He might think, What the heck did that guy just swing at? But he’s not going to say it to you when you come back. I’m sure he’s thinking it.

My best memory is coming down here and seeing [David] Justice and all those guys. It’s good to be out here, with everybody. I’m just having fun with the kids and the fans. It should...

I didn’t know until today, … I thought it was going to be an article. I didn’t know it was going to be that big of a deal.

It’s fun because a lot of young guys have come up in this division. We’re all trying to do the same thing, and that’s win a title.

It felt good just to hit a ball solid like that. To feel it go out of the stadium, to be honest with you, kind of gives you the confidence that you can play the...

If I go on an 0-for-30 streak, I’m going to be quite [upset],

They’re not going to let Chipper and Andruw beat them [in the postseason]. They’re going to make the rest of the lineup beat them. So it was big for us to be able to come...

I can’t worry about that kind of stuff. I’m not going to. You can’t just say you’re going to be patient. The way I see it, you figure that stuff out.

Let me at him!

We’ve won 14 in a row, and people always want to knock you off. You use that as motivation. You don’t want to be the guys who lose.

I felt like it was a big enough moment in the game where we needed to get something going. Right when I hit it, I figured it was one of my best bunts ever. I...

Doc said I was real lucky. About a centimetre over it could have been broken, so I feel fortunate. It hurt bad. At first, it’s such a tender bone, it just hurt so much.

You don’t want to look at one game and put too much emphasis on it,

This is going to be a neat opportunity. It’s going to be great to be able to go out there and have ‘USA’ across my chest. It’s certainly an honor.

It was awesome to be able to be a part of this.

Maybe in the long run, this is going to be good for us. Maybe it’s a wakeup call, and we’ll realize we’re not just going to walk out there and win it.

When you’ve got guys like Andruw (Jones), Chipper (Jones), Julio (Franco) and Marcus (Giles) in front of you, you have some RBI chances. A pitcher doesn’t want to pitch to those guys. He’d rather pitch...

Mickey Mantle wore it, … I just enjoy it.

She’s going on with her life and gets her chance to see her friends, and she’s going to be a senior, … I know she’s happy for me for what I’m doing and she’s doing...

I’m forcing [pitchers] to throw strikes, and when you do that, it makes baseball a lot easier. I felt like too many times last year I didn’t put any pressure on the pitcher.

We wanted to be able to win on our home field, … We knew we had it, but at the same time, we wanted to earn it.

It seemed like 30 (home runs) didn’t even matter for years. So I think what’s happening is great for the game. We are bringing the purity back. I know people love to see the ball...

I was just in second grade, and I’m watching the Braves go to the World Series, … I mean, the World Series! I figure it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Myrtle Beach was a big hurdle for me because of my eye. But I came back and showed I was fine, and that was really like turning the corner for me. I knew I was...

I thought he would go to first. It was a break for us that he threw it a little high. It’s a tough throw for any pitcher.

It was scary at first, but everything came out OK. I thought everything was OK from the Myrtle Beach injury, but I guess not. Hopefully that’s the last time I’ll have any problems with it.

It’s easy for all the rookies. We come out here and Bobby lets us play. He never puts any pressure on us.

I can’t wait to get out there and feel what it’s like to be out there.

We joke on our morning show because he’s so perfect, … He’s a great athlete, a hometown guy, good looking. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a foster puppy shelter out of his...

When we got behind 8-0, nobody in the dugout could believe it.

That’s the thing that blows me away, … I’m 7 years old when this thing starts happening. John Smoltz is one of their starting pitchers. Now here I am, on the team myself, and John’s...

It was just a lot of fun. The chance to be able to play in your hometown and to be able to accomplish some of the things I did was awesome.

You could always tell he had such a sweet swing,

I really thought we were going to get it at the end.

It’s an honor playing for Bobby Cox, … Bobby makes it so much easier for young players. He never doubts you or questions you. He doesn’t have you looking over your shoulder. He just lets...

I’m a superstitious guy, but I’m not to that point,

It was a great thing in high school, … That’s another part of my life.

I was nervous before, but once you get out there and start playing baseball, it’s not that big of a deal. That’s the big thing for us young guys is to feel comfortable out there....

A lot of us wanted to play for the Braves, … It’s great to be a part of it now and be part of the tradition.

Bobby always fires us up. You know how the fans are with Bobby, they love him to death. When he gets going, they get going. It just seemed perfect.

It’s even more of an honor now that I’ve met him, … You can just tell what a great guy he is.

(I) took one the opposite way, finally, … It felt good. I felt like I’ve been able to see the ball better. If you do that, you’re going to be able to hit.

The first at-bat I was trying to go out and get everything instead of trusting my hands, That’s what happens when you trust your hands.

I think we all probably dreamed about it. If you don’t have dreams, you’re in it for the wrong reasons. But, honestly, nobody could have expected what happened to happen.

You can’t worry about that and let it put pressure on you. That’s not the right mind-set. We know what we’ve got to do this year.

Baseball doesn’t make sense. I’ll never get this game, and I’m never going try to figure it out. I’m just going to have fun every night and play as hard as we can.

None of it’s hit me, … After the season I’ll look back at it but right now I’m taking it day by day.

I felt like that was the hardest ball I’ve ever hit. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been hitting, but it sure felt like it.

All I wanted was a number, … I couldn’t care less what number they gave me.

It was like everything in Atlanta was brighter; the ball just looked so big I couldn’t believe it. I just got locked in. Every pitch looked like a beach ball coming in there.