Tom Gordon Quotations

I was looking to be a closer again. That was the biggest thing.

I was keeping everything in. I still had the fastball I could throw him (outside). I hadn't shown him the curveball the whole at-bat. (A count of) 2-2 was the time to do it.

Our bottom line is the quality of the care there. It would probably take 6 to 9 months to close it down because we don't want to abandon the patients.

I think I'm throwing the ball the same way I did last year.

I might try other foods or something. I stopped drinking Coke and I'm drinking cranberry juice instead, maybe that's it. I don't know. I hadn't thought about it.

To some degree, (closing) is similar to being a setup man. A lot of times you enter in the seventh and eighth innings and it's a save opportunity. The different aspect is you have to have the makeup, the attitude and a short memory. One day, you're the greatest thing and the next day you stink. The good thing for me is I've done it and had success.

We all want to be out there. Still, you have to use a little common sense. The more he pitches, the more he has to monitor himself. Making so many pitches affects your stuff. Once it affects your stuff, you can give up runs, and then you're kicking yourself. Your body has to tell you. Your arm might feel good, but then your legs might not feel so great. It's a delicate balance.

I started throwing my curve ball for strikes. I was pitching aggressively. If I had a bad game, I would bounce back. I knew I could do it again.

It was tremendous -- great players making a great play. I needed a double play. I tried to make sure that if he hit the ball, he hit it at somebody in the infield.

They probably think no matter what the score is, they can beat us.

It's a good feeling to come in here and play the first two games well. This team has played us very well and given us a battle each and every night. Right now, it's the stretch run, so we need to play every game as hard as we can, leave it all out on the field and have fun out there.

That kid -- is it Gavin? I watched him the last two times he?s pitched, and to me he reminds me of Roger Clemens with his arm and the way he can locate pitches. He went and did it again today.

It's not a simple nursing home. It's a safety net for people who have nothing else.

Any time you come into an organization where guys on the team are used to winning, I think the attitude is a little better. I think it gives you the opportunity to be a part of a contender and at the same time try to find out where you fit in and what can you do to help this team win. He's fit in well with this team.

I knew I had a base open, so I was trying to get him to roll over on a pitch, or if I got two strikes, to strike him out. He's a good hitter, so I wanted to keep the ball in the park. It was a good battle, I'm just glad I won it.

I hadn't thrown him a curveball in the at-bat. I had thrown him fastballs and cutters.

If you can't believe on the first day of camp, then you shouldn't be here.

I just tried to make good pitches. Huff is a good hitter. It was a good battle.

I felt really good. There were a couple of times I was rushing the ball up there, but all in all I was really pleased with the way it went. My elbow has been 100 percent for a while.

I don't think that's anything I need to think about. I was 37 last season, and I'll be 39 next season. I think since coming back from arm surgery (in 2000) I've shown I can pitch and bounce back, and that my routine has made me stronger.

The inning was good, my tempo was off a little bit. The feeling out there came back quicker to me than I thought. It really felt good.