David Ortiz Quotations

I'm a winner, I play to win, I want to make good things go on around me.

A lot of people write books not at the end of their career. Why you gotta wait until then? When you're momentum's going, that's when people really want to get to know about you.

I just come do what I've got to do, play my game. And I don't worry if anybody likes it.

I'm the kind of guy that I never forget my teammates.

Everybody goes through some tough times in their life, no matter what you do. Man, I've had my tough times.

What I don't want to do is just play for the sake of playing.

My mom, she wasn't like a baseball mother who knew everything about the game. She just wanted me to be happy with what I was doing.

Sometimes when you're fighting, fighting, fighting, the mind needs some time off and you regroup and get back to normal.

I try to be as quiet as I can at the plate, but still aggressive.

You just have to go as far as you can go. Everyone works his way up.

You don't get better as you get older in your career. It's not natural to have your best years late in your career. So I'm trying to do whatever I can to keep my body feeling good for as long as I can.

My mom, she's still always there for me. Always.

I just love the feeling from the fans and when I'm walking on deck I can hear people screaming and wishing you the best. That puts you into the game more than anything.

I try to do things the right way.

I swing hard all the time. That's what I've done my whole life-hit.

I'm a guy that people look at me not only as a guy that hit the ball.

My whole career, my swing has always been the most important thing to me. Even when I'm taking a shower, I work on my swing.

Sometimes you just don't feel the same everyday, it doesn't matter what you do, but when you have people looking forward to seeing you perform for them, that puts you in the mood, and that's natural in Boston. That's why it's such a special place to play.

I showed people that it's not about guessing what people can do. It's about saying, 'Here, show me what you can do.'

Everybody has something to prove each year. Everybody has a responsibility in this game. Even the batboy.

I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody's feelings.

We're fine, it's passed already. Everyone's going to come in tomorrow and try to win some ball games.

so I can focus on what I have to do.

I feel this is my house and I've got to protect this house.

He was born to hit. Manny has like, what, (13) years in the big leagues doing the same thing over and over and over? There's no doubt about it. That guy's a hitter.

He's 24 years old. He's just a baby. You know this game. It's a learning process.

He said he was going to quit. He wasn't going to play baseball anymore. The organization was going crazy, because you don't want a guy like that on the bench sitting. What they did, they kept (Fermin) up there. This is to one of the best players ever to play the game.

I saw him pitching the last game he pitched in spring training and it was obvious he was right back where he likes to be. I saw him making his pitches, doing his thing. He looked great to me.

That ball wasn't even close to Ted Williams' seat back there. That kind of got me frustrated. You know, you hit the ball like that and you've still got to go 25 more rows up to get close to Mr. Ted Williams I don't know.

Lilly, he seems like every time we face him, it must be his best night. When you as a hitter feel confidence about a pitcher you faced before and hit really good against, and it doesn't matter if it's his best night, ... you're going to hit him.

I tell you, I'd throw Wakefield against everybody right now.

Johnny is like a brother to me and I want to see the positive side. I know there were some boos, but I saw a lot of people clapping, too. You just couldn't hear it over the boos. He did a lot of great things here. He was a big part of us winning in 2004, and he is a great guy. I've seen worse. I wish him the best.

That's the way it was over there. They make you be a little (expletive) hitter. If you don't be a little (expletive) hitter, you don't play.

We have the future Roger Clemens in the house, ... That kid, man, I'll tell you, this guy is something else.

You know what, the last time they were here, we went back to my house. We hung out together,

When you're out there playing, you don't think the game's going to be on your back.

I'm just another player that comes in and comes out. Everybody's time is up at some point, I don't think that's my problem. I'm just going to keep on trying like I normally do.

Trust me, I play the game for the fans, my family and myself.

You can never fall in love with a team.

I've always been my own hitting coach.

This is our f---g city. And nobody is going to dictate our freedom.

I start thinking about life after death. I've got to quit thinking about it because it's very deep. Very deep. Sometimes you start thinking about it, and you don't feel like you want to be alive, so I don't like to get all quiet.

People, man, they love hurting people. It's not even fair.

I'm the kind of a player who, if you give me something good to hit, I'm going to swing at it. Otherwise, there's nothing else you can do.

I'm going to be done when I've decided that I'm done.

I come to play everyday.

You can't say that being a fan is more serious, because players are trying to do better in order to get paid better.

I stress a lot, sometimes.

My teammates are the best.

What happened to me should teach everybody that you should never give up on anybody.

I'm an easy person to get along with. Even when I struggle, I have the same attitude.

This jersey that we're wearing today doesn't say Red Sox. It says Boston.

I know in my situation, my mind works more than everything else. I've been like that my whole career.

My parents always told me to stay away from trouble. When I moved away from them at a young age, I was fine because they taught me how to do everything right.

I'm very mechanical, so if I have one thing that's going in the wrong direction when I'm hitting, it's hard for me to get a hit.

