My goal is to encourage people to see the possibilities that life holds. So many great things can happen in life, if we can find our own way of doing things, and believe in ourselves, no matter what challenges surround you.

I wanted to be like Nolan Ryan. I didn't want to be like Pete Gray...And I don't want kids to be like me because I have one hand. I want kids to be like Jim Abbott because he's a baseball pitcher at Michigan and he won the Big Ten Championship game, and not because I can field a bunt and throw to first.

It's not the disability that defines you; it's how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with.

I had an incredible experience living in New York, playing for the Yankees, to go through all of the things I did, including the no-hitter. It was a very memorable time.

My goal is to encourage people to see the possibilities that life holds. So many great things can happen in life, if we can find our own way of doing things, and believe in ourselves, no matter what challenges surround you.

I think you need optimism. I believe that's incredibly important that you be optimistic that you can do things different and still do them just as well. That's very important to success - just to have a positive outlook. I know it's not easy to do that.

I benefited from tremendous encouragement as a kid. So many people reached out to me, helped me, and believed in me even when I didn't always believe in myself.