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

[CincyRedsFan30]

With all of the ridiculous quotes coming from this organization, I figured I'd make a page with some of O'Brien's best quotes(especially since he might be nearing the end when it comes to being our GM). These come mostly from during the offseason(when we were signing the awful players) and this season so far. Some of them we can look back on and laugh about(because he shows how clueless he is), while others we can just laugh at(because of the way he talks/says things). Feel free to add to this any new quotes,etc:



"I would say we have moved into the optimistic category. I guess when we get involved in negotiations over the year the old adage that a deal isn't a deal until it's done holds true, but we're making very good progress."

"I would say, at this point, it's probably leaning more heavily towards the free agent front than necessarily the trade front, although there are still some potentialities out there for us on the trade front," he said.

"We've heard that too," O'Brien said. "But we have no announcement."
As always, O'Brien is moving deliberately.
"You have to make an offer," he said. "It has to be agreed to in principle. Then the agreement is contingent on a physical."
Is a Weathers deal pending, waiting on results of a physical?
"I can't say that's where we're at," O'Brien said.

"But, as you know, things can change at any moment," O'Brien said.

"If we're fortunate enough to get our primary targets, we're in a position to sign them," he said, "understanding that roster issues could come into play."

"There's a couple of what I would term significant possibilities," he said. "But the reality is, especially when we're talking about our bullpen, by and large that's not viewed as a real flashy topic. But we all know the importance of improving our bullpen."

"But I think if it were an ideal trade for us and our needs we would at least consider - keep an open mind."

"There are a number of things in various stages of talks or discussions," he said. "But it's impossible to predict the outcome.”

"We don't have an announcement on anyone at this precise moment," said O'Brien.

"Our big news? We don't have any per se."

[CincyRedsFan30]

"I think we made some strides in the direction that we need to go. Obviously a number of the activities we're involved in are at various stages."

"Obviously we hope to accomplish the business of baseball with a variety of meetings. We'll talk to teams from the different leagues and have an opportunity to visit with agents and ballclubs to explore trade possibilities."

One possible deal emerged Monday night, when a Phoenix TV station reported that the Reds would send left fielder Adam Dunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks for third baseman Shea Hillenbrand and infielder Alex Cintron and possibly right-hander Javier Vasquez, who would be included as part of a three-way deal sending Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees.
Asked Monday night about such a trade possibility, O'Brien merely chuckled.
"Negatory," he said.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"It's a step-by-step process," O'Brien said. "It's not like you wave a magic wand and you have all the requisite skills."

"As we move to the holidays, we've got discussions with several people and we're hopeful that we can continue to add to our talent base," said O'Brien. "But it's very difficult to predict the outcome, so what you in essence have is, you have Plan A, then the fallback position of Plan B, then Plan C and so on, and they're all sort of going at the same time in various stages."

"He is a pro's pro," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. "He knows how to play the game. He's a very intelligent player. He helps you win."

(We know who he's talking about there )

[CincyRedsFan30]

"The competition is going to be fierce," O'Brien said. "We have a lot more options in terms of quantity and quality than we did a year ago."

“He's got a lot of confidence in what he can do for our bullpen, and I think he's an individual that shouldn't be overlooked."

"I'd say, based on what he did last year, that the manager and coaching staff are going to look favorably on Jacob."

"I'm still coming to certain realizations about this particular market. I'm still getting a grasp of that in terms of the importance of this particular move."

"The very first and most important step in all of our offseason transactions," he said, "was re-signing Paul Wilson. That re-affirmed to our athletes the direction we wanted to go, and that we were very sincere in trying to make it happen”

"As a club, we are totally supportive of, in combination with the players, putting together an effective program," O'Brien added.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"There are no illusions," O'Brien added. "We know those caliber of players are going to have to be developed within our system, so we know what our path is."

``The process is such that it's all about projecting where you envision their salary for the coming year,'' general manager Dan O'Brien said. ``There's always an element of the unknown. But when it's all said and done, I think the fairest gauge is whether or not both parties are pleased. I'm happy to report that the answer is yes, they are.''

"Resolution is always preferable to going through the process," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien. "I think all parties will agree on that."

“If you look at some of the veteran players we’ve brought in, they’ve all got playoff experience,” O’Brien said.

(Notice the use of 'some' and then 'all' there, LOL)

"What we're trying to do . . . is to instill within our clubhouse a sense, from people that have been there, of what it takes to get there," O'Brien said.

"It's been positive with a capital 'P' and an exclamation point," O'Brien said.

O'Brien also denied a report that bench coach Jerry Narron, a ready replacement for Miley, has a two-year contract.

"False," O'Brien said. "Underlined. Exclamation point."

[CincyRedsFan30]

We think Adam is an up-and-coming player. But in the conversations we had with his representatives, their focus was to concentrate on a one-year deal for the '05 season. Since this was his first year to be eligible for arbitration, we respected that request. That does not preclude us, however, in the future, from studying the possibility of a long-term contract.

