I'm a very lucky guy. I had so many people help me over the years that I never had many problems. If I had a problem, I could sit down with someone and they would explain the problem to me, and the problem become like a baseball game

I think I was programmed to do good things when I came into the majors. I knew how to play.

What you are thinking, what shape your mind is in, is what makes the biggest difference of all.

That's how easy baseball was for me. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I had the knowledge before I became a professional baseball player to do all these things and know what each guy would hit.

Defense to me is the key to playing baseball.

Maybe I was born to play ball. Maybe I truly was.

I always enjoyed playing ball, and it didn't matter to me whether I played with white kids or black. I never understood why an issue was made of who I played with, and I never felt comfortable, when I grew up, telling other people how to act