Nobody's going to dictate our freedom

I'm the same guy I've always been. I'm the same guy now as when I was hitting 50 home runs. I don't change.

Some people think I'm mean, until they get to know me.

The fans know that I don't give at-bats away.

If I can't hit at a high level, I won't play, and I know there comes a point where my body won't be able to do that.

I just swing hard in case I hit it -- that's it.

I guess the rules aren't for everyone.

Through the years I've been getting better and better and better, and it's what you learn though the seasons.

Negativity doesn't help me.

The DOCF all started when I made a trip to a local hospital in the Dominican Republic. I was visiting children who had received life-saving heart care operations. I couldn't help but think that in another life, one of these kids could be my own son. If it wasn't for baseball, I may have remained in the Dominican Republic and who knows where life would have taken me. It was then that I knew that I had to use the gift that I received, to play baseball, to do whatever I could to give back.

Whatever country you go to, you need to definitely follow the rules. So I believe it's very important for people, wherever they go, any immigrant should know or should try to learn something about the culture.

All I like to do is work every day and have an idea what I want to do.

I'm just trying to work hard every day, trying to be a better player and one day, to be right there with them, one of those special hitters.

I just want to play baseball.

I don't try to hit the ball 500 feet. It looks good when you hit it 500 feet, but as long as it goes over the fence, it's a home run. When you swing hard, it takes a little bit of recognition away from you. The power you're trying to increase - you're not all the way through it with your vision.

It doesn't matter if we were down 3-0. You've just got to keep the faith. The game is not over until the last out.

They pick me [to be tested for steroids] every time. I don't know why. I don't know if it's because I'm a big guy, or what, but all I know is all they are going to find is a lot of rice and beans.

Life is a challenge that you need. There's things in life that are going to throw you into the ground, but if you learn how to get up, that means you are not a quitter.

I'm not thinking home run, I just want to put a good swing on the ball. When you go looking for home runs, you get off of your swing. So you don't think of homers when you go up to the plate.

My timing’s a little off. But I’m about to get hotter than Jamaica in the middle of August.

Tonight was a crazy night. It was cold out there and sometimes pitchers don?t find the grip on the ball when the weather is like that. You just have to fight, fight, fight until somebody wins the fight.

Everybody in this game needs help, even I need help. When you are young and talented like Mo, you like to have people around you who you can learn from. That's why we are here. At one time, we were his age. The same thing happened to us.

Baseball is a tough enough game. I try not to mix what is needed on the field with what is expected from those off the field. It isn't a good thing.

At one point, he got called up to the big leagues

The United States has provided my family and me with more than we could have ever dreamed. I'll never forget the way Red Sox fans and the team's owners helped my country after the floods last year.

I've been here four years and that might be the best team I've seen that they have.

I've been here four years and that is the best team they've had.

I've never seen anybody hit a ball harder than that guy.

Anybody can go through tough times, but I knew that things are going to be this way at the end of the season. For some reason, I had this feeling, ... They have a good team.

That's my boy. I talked to him a lot before and after he went to the other side. You come to camp and see a bunch of new faces get in the mix. It's something that guys that have been around here have to deal with and have to make sure that everybody feels comfortable.

That's Manny being Manny, because you know he's going to hit. Fans worry about him. Why? There's one thing Manny is known for - hitting. Don't worry about Manny Ramirez .

They're good. They can play in the big-league level any time.

It's a good feeling, especially when you have a guy like Wakefield out there performing the way he did tonight, ... You want to do something for the guy. I felt terrible the one inning that I struck out with men on second and third. When the game gets on the line, you get another chance, you have to bring everything you have.

It's not easier. When you take anything for granted in this game, the games comes and eats you up.

It's his first time in the big leagues, but he pitches like he's been around forever. He reminds me of Roger Clemens the attitude, the arm. When he gets more experience, he's going to be filthy. He's filthy already.

Crazy, man. But whatever they do, they can't catch the ball if you hit it off the Green Monster.

Don't believe anyone until it's (signed). I'll let you know when I do.

The best thing that ever happened to this team was winning this game, ... When you see Manny running like he did, you know we're already in the playoffs.

The best thing that ever happened to this team was winning this game tonight. Everybody was on their toes.

The atmosphere is something that pretty much every Latin person has in their blood. Everybody has a lot of passion for baseball.

I want to finish my career as a Red Sox player. I'm going to be around for a while. I'm pretty sure New England is going to take this as good news.

I want to finish my career as a Red Sox player.

I knew it was going to be like this at the end of the season. I had a good feeling.

I'm pretty sure that there's nothing wrong with being famous. I guess that some guys are a little bit afraid. If you don't want to be famous, just step away. Other people are afraid to face the challenge. Some people like to be famous, some people don't. Some people do their thing, but they're afraid to be recognized.

I just try to shut everything down and just focus on what I want to do at the plate in those situations. Most of the time I try to not do too much because I get in trouble when I try to do too much. It happens to everybody.