A guy like him, the manager of the team you're trying to play for, is saying nice things about you, it always makes you feel good. Just seeing the guys that you watch on TV, and you can play with those guys, it gives you a boost of confidence.

The first week was rough, but I came out of it and feel good.

He's a guy who we all can take a lot from. It's just great he's here.

He threw great. Everything he threw, he spotted well. If you can spot it like that, you can be dominant.

I hope I can repeat what I did last year. I need to keep working on what I need to do to reach my ultimate goal: Play in Atlanta.

I hit .400 or something the rest of the way. I was crushing the ball. Everybody seemed to think it had something to do with getting married. I don't know. I'm usually better the second half. I was just having fun.

I'll just have to buy her another one. I put it in my locker today because I had to do something for good luck. I rubbed its nose and everything. So far, so good.

No, man, I was just messing around down there.

That's pretty neat, something to look forward to.

I wasn't pressing, but I wasn't seeing the ball real well and wasn't feeling real confident at the plate. That's what made me want to jump out and get out of the slump. I have been seeing the ball for about a week, so it was just a matter of coming through.