They said it: The Chicago White Sox's best quotes in the first half
On the field, it was a rough first half for the Chicago White Sox.
Pulling into the all-star break at 33-62, the Sox have the third-worst record to start the season in franchise history.
Here are some notable quotes from the first half to help tell the story:
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“A lot of us don't have a huge track record in the major leagues, so the confidence is going to be a big thing. Actually seeing the results in front of our eyes is going to be huge for us and our development. We want to keep on having those days, so we remember we're that good.”
— Matt Davidson on March 29 after tying a major-league record with 3 homers in the season opener, a 14-7 win at Kansas City.
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“On a nightly basis, you try not to live and die with the wins and losses. But we're also competitors and we want to win every game, or at least see a clean game executed that puts yourself in position to win. There will be times, as there were last year, where we may wind up on the wrong side of things from a win and loss standpoint but there are going to be signs of encouragement for the future.”
— GM Rick Hahn before the White Sox's April 5 home opener vs. Detroit.
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“I actually used my mowers to push the snow, as snowplows. I've never done that before and it worked out well. I'm very proud of this.”
— Groundskeeper Roger Bossard after moving nearly 300 tons of snow before the Sox's April 9 home game vs. Tampa Bay.
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“He's alive. He's got a chance, and that's what I'm hanging on to. Prayers are more necessary than talk.”
— Pitching coach Don Cooper on April 21, the day after reliever Danny Farquhar collapsed in the dugout with a brain hemorrhage.
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“I led off the game with a home run and got excited. They didn't like it but it's not about them, it's about my teammates. I play the game with a lot of energy and confidence. I'm not going to change. It's not the first incident and it won't be the last.”
— Tim Anderson after celebrating a home run vs. Kansas City on April 28 and later arguing with Royals catcher Salvador Perez.
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“Lousy setback for a great kid who's been working hard.”
— Hahn on May 9 regarding 2017 first-round draft pick Jake Burger re-tearing his left Achilles tendon.
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“Extremely frustrating, very disappointed. For our team, this is a big series for us and I take full responsibility for not going out there and doing my job as a starting pitcher.”
— Carson Fulmer after getting shelled in an 11-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 11.
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“Obviously, it's a little bit of a blow for us, a young man who knows he made a mistake. I think he'll learn from it. It doesn't change how I feel about him.”
— Manager Rick Renteria on May 24 after catcher Welington Castillo was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
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“When you wake up in the hospital and you've got like 20-something staples in your head and a drain coming out the other side, and you have no memories, it puts life in perspective of how quickly it can change.”
— Farquhar on June 1 before throwing out the first pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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“Within the next couple years, hopefully we can change this franchise and get it back to a winning culture. I know they have the right pieces for it. I'm excited to be a part of it.”
— White Sox first-round draft pick Nick Madrigal on June 4.
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“I'm just happy to get through it and be healthy.”
— Carlos Rodon after returning from shoulder surgery and making his first start of the season June 9 at Boston.
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“It's unacceptable for us to look the way we looked today. Nobody is happy about it. Honestly, we looked like clowns (out) there, starting with me.”
— Starter Reynaldo Lopez on June 20 after a 12-0 loss at Cleveland
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“You never really want to describe it that way, but I definitely understand Lopey's frustrations. At the end of the day, we're a team and we've got to stick together and we've got to play the game the right way. We've got to pick our game up.”
— Starter James Shields on June 22 in response to Lopez's “clowns” comment.
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“It's been a tough year from a health standpoint.”
— Hahn on July 10 after announcing outfield prospect Micker Adolfo is out 8-10 months following Tommy John surgery.
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“I think right now we're at a D. There are things we continue to need to improve upon. That goes without saying. I'd say effort level is probably a B+ or an A. That would be fair to say.”
— Renteria on Sunday before the White Sox played the final game of the first half.