Bud Black Quotations

I don't think these guys lose confidence. You'll find very few major league players lose confidence. That's one of the reasons they got here, because they're very confident men.

No one pitches that alike unless they're brothers. They pitch so much alike you'd have to split them up in the rotation just so hitters didn't get the same look.

The whole year he showed that poise and composure.

I think he's a confident guy. He just needs that mind-set that, 'I am capable of doing something special,' just that sheer determination. He's a great worker, a great teammate, has a great aptitude to take instruction.

He had the most impact on a pitcher that anyone in the lineup could. He had the power, he had the ability to get on base, he could draw a walk and he had great speed. But don't forget that Rickey was a very good hitter.

That was the nerves of his first major-league start. Everything speeded up on him. The next time, he realized, 'That's not me. That's not who I am.' It was a whole different mentality from the minute he got to the ballpark. He warmed up better, he was focused, he was concentrated.

It was great to see him step up and make pitches.

He has to continue to get over the little hurdles that are going to make him a big-league pitcher. In his case, it is realizing the importance of location and trusting his sinker in the strike zone.

He had a big year for Washington. He's a much different pitcher now than early in his career. He's pitching now instead of throwing. He made five starts for the Nationals. He could start.

You don't experiment with a changeup against Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium.