Frank was pretty direct that this is where he wanted to go. He wanted to be in the right situation with the right club, so it wasn’t really that difficult putting [a deal] together.

At this point, both sides have agreed to pursue other options. We were just too far apart. I don’t think we were ever going to be able to bridge the gap. … When you’re so...

I hope not. There will be very few winters we say, ‘We’re set.’ There’s always decisions to make. That said, it probably won’t be as dramatic as last off-season.

We have four very good rookies, but at the risk of saying it before the season is over, it would be pretty tough to find an explanation for choosing somebody else.

I think it took a lot for him to pick up the phone.

After instructional league, he seemed so far away from being able to compete in a major-league game. What a special kid.

This is a guy whose skill level and his presence in a lineup is undeniable. Even last year, if you look at the impact he had in the brief time he played, his skills are...

It would be malpractice not to do research. Of course, it would also be malpractice to make a foolish trade.

It’s something you have to consider, no question. And that’s out of respect for the guys already here.

We offered a three-year deal with a club option and they countered with a three-year deal without a club option. I don’t think we were ever going to be able to bridge the gap. It...

We weren’t trying to make history here,

It’s not always possible in our situation to get your perfect guy. As always we’re going to make any improvements we can, whatever it is. If Sandy Koufax wanted to come to pitch for us,...

[The impasse between the two sides was broken by a call from Macha.] It took a lot for him to call, … We were receptive.

My guess is if you talk to Frank, he’ll probably want to be playing in ‘B’ games the first week of March. But we want to get as much out of the him in the...

Serendipity. Danny just does everything well. Over time, he’s going to impress you.

We’ve been inconsistent with our offense and pitching. But the effort is there. Guys are busting their tails. And certainly, relative to previous starts, we’re on fire.

Assuming we’re healthy, Kenny’s not going to have his hands tied very often.

It all started with that call. I think it took a lot for him to pick up that phone. It was probably not an easy call for him to make.

We were never going to bridge the gap.

There was a real sense of determination in talking to him. You could get carried away with superlatives with Frank Thomas. Arguably, he is one of the greatest offensive players of his generation.

But we’ve always been obsessed in Oakland with not being the cute small-market story that came and went.

He is one of the greatest offensive players of his generation. He is nirvana for us as far as what we look for in an offensive player.

It’s like having calculus first period. You are not real happy when the alarm goes off, but by second period it’s already over and you are running off to wood shop.

Some teams can absorb another guy’s contract to get a great player, and we can’t do that. It’s a huge advantage when you can do stuff like that. Every year I’m asked if we’re buyers...

What a special kid. No one deserves this more.

If you would expect that in one year that it’s a panacea, … Well, that’s unrealistic.

We were unable to reach an agreement with Ken regarding a contract extension that was satisfactory for both parties,

This guy probably represents nirvana for us from an offensive standpoint. We see him as an incredible acquisition.

When Frank is healthy, he is a huge right-handed presence. And that’s been a big issue for us the last couple of years.

He’s happy to be here. And he’s quick to smile.

I don’t think there’s any question, … that we need Jermaine to be his old self.

If you bring in a lefty to face Eric (a left-handed hitter), and then he has to face Frank Thomas right behind him. It’s certainly going to lend itself to a lot of thinking in...

Is this the best way you can play this?

Frank felt great. Frank believes he’ll be ready in spring training.

Yeah, six weeks I think is unrealistic to expect that he’ll be in pitching shape.

Ken did a great job for us. We’ve always said that. He was a good enough manager for us to want him back before, and he’s still a good enough manager to come back.

There are very few winters we’re going to go, ‘Hey, we’re set’ a day after the season. That being said, this is not going to be nearly as traumatic and exciting as it was last...

You could get carried away with the superlatives. Not just his power, but his selectivity at the plate. That type of approach can carry over to the other guys in the lineup.

I had a nice little conversation with him. He seems happy to be here, quick to smile.

I’m sure we’ll have some sort of conversation. That’s going to be a challenge, even if we start negotiations. He’s a talented guy who is going to command a lot.

The details really weren’t that big of a deal from a contractual standpoint. Just a couple of minor details. … This is ultimately what we wanted to accomplish at the end of the season.

Obviously we’re pleased, we’re very excited about having someone with his talent. We look forward to seeing him in Oakland very soon.

At some point we need to move on. We need to start doing some things. That day is fast approaching, if it’s not here already. Our prom dress has been on for over [a] year...

You could probably get carried away with superlatives when it comes to Frank Thomas. He’s arguably one of the greatest offensive players of his generation.

This is ultimately what we were trying to do during the season and in the days after it. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that and we parted ways last week. This is the outcome...

Do I wish everybody in baseball had the same amount to spend? Absolutely. At some point, the disadvantage of being a small-market team is that the inefficiencies will be weeded out. Having less than your...

Lenny was so perfectly designed, emotionally, to play the game of baseball. He was able to instantly forget any failure and draw strength from every success. He had no concept of failure. And he had...

That’ll be a real shot in the arm for us.

Gosh, he’s been a part of every major decision we’ve made since he came over here (in 2001). The better question is, what hasn’t he done?

Almost like a car salesman, if a guy walks onto the lot and a salesman qualifies him on how he is dressed he may miss out on a hell of a sale, we try to...