I’m collecting them all. But obviously, Danny’s smarter than I am because he decided to go to Stanford. He’s a great player, but he’s also a great kid. He’s the kind of guy you’d like...

It took a lot for him to pick up the phone, unsolicited. That was probably not an easy phone call for Ken, by himself, without his agent. … When he picked up the phone, that...

Essentially this has been a business that’s been around for over a hundred years and it really hasn’t changed much so any time someone’s doing something differently, its probably going to create some friction.

Frank believes he’ll be ready in spring training. There was a real sense of determination in talking to him.

(Macha) did a fine job. We obviously had significant player turnover and injuries. The end result was good. It was great to see the young guys make the progress they did.

If there is any player who you couldn’t be happier for signing a guaranteed multiyear contract, it’s Mark Ellis, particularly because of what he went through.

This is the first time since I’ve been here that we haven’t spent the off-season replacing what we’ve lost. We felt like we were very competitive last year. . . . In particular, when we...

We’re looking for a really solid year out of Esteban. It doesn’t have to be his best year as long as it’s not his worst. Somewhere in the middle, we’ll be happy.

This guy’s skill level and ability is undeniable. Frank Thomas is a presence.

It was Ken, … He called. I think it was probably not an easy phone call for him to make.

We’ve made a proposal to Kenny. We talked to him for the last couple weeks. We’ve expressed a desire to have Kenny back. Given his status as an up-and-coming manager, he has options and we...

[A’s G.M. Billy Beane is suitably impressed by Mariners phenom Felix Hernandez.] There aren’t too many 19-year-olds with those kinds of weapons, that kind of command, that kind of velocity, … He’s going to be...

Paul has seen the ups and down of developing young players and trusting the three, four years they’ve had in the minor leagues and discounting their first few months in the majors. Developing young players...

There are no hard feelings whatsoever. This is part of the business.

I think it will have a major impact.

Even at this time his career, people stop to watch him come to the plate. I know I have.

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.