Gotta Laugh – Orioles and Ravens Quotes

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Nov 24, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) catches a 66 yard touchdown pass in front of New York Jets safeties Ed Reed (22) and Dawan Landry (26) at M

This will be a new feature here on The Baltimore Wire. We’ll pick out some of the best quotes from recent days and compile them in one place. The Orioles and Ravens will be the main focus, just as they are on the blog. But we will also pull in the Terps and other Maryland sports quotes and links to stories.

For the Orioles, I am going to predict that Buck Showalter will tally the most, with Tommy Hunter being a regular feature as well. Jacoby Jones could be the big winner in this feature for the Ravens.

The largest number will be humorous, but, we’ll probably include some that could qualify in the ridiculous category as well (like, from the Yankees, Red Sox, Steelers camps – folks like that!).

Tommy Hunter (from Roch Kubatko’s MASN column) on giving up two homers this spring to the Red Sox’ Will Middlebrooks

I’m setting him up for the season. He’s probably going to get a couple off-speed pitches the next time up. Setting him up for the regular season, man. I want him to think that’s all I’ve got. It’s all in the chess game, right?

As an example of the priceless stuff Jacoby Jones is going to give this column is this quote about his decision in NYC to get back to Baltimore …

“I was in New York, walking around, and I think I came to my senses really. This (Baltimore) is probably the only place that would let me be myself. They know I kind of don’t have it all up here, up top (pointing to his head). They accept that.”

Jacoby Jones again, talking about the effect of wanting to play for Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak, with whom he is very close …

“I never knew my father, so I really think Kubiak is my biological father. We’re gonna have the DNA test to make sure.”

From New York Post writer Joel Sherman about 40-year-old Suzuki Ichiro …

“The Yankees have a four-man outfield/DH rotation with Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano. That makes Ichiro the majors’ most-famous fifth outfielder.”

In an interview with Jamion Christian, the head basketball coach at Mount St. Mary’s University in northern Maryland, where his 4th-seeded team won the NEC tournament and is headed for the NCAA Tournament and likely facing a matchup with a #1 seed …

“Yes, we’ll probably be playing a team with a couple of McDonald’s All-Americans, and instead, we’ll have a couple of guys who like to eat at McDonald’s.”

I am loving Nick Markakis’ intensity this spring as a man on a mission. About whether or not he will be playing with the Orioles after this season …

“I’m at the point in my career where a lot of things don’t matter to me right now besides winning the World Series with this group of guys and this team right now. Because I don’t know what the future holds for me, this could be my last year in an Orioles uniform. And I’d rather win a World Series – bring a World Series to Baltimore and this organization. I don’t want to do it anywhere else. This is the team I came up with; this is the team that pretty much raised me. This is my family.”

Relief Pitcher Evan Meek (from Orioles MLB.com writer Brittany Ghiroli’s “two minutes with” column) about an unknown special talent, and he sounds like another Justin Tucker

I play the guitar, piano and the cello. I’ve played instruments my whole life. My folks played, but I picked it up when I was a kid.   

Newly-released Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith – who is visiting with the Ravens today – said in a radio interview …

“I want to make sure that whatever team I go to, they’re going to get the best, in-shape 35-year-old guy they can get. If that happens to run through Bank of America Stadium, put your goggles on ‘cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere.”

From The MMQB with PeterKing who writes HERE about the total spending on Wednesday in the NFL free agent market …

The NFL’s first billion-dollar day is over, and it’s officially the craziest day in the 22-year history of free agency. I’ve done the math with the available numbers: 64 player signings for an estimated total outlay of $1,001,500,000.