I’m hoping to lay the groundwork for some improvement in that department. I’m looking to get back on track. I can’t remember the last time I stole a base.

Coming over my first couple of months people were asking me about the change in leagues. I didn’t see a significant difference. … I don’t think it’s a necessarily a different brand of baseball. The...

It was a good pitch to hit, … and I was able to drive it out.

Every opening day is special, but this one is really special.

I don’t think anybody in the ballpark was thinking about me hitting the ball out of the ballpark.

I don’t think it gets any bigger than that, to face Clemens in the first inning of the World Series,

We’re planning a couple of more,

The big thing was to get runners on base and drive them in. We got a whole team effort and Jose Contreras pitched a great game and kept down their hitters. It’s a nice way...

I recall standing out in left field after Paul did what he did, thinking about, man, what does that man feel like now? … So to go out and hit one out of the ballpark...

It’s up to me to go out and prepare myself, to make sure I get good, loose and hot. I think that was somewhat our approach (rest) last year. I felt pretty strong.

It all seems surreal, … It was a long, tough road, but I learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way. I struggled and hit a lot of obstacles in the road, but I...

As a player, you want to go up against the best of the best. That’s why we go out there and compete every day. To have that opportunity, I kind of sat back and relished...

I don ‘ t have words to describe what ‘ s going on here,

I’m 100 percent, you want to go race? I’m feeling real good. My body responded to the workouts. I’m getting stronger. It’s not an issue. Right now, I’m feeling just as strong as I did...

I’m pretty crazy, so to speak, a little superstitious. I’m using something different up there just about every week.

It’s going to be really special.

I can’t put it into words. It’s really an honor, no doubt.

If fans are waiting for an offensive explosion, … they might have to wait awhile.