It's tough to strike out. Believe me. I hate striking out. It's no fun. It's embarrassing. But there really isn't anything I can do. It's just a part of my game.

This is a tremendous honor (winning the 2002 Roberto Clemente Award), to be considered in the same class as Roberto Clemente. He is a hero and role model for all of us who play the game and strive to be as good a player and person as he was.

My favorite thing to do is still to go back to Peoria, go to my cabin and hunt with the boys. This is a great lifestyle, don't get me wrong. But fun for me is going back with my buddies I grew up with.

I don't really like filling my brain with a lot of stuff.

I've always enjoyed interleague play. It gives you a chance to see different clubs, to go to different places. It gives you a good chance to see where you are, where you stand with other teams.

You can't play forever.

Every player that plays for any organization, having great fans on your side every night is a great thing.

Charisma's good every night. Something special is always about to happen. You've got to believe it.

We all make mistakes and sometimes you say things and you really don't realize what you're saying at that moment.

When do you know it's time to say, 'OK, that's it?' That is the most difficult part of any decision like that because you don't want to throw the 'R' word out there. I've mentioned it a couple times, but not in the sense that I'm doing it. That word is very fragile. We'll see.

Is my ability what it was at, say, 25 or 30 years old? Probably not, but I like to compete. I like to go out and play the game hard.

The passion is my favorite part of the city [Philadelphia]. You go from 'we love you' to 'we hate you' back to 'you walk on water.' You're driving, and somebody might wave or somebody might flip you off.

You always want to get at-bats. You always want to contribute.

There's an inner feeling you get when you get in a situation to do well in a game. It's hard to explain.