THEY SAID IT

“Everything about this year has been a surprise. I’ve never enjoyed the game asmuch as I have this year.”

—ALEX RODRIGUEZ, New York Yankees designated hitter, after becoming the 29th player in major league history with 3,000 hits. Rodriguez, who sat out all of last

season because of a drug suspension, ranks among the top 10

in the American League with an .888 OPS, highest of all designated

hitters. “I thought I was having a heart attack. I’m not joking. The thought went through my head: ‘Isn’t this beautiful? You get your firstmajor league win, and you have a heart attack in the shower during the celebration.’ ”

—PAT MURPHY, San Diego Padres interim manager, after his

players celebrated his first managerial victory by dousing him

in beer and baby powder. “In keeping with baseball tradition, a Houston exec should walk into the STL offices and hit their best front office guy with a fastball.”

—BRANDON MCCARTHY,

Dodgers pitcher, via Twitter, after reports that the FBI is investigating

whether employees of the St. Louis Cardinals hacked into the computer

systemof the Houston Astros.