Alex Rodriguez Quotations

I'm a terrible singer. I feel lucky to play baseball. You can't be gifted in everything.

Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance.

Winners live in the present tense. People who come up short are consumed with future or past. I want to be living in the now.

I love the challenge of the game. I love the work. My goal right now is to have a season next year that will make people forget about this one. I'll use things like this for motivation. I'm pumped. I'm hungry.

This is how I define grace: you're on the main stage, and it looks like it has been rehearsed 100 times, everything goes so smoothly. That's where I get my confidence and success, from knowing that I have an edge because I know I'm prepared.

I just don't see the light. Where is the light? What am I in this for?

It's tougher when you're established. Before, I'd see 13, 14, 15 pitches that I could drive in a game. Now, I see one, two or three, so I have to be better.

I had a great year and left my guts out on the field.

When you think about the Space Needle, you also think about Junior rounding third.

Three weeks ago, everyone said it would be an exhibition. Now that we've lost, it's a World Series. Any time you put on a USA uniform in any sport, there are ramifications. This is a big disappointment.

We know he's got a very fine arm, and he throws 96-97 and throws all his body at you. I took some good swings, he challenged me, and you tip your cap.

We have to get better. We're a better team. We know what our potential is. Certainly I need to do a lot more offensively. I can only speak for myself. I've got to step up to the plate and do my job.

When your on-base percentage is over .420 and you have a high strikeout total, ... that's better than hitting 7 home runs and driving in 40 runs. To me, the name of the game is getting on base and scoring runs.

We were totally out of gas trying to hold off the Red Sox. And that happened because we didn't play well at the start of the year. We came out of spring training this year knowing we need to play well right from the get-go.

We've been in postseason mode here for about a month, kind of similar to what the Red Sox were last year. I think it does help us.

We've been in postseason mode for 10 days now.

We're gonna sleep on it and see how it is in the morning, ... I've never had this before, so it's kind of a new thing for me.

Last year was the toughest year of my whole career. I feel a lot more comfortable in New York this year.

Shock. It was shock. You almost feel you have three or four innings to play, but you go home. . . . We feel baseball is best in the U.S. and it's difficult not to carry that out.

Most people aren't going to understand that. They're going to ridicule and make fun of it ... unless you understand my background, where I come from, my passion for my family and my heritage. I don't expect anyone to understand.

Mo has been great all year, ... We can't expect him to be perfect for six months.

Mr. Steinbrenner has a beef. I understand, with the commitment he has.

October is what I need to improve upon. But you can't think about October on Opening Day, you have to think about the present war.

No. I haven't heard anything. There's so much positive talk going around ... I've heard about zero talk.

Now we can go and try to win in New York, and try to go to the next level.

Now that you're back and you're counting down to Opening Day, it's more of a clear thought process of what's going on.

Obviously, October is something I need to improve on this year. Winning a World Series, that drives me to the core.

I was staying real active in here. I just wanted to make sure I had a full sweat for each at-bat. But I wasn't tested.

I was surprised he bunted on a 3-1 count, and I think I jumped myself a little, ... When I went down, I felt it a little.

I would enjoy that. I think it would be great for both of us.

I would certainly trade his World Series championship for this MVP trophy, ... That's the only reason I play baseball. It's what I'm consumed to do right now.

I got tested a little bit. I'm still a little sore.

I got little bumps and chills when I saw my uniform, the (number) 13 Rodriguez, and I saw red, white and blue. As corny as it sounds, I go back to my brother (Victor) who's fought in war and is a 30-year vet of the U.S. Air Force. It makes me very proud.

I got little bumps and chills when I saw my uniform, No. 13, Rodriguez, and I saw the USA, the red, white and blue, as corny as that sounds.

I don't know what happened. You'd have to ask Joe West.

I don't know what happened, ... I think it was very costly, but at the same time we had our chances offensively.

I don't know why he got ejected. We had 14 people in the dugout yelling at the umpire and I guess he just picked out the manager. There was no warning or anything. I think it helped us.

I don't know what it was. I couldn't see the damn thing. He had us all talking to ourselves, and nothing that was said was helpful.

I don't care if we have to fly 6 hours or 10 hours. We have a chance to extend the postseason and get to where we want to be.

I don't care if we have to fly 6 hours or 10 hours, ... We have a chance to extend the postseason and get to where we want to be.

But there were a lot of misplaced priorities. I didn't hear any new ideas about the economy beyond tax cuts.

I live off my scholarship refunds. Because of my erratic schedule, I can't work but my scholarship money helps with my expenses.

I love being out on the field, ... I feel it's an important part of us winning games is being out on the field, being consistent and playing both sides of the ball.

I love being out on the field, but this isn't the time to be a hero, ... If you put a gun to my head, I'm sure that I could play. But we have very important games coming up in the next month, so we're taking the safest route.

I felt like if we could have delivered the knockout punch there, it could have been a long night for them,

I feel more accepted in this clubhouse this year. I feel like I'm one of the guys in here now. And last year, it wasn't their fault, it was my fault. I was one person trying to get to know 100 people. You're going to have a better rapport with people in your second year than your first, this is a more comfortable feeling.

I can't help that guys, that'll never change.

Friday was a demoralizing loss. To get two wins going into the off-day and a tough Tampa series, it's good for our psyche.

