There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do – and I believe that.
The last thing you want to do is finish playing or doing anything and wish you would have worked harder.
I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.
Work hard, love what you do, put your best foot forward and never forget the kid in you.
This is why you play – to get an opportunity to play in the playoffs.
When I was younger, I was always taught not to make excuses.
It doesn’t take any talent to play hard.
You have to be confident, if you’re not confident you might as well go home.
Surround yourself with good people. People who are going to be honest with you and look out for your best interests.
Your image isn’t your character. Character is what you are as a person.
You’re playing a game, whether it’s Little League or Game 7 of the Word Series. It’s impossible to do well unless you’re having a good time. People talk about pressure. Yeah, there’s pressure. But I just look at it as fun.
The longer you wait to decide what you want to do, the more time you’re wasting. It’s up to you to want something so badly that your passion shows through in your actions. Your actions, not your words, will do the shouting for you.
In my opinion, I’ve had the greatest job in the world. I got a chance to be the shortstop for the New York Yankees, and there’s only one of those. And I always felt as though it was my job, was to try to provide joy and entertainment for you guys, but it can’t compare to what you brought me. So for that, thank you very much.
I’m not one to sit around and be satisfied about something. I can always get better.
You know, what is team chemistry? My opinion is when you have enough people who care about winning and enough people who losing affects. That’s what chemistry means to me. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to win, but you’re going to have enough people on the same page. It’s almost impossible, I think, to get everyone on the same page, but it’s gotta mean something to you.
So is work ethic. You do things over and over again, and when you get in a situation you like to think it comes natural. I think there has to be a mind-set that you’re not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to fail. I’ve done it quite a bit. The calmer you are, the more the game slows down for you, and I think part of that is controlling your emotions.
My office is at Yankee stadium. Yes, dreams do come true.
My parents always felt if I worked hard enough I could make any dream come true.
I’m not perfect; no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I think you try to learn from those mistakes.
It doesn’t take talent to work hard.
That’s how you win – pitching and defense.
I always hear people say I give the same answers or I don’t give you much. No, I just don’t give you much negativity. When people are negative a lot, it starts to creep into your mind, and then you start having doubts, and I don’t like that. If there’s another way, show me. My job is to stay positive. My job is to limit distractions. And if you get annoyed by that, I don’t expect you to understand because you’re not in my shoes.