(It takes Dan a LONG time to "study" )

The process always begins with communication between two organizations. It's not always at the general manager level either. But ultimately, it comes down to both parties feeling that there is potentially a deal to be made that's mutually beneficial to both organizations. That ultimately is what drives most trades to completion.

Adding the free agents that we did, we had a very narrow focus about the quality of the veteran players that we brought into our clubhouse. They're there for a reason, in addition to their baseball skills. They're also here, just as importantly, to provide guidance, direction and leadership for our younger players.

I think our offseason acquisitions, in comparison to the rest of the division, I think we made progress. But I also would be less than honest if I didn't tell you that if you finish 20+ games behind the Cardinals, that's a lot of ground to make up. So while we're pleased with our progress, there is still a lot of work to be done.

"In general, I would have to say our additions were more about upgrading than they were replacing individuals," said Reds general manager Dan O'Brien. "Whereby, some of the other clubs, I think because of losses sustained through trades and free agency, were basically bringing individuals on board to replace them."

"I think we definitely addressed our priorities, and I think you can say with a certain level of confidence we're an improved team, talent-wise," O'Brien said.

[CincyRedsFan30]

"Let's just say the bullpen situation is a tad bit unclear," said O'Brien. "There's still a lot of decisions to be made in that arena. We're trying to get the maximum exposure that we can for the relievers, in a variety of different roles."


"When you have an individual in his circumstance, in terms of putting together all the scenarios that could unfold, we felt like it was important that we make his contract available via the waiver process," O'Brien said. "By virtue of making that decision, there then is an administrative rule that should he clear waivers, as a choice, he can elect free agency or he can accept the assignment."

"I still feel that there are some components that haven't been in place long enough to make an overall evaluation of the team," O'Brien said. "We're still going to see what Luke getting the ball every fifth day looks like, we're going to see what Josh Hancock looks like when he's here and what he might be able to do to help us. We will assess it when all of those hopefully healthy pieces are here."

[QuietAcre]

What's up with the "I would have to say" or "I would tend to..." or "I tend to..." comments? I am seeing these types of statements more and more in the media AND in forums on the Internet. These types of comments say nothing other than:

"I am a wussy, and have nothing of value to say, but whatever you agree with, I agree with...".

Please, Dan O'Brien, and posters, state your position and move on. Act like you have some stinking guts.

[missionhockey21]

"I still feel that there are some components that haven't been in place long enough to make an overall evaluation of the team," O'Brien said. "We're still going to see what Luke getting the ball every fifth day looks like, we're going to see what Josh Hancock looks like when he's here and what he might be able to do to help us. We will assess it when all of those hopefully healthy pieces are here."

Guys, Josh Hancock is the missing piece to the puzzle! It's a shame that he was re-injured, I was really looking forward to having our team "complete" so we can compete with the Cards.

[CincyRedsFan30]

The words this guy uses are classic, and his spin of EVERYTHING just makes me and

Could stuff like this get any more dorky(LOL):

"It's been positive with a capital 'P' and an exclamation point," O'Brien said.

O'Brien also denied a report that bench coach Jerry Narron, a ready replacement for Miley, has a two-year contract.

"False," O'Brien said. "Underlined. Exclamation point."

[CincyRedsFan30]

Time to fire this thread up again, with the trade deadline coming. I'm sure he'll have some more material right before trades are made and right after them. These quotes are from while I was in London:



"That, though, isn't what some folks in Washington say is the obstacle. They say that obstacle is a refusal by Reds General Manager Dan O'Brien to return Bowden's phone calls or e-mails.

It's the second time this season that charge has surfaced, the first time in the Dayton Daily News and again Thursday in The Washington Post. O'Brien flatly denies it.

Said The Washington Post report, "Don't look for Eric Milton to wind up in Washington by the July 31 trade deadline. A club source reiterated yesterday that the Reds won't return Bowden's calls and that they aren't going to do anything to help Jim win."

O'Brien is in Billings, Mont., with the club's Pioneer Rookie League team and laughed aloud when the report was read to him.

"I've probably not talked to Jim in about 10 days," he said. "I explained to him at that time that our manager, Jerry Narron, and the coaches asked me for 10 days to two weeks to get a handle on our personnel. He said he would get back to me then."

O'Brien paused and laughed again before saying, "I got an e-mail from Jim Bowden today giving me his new e-mail address."

O'Brien said not much is active on the trade front anywhere right now, "But I expect appreciable activity to pick up during the All-Star Game."

(He sure likes to laugh a lot, doesn't he?)

[ghettochild]

"False," O'Brien said. "Underlined. Exclamation point."

False!

[Cincy]

Is it just me, but it seems everytime he is on tv or the radio and instead of just answering "No" to a queation, he says "Negative."

[volzok]

Is it just me, but it seems everytime he is on tv or the radio and instead of just answering "No" to a queation, he says "Negative".

Affirmative

[Cincy]

... How could I forget "Affirmative."