But fear not, fans. LaRoche may not say much, but a couple of current Red Sox who have played with him — Jason Bay and Nick Green — are saying plenty about him. So in honor of the newest face in Red Sox Nation, here is what to expect when you’re expecting Mark Kotsay v. 2.0. (And there’s a vintage LaRoche sound bite thrown in for good measure, too.)
“He’s a laid-back kind of guy. He ain’t going to be in a hurry to do a whole lot. But on the other hand, he’s not dogging it. He’s going to give you 100 percent. He just brings things that are positive to a team.’’
— Red Sox shortstop Nick Green, in the Boston Globe, on LaRoche
“His personality, there’s never a huge sense of urgency in anything. He moves in slow motion almost.’’
— Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay, in the Boston Globe, on LaRoche
“Tell me this is a misprint.”
— Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones, in the Boston Globe, on reading in a newspaper that LaRoche’s batting average was .091 in early 2007
“There ain’t a guy in here who ain’t [ticked] off about it. It’s kind of like being with your platoon in a battle, and guys keep dropping around you. You keep hanging on, hanging on, and you’ve got to figure: How much longer till you sink?’’
— LaRoche, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, after teammate Nate McLouth was traded to Atlanta in May
“When we got Adam, [the roster] got a little redundant. It doesn’t make it a fun decision or a fun message. This is a guy who came in last year and immediately became a leader in our clubhouse.”
— Red Sox manager Terry Francona, on Boston.com, on the team’s decision to waive Mark Kotsay on Friday
And in non-LaRoche related quotables…
"When you see a good-looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don’t work out. I gave it my best, and unfortunately, things didn’t work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out, but it didn’t."
— Former Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, in the Boston Herald, after being traded to St. Louis on Wednesday
"[Toronto] should have traded [Roy Halladay] the other day, and to a National League team."
— Francona, in the Boston Globe, after Boston dropped a 3-1 decision against the ace
"Your image and your reputation is the biggest thing we have in life. Basketball is just so small when it comes to the message you want to give. Overall, it's about your parents — parents are huge, you know, just listening to them — and the friends you hang out with, because that reflects your image. Overall, [the message] is just having fun and don't take no for an answer, because it might not be basketball. It might be being a doctor or a lawyer, because with these kids here, the sky's the limit."
— Former Boston College star and current Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley, to NECN, giving his advice to aspiring basketball players
“It’s never good when your general manager calls you in the summer.”
— Former Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward, on Boston.com, sharing his initial reaction when Peter Chiarelli called him to tell him he had been traded to Carolina
"This one falls on me. I think the right person got the loss. The game was lost in the first inning. Two-out runs are demoralizing to everybody, especially to a pitcher … It's unacceptable."
— Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, in the Boston Globe, after pitching a complete-game 4-2 loss on Tuesday
"I’m trying my best to not get frustrated over the results, but they do frustrate me because I felt like the game was well in hand. One pitch I’d like to have back, but at the end of the day, I gave up six runs. Shake my head, and battle. It’s unacceptable."
— Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz, in the Boston Globe, after earning a 6-3 loss against Texas on Monday
“Dear david beckham, I kno u heard about my shaq vs show, anyway u will never score a goal on me, I challenge you lil man.”
— Cleveland center Shaquille O’Neal, via Twitter
"I take full responsibility. I'm embarrassed about it, I feel badly about it … I apologize to Tim Tebow."
— South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, on ESPN.com, after failing to select Heisman Trophy winner and Florida quarterback Tebow to the preseason All-SEC Team
“This has been one of the better months of my life.”
— White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle, to the Associated Press, after throwing a perfect game against Tampa Bay on Thursday
"I don't like my son seeing that and hearing that. From an organized group of fans, I think it was disrespectful."
— Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham, in the L.A. Times, on why he confronted fans who booed him
