there have been some injuries that actually benefitted the club because it got playing time for some people who might not have gotten it."

[CincyRedsFan30]

Time to dip into the archives. Some of these come from when O'Brien was hired as GM:

"In my terminology, we're going to have to have precision decision making that entails research and doing our homework," O'Brien said. "On a daily basis, our goal is to make one better decision than we might otherwise. If we add that up, day-in and day-out, year-in and year-out, that can and will make a difference."

O'Brien acknowledged that bolstering the pitching is neither automatic nor simple. "The analogy I use is it's like turning an aircraft carrier around," he said. "You just don't turn on a dime."

"Having experienced this franchise at its zenith, there's a real sense, almost tangible, of the energy, excitement and enthusiasm that enveloped Cincinnati and the whole tristate area," he said. "The opportunity to come home is a special one."

"It's our desire to move forward as quickly as possible," O'Brien said. "But, having said that, we're not going to be rushed. This is an important decision. So we're going to take all the time necessary to bring it to a good conclusion."

[CincyRedsFan30]

Q & A from when he was first hired:

Q: What is your assessment of the Cincinnati Reds ballclub?
A: I know the ownership and management want to achieve success; with a mid-market team, player development is first and foremost. We have a very intriguing core of positional players, but pitching, especially starting pitchers, is where it starts and ends. It will be the primary focus of the offseason.

Q: How do you go about achieving success through player development?
A: We have to outwork the competition, and we'll do what has to be done to do that. We also have to have precise decision making with little mistakes -- doing the research and homework for the best decision possible. One better decision each day can and will be done.

Q: How do you attribute your father's role in your development?
A: He was great. I grew up in ballparks, and to my father there was no menial task -- whether it was working ground crew, or doing laundry, selling peanuts or working the concession stand. When you're exposed to baseball, you learn to love it or hate it, and I love it and embrace this opportunity.
Q: What areas of strength do you bring to the Cincinnati Reds?
A: Having been all over (baseball) before my father's first opportunity with the Rangers, my comfort in assessment of player skill and people management is a major strength. The key is management of people, hiring the very best talent evaluators we can find to bring players to Cincinnati.

Q: Where do you see the future of this club?
A: I tend to be conservative of the future. There's more focus on today and what the club has to offer. The focal point is here and now. Any and all opportunities will be explored while sticking to the plan. We will work together as a unit to be successful in the future. We cannot and will not underhand anything; we understand there are no shortcuts to success, and I feel comfortable we will have a plan that the fans can embrace.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"We're going to Arizona with the reality that we won 69 games last year," said O'Brien, who was named the 16th GM in Reds franchise history on Oct. 27. "With that in mind, we're going to be open-minded, try to visit with every club and see if there's anything that might make sense to try to improve the team."

"I don't know that, in a situation such as ours, you could or necessarily should categorize any athletes as 'untouchable,' so to speak," O'Brien said. "However, that doesn't necessarily mean we're motivated to move a particular player -- but if another team is interested, we'll listen to what they have to say. I think that given the circumstances, coming off of last season, that's a prudent approach."

Asked if he might interview a candidate or two during the GM meetings, O'Brien said, "I'm not going to preclude it as a possibility, but we're not at a point yet where we have narrowed the list of prospective interviewees enough to move forward with it."

O'Brien refused to characterize Miley as the favorite to secure the job, saying, "In fairness to all of the candidates, I don't think it's appropriate to handicap the process."

"We felt that, in deference to Dave, we would accord him that opportunity," O'Brien said.

"We wanted to keep the process as objective as possible so we could make the best decision possible," said O'Brien, who will interview the candidates with assistant general manager Brad Kullman and minor league director Tim Naehring.

O'Brien declined to reveal what sort of progress, if any, the Reds had made toward obtaining starting pitching, their most pressing need. When an interrogator dropped the name of free-agent left-hander Sterling Hitchcock, O'Brien said, "That's an interesting name. But I think I suspect you could line up quite a number of pitchers and you'd get the same answer from me."

[CincyRedsFan30]

"I'd say it's premature to make a determination like that," O'Brien said. "As you talk with certain teams and you bring up certain individuals, I expect Dec. 20 will be a busy day."

"There still continues to be conversations in the lobby and information being passed back and forth with more teams than that," he said.

Once again, however, O'Brien indicated that nothing was imminent. "I would say there's a combination of various stages of potential birth and potential death," he said, characterizing the progress of various talks.

"We're not really putting anyone per se off limits from discussion," he said. "But having said that, it's pretty clear that, relative to certain players, expectations are exceedingly high with respect to what it would take to secure the player from us."

"We're looking at a potential plan of action if certain players become free agents," general manager Dan O'Brien said.

