Did you ever get the sense that Mark Teixeira was interested in playing in Baltimore before he signed with the New York Yankees?
I met with Mark and [his agent Scott Boras] in D.C. They were honest with me. Nothing they said didn't come to fruition for them. I'm confident they got the deal that they were looking for where they were looking for it. I didn't feel like we were misled in any way, shape or form.
How do you respond to the criticism that you should have been more aggressive in wooing Teixeira?
I would say to that we made our offer, indicated that we were flexible and there was never any engagement back on their side. They never came back to us to alter the deal. As I said earlier, I'm pretty confident that they got the deal they were looking for, where they were looking for it.
Explain why you weren't more active on the top free-agent pitchers on the market.
Philosophically, we believe that you should grow the arms and buy the bats. But our pitching was such that we were obligated to try to get some immediate help. We certainly were in serious discussions on several pitchers and ultimately landed one in Uehara. We had discussions with several free-agent pitchers but either didn't think there was a lot of interest coming back or didn't feel that the price was a smart gamble.
You've been described as deliberate and methodical. Are those unfair labels especially after your busy offseason?
I don't necessarily think it's unfair. I might get painted as conservative, and I probably am conservative. But I don't think being conservative is synonymous with being inactive. We were active, and we did things that made sense for us.
People always want to know about your relationship with owner Peter Angelos. How would you characterize it?
I very much enjoy working for Peter. ... Everything that he represented to me when he asked me to come here, he's done, which does not surprise me in the least. He clearly is a good owner for me to work with. I enjoy my time with him. He's kept me from making a mistake or two, and he's given me the latitude that he said he would.
Are you surprised then with how he is perceived around the city?
I don't know the way things were before I got here. But I can tell you this: There is nothing further from the truth than the idea that he is meddling. He calls me fewer times than any other owner I've ever worked for. I have to take the initiative to schedule time with him, to bring him up to date with what is going on with our team. I try to make sure there are no occasions where he is surprised by what happens. I feel like I owe it to him to make sure he knows in advance the things that we're contemplating doing.
