Williams on NL Manager of the Year award: "I'm proud of that and humbled by it"

Shortly after winning the National League Manager of the Year award, Nationals skipper Matt Williams took part in a conference call with reporters, discussing an honor that he said he considers an "organizational award." The trophy will have his name inscribed on it. And Williams will forever have 2014 NL Manager of the Year on his resume. But not surprisingly, Williams was quick to deflect praise and spread the compliments around to his players, coaches and members of the front office for helping put him in a position to take home the award in his first year as a major league manager. Here are some highlights from the brief conference call a bit ago. On what he thought when he heard his name called as the NL Manager of the Year and what the award means to him: "I think it just means that our organization had a great year and we set out with the goal to be competitive every day and go out there and have a chance to win, and we accomplished that. So it's a sense of pride, I think, for the organization. It's a testament to Mike (Rizzo) and his staff. Certainly our coaching staff; I don't know if there's a staff that works harder at winning every day than ours. I get to sit there and accept the award on behalf of them. "I'm proud of that and humbled by it, because I try to be as good as I can be, and aspire to be as good as the other two guys that were finalists. So I'm humbled by it." On Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who finished third in the NL Manager of the Year voting: "I congratulate him and the Giants organization on a fantastic season and winning a World Series. Hopefully, if we get a chance to do it again, we'll give them another run for their money." On the identity that his players set this season: "These guys did that. I didn't do anything other than guide that at certain times. But our players decided that they were going to be a good team and that they were going to make the sacrifices necessary to get to where we wanted to get to. So it's our staff, and it's our players and it's our organization. I get a chance to win the award because the award's made for a manager. But this is an organizational award, as far as I'm concerned. "It's a testament to how the organization has built itself, how Mike has built it. It's a testament to our coaching staff and how they work every day. And certainly the guys that pitch it and catch it and throw it, they're really talented guys and we all get a chance to be a part of it. Teams like this don't come around very often, and I'm happy to be one of the guys on it. At this point, we're looking forward, and can't wait to get to Viera in February and start it all over again."