Even though it might appear otherwise from what I've said, I am not a racist. I should not have said what I did because it is not what I believe in my heart.

I've taken a lot of crap from a lot of people. Probably more than anybody in the history of this sport. I know Hank (Aaron) and Jackie (Robinson) took a good deal of crap, but I guarantee it wasn't for six years. I just keep thinking: How much am I supposed to take?

My comments concerning persons afflicted with AIDS as well as various minority groups have left people wondering if I am a racist.

I have a group of close personal friends that are all my world. My family is my world. And as long as those people are happy with me, then I'm happy with myself.

I'm merely a baseball player, guys. In the great scheme of things, my thoughts, opinions and attitudes are of little importance.

The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?

The last thing I want to do... is offend people and ostracize myself.