"The acquisition of these two young starters is consistent with our organizational plan," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "From the outset, we have talked about adding depth to our starting rotation, both at the Major League level and throughout the system. Potentially, we have done that."

"Obviously, it will be a mix and match of observing our Major League club interspersed with visits to our farm system. It's something that I'm very much looking forward to."

"It was a situation, simply put where we were not intending to trade Todd Jones, but Philadelphia kept coming back to us," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "Their interest was very obvious.

10/29/2004 1:49 PM ET

"I think the decision revolves around two things," said O'Brien. "One is that Sean's level of performance speaks for itself. In addition to that, we feel that Sean is one of the leaders on our ballclub and going forward we felt it was important to make this commitment to him to validate our feelings on how important he is to this ballclub."

[CincyRedsFan30]

"It's all dependent on whether or not a player is ranked," explained Reds general manager Dan O'Brien. "Pursuing free agents potentially could end up costing you draft selections. So before we would move forward in earnest, we have to ascertain those rankings."

"We think it's very important for our starting staff," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said of the signing. "We felt we needed a veteran leader who could provide the requisite innings that Paul has put up over the years. It took a lot of effort and time on behalf of the ballclub and Paul's representatives, and I would like to thank ownership for their role in getting this done."

"The process of improving the club is ongoing," said O'Brien. "As part of that, the priority right now is trying to improve our bullpen. We have some young prospects who will play a role, but we want to supplement that with some veterans and experience. That is where we're looking and have been since November. It's a slow-moving market right now, but we're actively involved."

"Our intent is clearly to improve the ballclub," said O'Brien. "We will consider any and all options, whether that be a trade, a Rule 5 Draft acquisition or a free agent signing. There is no area we won't explore."


12/10/2004 8:43 PM ET

"Sometimes you feel you need to move forward quickly," said general manager Dan O'Brien. "And sometimes there's the element of patience. It does have its dividends."

"Obviously, down in the lobby, there are a lot of player representatives here and there will no doubt be a continuation of discussions."

"Let's put it this way: There are a number of things that are in various stages of talk, discussion. But it's impossible to predict what the outcome is."

"The hits are on what people perceive as our outfield depth," said O'Brien. "Our focus in terms of where our needs are status quo.

"We are not necessarily motivated to trade any of the outfielders because we feel that's one of our strengths, but I think if it were an ideal trade for us, given our needs, we would at least consider it or keep an open mind."

"We're obviously very pleased about today's transaction," said O'Brien. "Any time you have an opportunity to acquire a Major League caliber pitcher the quality of Ramon Ortiz, his resume and and track record speak for themselves. We feel this is a significant upgrade in our rotation, and needless to say, we're delighted to have him."

"We had a chance to acquire a pitcher of this caliber, and for two years, so we we're very interested," said O'Brien. "It's a step forward in credibitlity for our rotation and as much regard as we have for Dustin Moseley, we think it will be a couple of years before he steps onto the Major League scene. At this time, it seemed an advantageous move to us."

"With the addition of these two pitchers in combination with the addition of Ramon Ortiz, we feel we've taken a tremendous step forward with our pitching staff."

"We're delighted to be able to reach this agreement with Kent," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "He's the final piece, so to speak, of the puzzle of the bullpen. Kent from the left side brings a dimension to our bullpen that we didn't have last year. He's been one of the very best left-handed relievers in the National League."

"I think the competition will be outstanding for the remaining opportunities in our bullpen," O'Brien said.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"This is the culmination of really about six weeks -- almost two months -- of work," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "We've had interest in Rich for some time. His Major League resume speaks clearly about him. Last year was not up to his normal productivity, and what we're hoping for, more than anything, is a bounce-back or rebound season from him."

"He'll be given an opportunity to win a job," said O'Brien. "There's no preconceived notions or ideas, but given his experience and playoff background, we think he can potentially be a valuable addition to our team. At this time, we envision him accumulating at-bats at third base and shortstop. The focus for him will be on the left side and he's excited for the opportunity to come to camp and have an opportunity to win a job."

"I don't think [Reds manager Dave Miley] has any preconceived ideas about how this plays out," said O'Brien. "We like Lopez. We liked what we saw from him last season and we're hoping that he can build on it this year, but we're also going to give Rich an opportunity to compete for that job and a job as a role player on the club. It's really an open-minded approach at this point."

"We had our assistant GM Sean Casey talk to him," O'Brien jokingly admitted. "Sean made himself available to Rich to answer questions about the club and whatever he needed. It's a two-way street. Sean's a special resource to prospective players. On the other hand, it gives Sean a feel for their priorities. After he talked to Rich, Sean called right back and said he'd be an asset. Sean came away with a very good feeling after talking to him."

