Back then, my idol was Bugs Bunny, because I saw a cartoon of him playing ball - you know, the one where he plays every position himself with nobody else on the field but him? Now that I think of it, Bugs is still my idol. You have to love a ballplayer like that.
When I go home my mother still makes me take out the garbage.
You can't hit without your hands.
You know it as soon as you walk in Yankee Stadium. The electricity is there every time, every day.
That's basically what I'm doing when I'm tapping them - getting my toes to the end of my shoes.
Get an education because no one can take that away from you.
People expect you to play your best, so I go through a routine to prepare myself so that I know I'm physically and mentally ready - prepared for the game.
I feel good, and the way I determine it is through my workout. I work so hard in the offseason that if I'm able to do everything I have to, I figure I must be healthy.
One of my superstitions is I'm not allowed to talk about them.
I love the game of baseball.
All players are their own worst critics. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else is.
My inspiration was the game itself, not any individual player in it.
If it was in my control, Id still be wearing a Red Sox uniform, because its the place I know, I love. All of those fans, Ill always remember. But Im also going to another great place. Im going to a phenomenal city with great tradition as well, phenomenal fans, great organization.
You'll have games where you're out there a long time. Being able to go through that and not get stiff was a good thing for me, ... As I went along, it felt better, and on that last play [a nifty move to his right and a throw across his body for the final out in the seventh] had a lot of body torque to it, and no problems.
People ask me if my shoes were too small when I was a kid and I say it wouldnt matter how fight my shoes were, I just liked that feeling of them being in there. Thats how I started tapping my toes.
It's great that fans have people they can enjoy and watch play.
People are going to make comparisons and they can do that but I'm definitely not going to compare myself to Derek Jeter.
