Athlete Quotes

It's hard to mix with a crowd when you're walking down the hallway and everybody else is a foot shorter. I remember hanging out with my friends, like at the mall, and thinking people were staring at me and talking about me. It made me turn inside myself. I became more shy and quiet.

I've refined my mechanics, refined my pitches. I've gotten more confidence, and I've gotten more determination. I've got a better idea what I'm doing out there.

I would think flying would be pretty cool. You would be able to fly away from all your enemies and get where you're going much faster. But being invisible? You probably wouldn't use that for the good of man.

I threw a lot of balls and walked a lot of batters. Not something I'm proud of, but something I learned from.

I listened to all types of music, and obviously when I got to Seattle I was very much aware of the music scene there.

I learned a lot from not having success, and realizing when you do have success, how hard it is to maintain it, and what you have to do to maintain it.

I had a long conversation with Steve Carlton. He told me that on the days he pitched, he felt it was his responsibility to make everyone around him better, to lift his teammates. That's what I try to do.

I'm tired of people questioning me because of my age. If you looked at my numbers and watched me throw and covered my birthdate, would age be an issue?

I expect to win. I've never been content with anything I've ever done.

Maybe I've lost a little, but I think everyone does over time. People have been writing that I'm getting old every year, and eventually they're going to be right. There's nobody in this game that's doing the same things they once did in the peak years of their career.

What I can tell them is the way you become an Olympic champion is to start working now. I tell them why it's always worth it to put the time and effort into something you want to be good at.

Tonight I'm going to shower and then just walk for about four hours and look at the moon.

Through the program, they get the basics of what it takes to train.

The whole decathlon is ridiculous, but the 1,500 meters is insanity.

So I had the opportunity to do what the kids in the Hershey program do, except that the Hershey program lets them do it on such a larger scale, with the regional and national competitions.

It's very warm there, so we were outdoors all the time. The local people had programs for us year-round, where as kids we had the opportunity to play football, basketball, baseball, track and field - we just went from one sport to the next, year-round.

I tell them how what matters is becoming the best you can be at whatever you're doing.

I make appearance at local park and recreation agencies when the program starts, when they have the qualifying meets at the local levels. Then I try to go to the regional competitions, and of course I'm there in Hershey, Pa., in August for the North American final.

I don't care if I never see Texas again.

I also meet with city officials, representatives from governors' offices, really anyone in that sort of position who has shown an interest in youth fitness, to let them know why this sort of program is so important. I give the same message when I speak at conferences.

The main thing is that it's nice to see these young people - 9 to 14 years old - take the opportunity to get more involved in their health and fitness. We need more kids to be more active.

You play to win, to get that World Series ring, All-Star games and whatever comes with it.

You look at all the great players that they've had and the potential of playing in Yankee Stadium.

When you get on base, holes open up and things happen and you're able to find a way to score runs.

The concept of industry domination of regulatory agencies was well known and documented in the literature by the 1960s.

No matter what kind of day I've had at school, I always look forward to golf.

I'll get mine in a few years, when I get up there and when the time comes.

I was happy that I was drafted, and then it was the Yankees and that just made it even better.

I think maybe L.A. or San Francisco could be rushed, but Sacramento is just laid back!

I just wanted to go play in the big leagues. But possibly playing for the Yankees is very special.