[This was not vintage Roger Clemens , and David Eckstein frowned when asked if this was a winnable contest, knowing his club squandered too many opportunities against the old ace.] We had our chances, …...

Everyone has always told me, ‘Oh, you’re going to wear out, you’re going to wear out. I’ve never really thought about it. If I go home and get my rest, I’m ready to play.

I know that at some point in time it’s going to be on. I love it, it’s one of my favorite plays.

With a faster runner, I’ll backhand it. With a very fast runner, I’ll set, plant, catch, and throw.

I think the one thing, just in talking with him, he said the game wasn’t fun. Knowing him, the way he loves the game, the way he loves to come to the park, that’s the...

There will be no letup. We have a week and a half left. We’re going to play every game hard, as you can tell by the last two nights.

Double plays are key to winning championships, … No matter the situation, we try to turn everything.

We’ve got a good opportunity. But we know them; they’re going to be ready to play. But we’ll show up, too.

Anyone, you want to try and put pressure on him as early as possible. He threw very well throughout Spring Training — his last outing was his toughest.

We have a couple of guys capable of hitting a lot of home runs that haven’t yet.

You play this game to get a ring, and anything less, it’s very dissatisfying (not to get one) once you’ve tasted it. Our club’s hungry because a lot of guys haven’t gotten the ring. You...

I was in complete control. I knew what I was saying. I had a meaning behind it,

How big has Hector Luna been the last week? … And Johnny … we’re getting guys good opportunities in good games. We’re going to need them (in the postseason). Just by doing what they’ve done...

You get a pitcher to throw eight balls in a row like that (actually eight balls in nine pitches), and it can be hard for him to get back in the zone.

It’s something we preached from Day 1 (of spring training). But you’ve got to give a lot of credit to Mulder. He wasn’t sharp early on and allowed some runners, but then he got the...

Guess what? If we’re going to be a champion, we’ve got to come back. We might not be able to sleep tonight, but that’s normal.

Just being back home in front of the fans, especially having the opportunity to play the last game in old Busch Stadium and now the first one in the new one, I think that’s something...

They put their heart and soul into every match, really. As much as you want to say it isn’t real or it’s scripted, if you saw Christian Cage getting whipped by the leather belt (Sunday)...

With Albert coming to the plate, … you just felt good about the situation.

He gave up those two runs and he settled right in. He gets out there and knows how to make his pitches and get the ground balls. He did a great job.

I had heard other players say ‘when you play in St. Louis, you don’t want to leave,’ … When you consider it, playing here is a no-brainer. It’s awesome, from the organization to the manager,...

Guess what, if we’re going to be a champion we’ve got to come back. The bottom line is we still have life.

We didn’t lay back and let things happen today, … We hit and ran and just pushed the envelope all day, that really show Tony’s management style.

We expected to win. I didn’t even pack anything (Wednesday) or make any plans for getting home because I thought we would win tonight.

Having gone through this other times, I have full confidence in the surgery. Actually, it’ll probably be a day of joy. Because my dad will get a lot of his freedom back.

That was the key right there, … That extended the inning. He could have just jogged down the line and let them turn a double play. We’re fortunate he ran hard and through the base....

When my sister has the two kids (and) the two of them look like they’re going to have the same problem in life, it just is like, ‘Yeah, this can end now. But there are...

I try not to say much all year. But when I say something, it’s pretty right on.

Because if he’s up we’ve got at least two guys on and we have a chance.

When I’m off the field I do absolutely nothing. Everybody thinks I’m a hyperactive kid because of the way I play, but when I go home I’m the calmest, most laid-back person you’d ever want...

I wasn’t really concerned about the people outside the clubhouse and organization. I wanted to develop a reputation with my teammates. I wanted them to respect me. No matter how hard you play or what...

Those guys are stepping up big when we lose key guys. They have stepped in and done unbelievable jobs.

It never gets old having the opportunity to throw some champagne. This is so much fun.

On paper, we have more talent [than 2002]. Without a doubt. And we have more experience now, because we’ve done it before. But it’s a long season.

We switched our coverage. You get two outs with one pitch, it’s definitely a momentum-changer.

That’s what we try to do, put pressure on the other pitcher.

He missed so much time with the broken leg and he didn’t miss a beat. He’s focused on doing his job and being consistent with it. He’s a great person to have in the clubhouse.

It’s nice to show that we can score a run off him, but it would have been better to tie. It’s definitely something that we’ve just got to keep battling. If we do our job,...

He’s one of the best closers in the game, … It’s very difficult, and it’s big for us to try to keep him out of the game. If he gets in there, we’ve got to...

You can’t go up there swinging if (the pitcher) has just made an out or he’s had a tough inning before,

Twenty or 30 years from now, you’re probably going to say you’ve watched one of the top five players to ever play this game.

That was one time that I was not going to take the extra base. If it was earlier in the game, I probably was going to take the extra base. You’ve got to give your...

That’s the one thing early in the season … I wasn’t being efficient to the pull side. I’ve gotten pitches, and I need to turn on them. If you ask Hal, I am hitting my...

I found a beautiful, lovely girl and she said yes. So that was pretty amazing.

What they’ve gone through, it puts a lot of things in perspective and that perspective will help you handle the situations in that you know win or lose, life is still going to go on,

My job is to get on base so he has a chance to get a hit in any situation. Tonight I was not able to do that. When he has the bat in his hand,...

When he steps on the field, he has a knack for coming up with clutch hits when you need it.

His sinker started working a lot better, and he was able to hit the zone.

The way Jimmy [Edmonds] hit the home run in Game 6, and making the catch he made in Game 7 — it just seemed like every one of those games was so intense. Home-field advantage...

It was one of those things that you just find a way to get Albert up,