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...

Ken has options and we’re respectful of that. I wouldn’t expect a long process. We’ll come to a resolution soon.

We’re fine with Joe as the only lefty down there. He was a very good reliever for us before Rich got hurt, and I expect him to be a very good reliever for us again....

It’s surreal not having him here. I miss the person as much as the voice.

We had a little bit of a logjam (on a one-year deal), and this was a creative way to bring it to a conclusion. We didn’t want it to drag on.

I don’t view having too many good players as a problem.

When it comes to working, Matt can be a little nutty. We wanted to make sure he realized work is secondary. Obviously, he’s here because he’s a very good employee, but our interest in him...

Both (Williams and Thomas) are highly competitive, highly successful people. It’s temporary noise.

For us, it was an opportunity to add a player without subtracting a player. Our history here, usually we’re trading a player to acquire a player.

Who knows how the rest of baseball views you? … I can go home and sleep and know that we used tremendous character to get through this season.

It’s not always possible in our situation,

It’s something we didn’t know about, but he came forward with the information, so I commend him for that.

Frank Thomas is a presence. Not only would he be our type of offensive player, he would be everybody’s type of offensive player. … If Frank is healthy, he’s been good against everybody.