"It's all about performance, and it wasn't happening," O'Brien said. "I think it's important to point out that the performance of the team does not rest on D'Angelo Jimenez's shoulders. But we have to make changes, and we have to do things to get better as a team. That's the bottom line."

"I think 'stay tuned' is an apropos line," O'Brien said.

"I think our message all along has been consistent," O'Brien said. "It is about performance, and it is about contributing on the field through a prospective winning team. That is ultimately the gauge we have to use in situations like this. Unfortunately, relative to D'Angelo and relative to Danny, the performance level was not where it needed to be."

"And on the offensive side, we executed at a higher proficiency level at advancing runners, stealing bases and getting two-out base hits. There had been no consistency in those areas beforehand."

"It was difficult," O'Brien said. "But those were two decisions that had to be made in the best interest of the organization. And regardless of whether or not it's with the current group of personnel or if there are other changes to come, we have to try to get the right collection of individuals on this team so that we're able to maximize the talent level."

[CincyRedsFan30]

What a gem from today's Enquirer regarding Hancock(LOL):

"Since he'll be pitching on Monday, he'll need several days to recover before he would conceivably be able to pitch again," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "Assuming he's healthy, we're in a position where we've got to make a determination in what I will call a timely manner."

[CincyRedsFan30]

"I think you're going to see us take a look at our internal options," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "We're going to do that first."

That basically means Belisle and Standridge might get a look in closer situations.

[CincyRedsFan30]

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2003/local/10/27/reds.html

I found this video of O'Brien's introductory press conference if anyone wants to watch it and listen to him and his goofy words.

Go to the upper right corner and click on "Watch 9 News Video".

[CincyRedsFan30]

"We have talked a lot about a variety of things associated with that, yes," said O'Brien. "As we speak, let's just say we're still talking."

Is it possible an announcement could come before the season ends Sunday?

"It's possible, yes," said O'Brien.

Is it probable?

"I don't know that I can say that," he said.

[Geki Ace]

Q: What areas of strength do you bring to the Cincinnati Reds?
A: Having been all over (baseball) before my father's first opportunity with the Rangers, my comfort in assessment of player skill and people management is a major strength. The key is management of people, hiring the very best talent evaluators we can find to bring players to Cincinnati.

I see he's good at telling the truth, too. Lying bastard.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"I would say that, in our opinion, relative to depth and quality, this is a fairly light Major League free agent market," O'Brien said. "On that basis, I would say the likelihood of us being as significant a participant as last year is unlikely."

"Last year, we had a specific gameplan and, obviously, we were able to execute that at the proper time," O'Brien said. "We have a similar gameplan in effect this year, but the nature and the depth of options available to us are far more limited than last year. That doesn't mean there may not be a desirable player or two that we end up ultimately signing, but right now it looks like a thin crop overall."

"Our strength is in our position player lineup," O'Brien said. "And so we all can sit here and say you've got some depth here and there. But the bottom line is we have got to be open-minded at acquiring pitching for offense. We've got to be open-minded. Period."

"We can't overlook any potential talent source," O'Brien said. "It's why we're working as hard and as aggressive as we are in the Minor League free agent market, it's why we have deployed all of our scouts in Latin America to scour Winter Ball for prospective free agents, it's why we're taking a look on the international front to the Far East. None of us can predict how productive these projects will be, but we will not leave any stone unturned."

"We are obviously prepared in our overall budget to have those individuals continue on the roster," O'Brien said. "It's our goal with every particular player and their representative to reach an agreement before the arbitration process. We make a genuine effort in that regard. But we're prepared to go through the process, as unpleasant as it may be."

"I'm not at liberty to comment on the ownership situation," O'Brien said. "All I can tell you is we will continue to go forward with our baseball business."

[CincyRedsFan30]

"First of all, from our point of view, we probably would prioritize starting pitching above a closer," O'Brien said from the general managers' meetings in Indian Wells, Calif. "Second of all, there are a lot of closers currently on the free agent market, and as a result that's causing a lot of clubs to be in a wait-and-see mode depending upon where certain individuals end up and who might be available as a result. Thirdly, in our case, we may potentially have some internal candidates who may ultimately end up being capable of doing the job, such as a Todd Coffey, who with a rediscovered split-finger might be able to handle the role."

"Let's just say that clubs are very cognizant of the strength we have and the offense that is on our ballclub," O'Brien said.

"We're at that point in time where people are assessing our ballclub and where our inventory lies and where there might be a fit," O'Brien said.

"We plow on through our agenda and we're visiting with all the clubs out here and we're trying to lay some groundwork," he said. "So far, I'd have to say it's been productive."