“I like to play hard. Always.”

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.

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

I have to get better, but I can’t change the way I play.

I like to travel all over the world and learn [about] new cultures.

I don’t know any other job that the off-the-field issues – especially something personal like that – affects your job.

I wanted to be like Spock because he was unflappable.

I wanted to be like Kirk because he had magnetism and the ladies loved him.

I feel like pain is the quickest way to relate to someone because everybody has been through that and everybody has had a heartbreak.

Being able to do action sounds like it should be straightforward, but it really isn’t.

King Crimson is never easy; it’s challenging. That’s why I like it.

Somebody said that I’m a bit like a sponge, grabbing things here and there, soaking stuff up. [As a director] you have to be, really.