I don't think we're seeing colors in the other team's uniforms, ... We know each game is important whether it's Boston or Tampa. We need each game desperately, and we're playing that way.

I expect a lot out of myself. When I swing the bat really well, the boys roll. It's important for me to go out and take responsibility for what I have to do each and every day.

I expressed to him that, as important as winning this thing is, my preparation for the season is the most important thing. Any time you're on the field, representing the U.S., it's an enormous responsibility; but for me, my whole goal in life is to win a world championship, and nothing goes in front of that.

He needed it, the team needed it. It was a shot in the arm to get a good pitching performance.

He needed it. I think the team needed it.

This was not one of our better games.

Today it did everything. It went up, it went down, it went left, it went right. He had us talking to each other.

His stuff was electric. His body looks fit. It looks like he's ready to go. He's definitely hungry to play.

His stuff was electric, his body looks fit. He looks ready to go.

He's been doing it all summer. He reminds you of a David Cone, a seasoned veteran who has been through these wars many times.

Under different circumstances, that might be something I'd use to motivate me for the rest of the season. But right now, all I'm concerned about is winning games.

We have to be better. We expect more of ourselves. Tonight is just not acceptable.

I already heard what he had to say, he apologized. The apology has been accepted. We've move on from there. Ozzie and I have always been friendly. It's not really that big of a deal.

I almost pulled a hamstring, ... I was confused. I hit the ball, and then I saw the outfielder kind of stop. I said no way he's going to catch this. When I saw the ball on the field, I thought it was a live ball.

I always enjoy my stay here in Canada. It's one of those places where you just feel comfortable.

He is the one special player right now, like Barry Bonds , who can change the game around simply with his batting.

There are so many players from so many teams, I think we do have the responsibility to show that we're the greatest country as far as baseball is concerned. We'll lace 'em up and see what happens.

I would trade this award for David's World Series trophy. Winning an MVP is great, but I came here to do one thing, to win one championship and go from there.

I would trade this award for David's World Series trophy, ... Winning an MVP is great, but I came here to do one thing, to win one championship and go from there.

Just to make it clear, I only spoke once and then I spoke again three months later.

Joe DiMaggio is such an icon, he's almost like a cartoon character, ... I have so much respect for him. When it's all said and done, it's something you can look back on and say that you're proud to be mentioned in the same sentence as Joe.

I think it gave us a little fire in our butts. We were a little flat, and I thought after that, we kind of picked it up a little bit.

It almost feels like we're in their shoes.

It hurts to think about where we would be without these guys. They've been a godsend.

I think when we saw that window of opportunity on the double play, we felt we had a chance.

I think the focus is on the team. I think a nice side note behind that is, obviously, the MVP race, ... No question, front and center right now is the Yankees vs. Boston.

I think we're very fortunate to be in the position we're in considering how many opportunities early on we really let go.

I think being on the field every day is a strong requirement (for MVP), and doing it from both sides of the field,

I think it was the last one he threw. I'm glad he threw one. He had us talking to each other, and really nothing was said that was helpful.

I think it's the best our pitching staff has been since I've been here, in over a year-and-a-half.

It gave us a little fire in our bellies to get going a little bit.

Jason is going to have a monster year for us.

Last time I was here, things went really bad, not only for me, but for my team. And I look at it as an opportunity to start a new year, a new chapter. And ironically enough, I come up with a game-winning hit in this situation, where last year, I was the biggest goat, and today I get to be a hero. There's ... a lesson to be learned, I guess.

Last time here, I was the biggest goat. Today, I get to be the hero.

I said it once that I wasn't playing and then at the end I said I was playing. But between that was ... speculation, back and forth, which I thought was ridiculous.

Ozzie and I have always been friendly, which is why it was a bit surprising. It's really not that big of a deal. ... I haven't spoken to Ozzie. I already heard what he had to say; he apologized and we've moved on. The apology is already accepted.

Our state of mind right now is that we're feeling good about where we are going. We're playing with a lot of urgency right now. We're playing with a lot of grit.

Our offense is very capable. We'll come out fighting tomorrow.

I was very impressed. He's got good stuff and he's very poised.

I was expecting a hit or a double, but I wasn't expecting a home run. You don't want to get greedy.

I think Randy is going to have a great year because he's in a great state of mind, has had a wonderful spring, and, I know from experience that in Year 2, the comfort level should be a lot better for him. I know it was for me.

I think defence, for the most part, being a balanced player and also saving a lot of runs on the defensive side, I think was a major factor here. To me, defence is foremost. It's always been. The White Sox showed us this year pitching and defense wins to this day.

I think most of us were flabbergasted by not knowing any of these bracket systems.

It doesn't mean anything unless you come in and play well tomorrow. It's obviously better to have a one-game lead than a tie, but we still have to come out here and play an important game tomorrow night.

I think I'm going to have to take a look in the mirror, ... I didn't do my part.

I thought I had a good approach against Huston.

I thought I hit that ball a little better, at least the middle of the wall.

Johnny is absolutely tailor-made for New York. He has a great supporting cast, he's a fantastic player and getting better with age. He's the ingredient that we needed.

The 3-2 slider, you really tip your cap. I couldn't believe it was a 3-2 slider. That situation - bases loaded, the runners going - they deserve it.

The accounts weren't looking right so they audited their own accounts.

The amount of taxes I pay this country.

That was a tougher play, mine was an easy play, ... I thought it was actually a base hit.