“Trying to trick you, keep the ball low, in and out.”

He threw a lot of strikes, worked it inside and out, threw breaking balls for strikes behind in the count.

I’m not perfect. Nobody’s perfect.

No more excuses about being young.

Byrd has always been that kind of pitcher.

2004 has to be my year. No more excuses.

He threw hard, but a good fastball.

My only worry was that he didn’t throw me a sinker.

I work hard on my defense.

When you go to home plate with a lot of confidence,

I want to be consistent from the first day of the season to the last.

I love hitting-that’s my favorite part of the game.

I’m an immigrant myself.

I don’t like to play slow or softly.

You feel that you can hit any pitch.

I’m confident, but not so confident that I’m cocky.

It’s something I take pride in, but it’s nothing that I want to brag about. It’s part of my game.

A ball player has to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That’s why no boy from a rich family has ever made the big leagues.

In the closing seconds of every game, I want the ball in my hands for the last shot – not in anybody else’s, not in anybody else’s in the world.

They shot the ball well early. What comes out of the microwave hot doesn’t always stay hot. I know, because I eat bagels in the morning.

Too many kids today are playing major league ball and don’t belong there.

You start chasing a ball and your brain immediately commands your body to ‘Run forward, bend, scoop up the ball, peg it to the infield,’ then your body says, ‘Who me?’

I think there are some players born to play ball.

I’m not the type of guy who’s just going to throw the ball inbounds to a guy who’s wide open. I can make the right pass.

I was always making decisions and they were easier decisions because I had control of the game.