What people don't realize is that professionals are sensational because of the fundamentals.

That guy's really good when he's healthy. That's what I think. I mean, he's really, really good when he's healthy.

You better hit the yellow! I want to see you hit one into the lights.

We worked really hard and we worked a lot on the fundamentals of the game and making the basic plays. With special athletes, sometimes that fundamental play gets lost. I know when I first came up, the ball I had the most trouble with was the ball hit right at me, because I assumed I could make that routine play.

He's just put it all together. He's a fantastically talented, strong, gifted athlete. But with all those characteristics sometimes comes absent-mindedness and lack of attention to detail. Those are some of the things we can't have as shortstops. So that's what we worked on. Everything else has kind of blossomed.

My message to a lot of guys is, if you like school and you like education, baseball is gonna be there, and you can get some of the same great competition in college that you do in the low minor leagues.

I remember playing on pretty much an all-minority youth team and going to some of the tournaments north of Cincinnati and not being able to stay with host families where all the other teams were staying with host families.

I wanted to go to college and play football.

I love boxing. I like to see the strategizing. Watching the warriors go to work. I like that struggle, going out there and fighting.

I think every player wants to be acknowledged for what they have done. I think every player eligible for the Hall Of Fame feels that the ultimate validation is enshrinement.