"Your bat is your life. It's your weapon. You don't want to go into battle with anything that feels less than perfect."

"Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time."

"When I was a kid, I used to imagine animals running under my bed. I told my dad, and he solved the problem quickly. He cut the legs off the bed."

"If you're successful in what you do over a period of time, you'll start approaching records, but that's not what you're playing for. You're playing to challenge and be challenged."

"I don't think about goals and records. Competition is what keeps me playing."

"Jim Crow was king... and I heard a game in which Jackie Robinson was playing, and I felt pride in being alive."

"We have to make some radical move to get the attention of everyone. Cheaters can't win and steroids has put us in the position that it's OK to cheat."