Jaret Wright Quotations

We're in a race to get to the playoffs, so I'll do everything I can to get back out there, ... There's no calling in sick now. You've got to get out there.

Three times now, what can you do? It got me square in the chest. It's sore and tight. It feels like the other ones, I guess.

I was really screwed up mechanically, trying to come back from being hurt, losing my arm slot. It felt weird to throw. I worked with Billy, and he really helped me get back in sync. My mechanics are the best they've been in a while.

I'm always going to think about it. You just look for signs.

I don't think it's a big deal. I'm sure I'll get in a few games. I'd love to start, but we'll just wait and see how it plays out.

I got everything I wanted to get today. I'm ready to go.

He helped me out a lot, and he's done that for a lot of years with a lot of guys,

To come back shows a lot of heart.

He's been here for so long, it's definitely going to have an effect, ... I thought he did a great job. I've played long enough where these things do happen, so you have to be professional and deal with new people.

He just takes care of you, ... You're down there every day. If you're tight, he loosens you up. He keeps your throwing program. He holds everything together. He's like the chief down there.

It hurts right now, ... My neck's real stiff and I have a headache. But it could have been worse.

It hit me in the back of the elbow, ... I threw some pitches, but it just didn't feel right, so we'll see tomorrow.

I think we expected it to be a little tighter today than it was last night. That's usually what happens, stuff tightens up overnight. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

I think there's definitely something to having guys around who have been there before, who can tell you how to change your game to keep up and maintain excellence over a period of time. I mean, it's pretty obvious: the longer you play, the smarter you get.

Pitchers don't get hit that often, especially above the chest,

Pitchers don't get hit, really, that often, especially above the chest. A broken bat is a situation where I have to cover first base, and that took me right into the path of the bat. It's definitely odd, but it happens. What are you going to do?

Playing catch for the first day, I didn't really feel it at all. I think I'm headed in the right direction.

I was trying too hard at the beginning, ... I wanted to keep it close because I knew we could come back.

I was trying too hard, ... After that, I got better movement and backed off a little.

I think I got a little bit tired, I didn't really have good stuff all day. I was trying to get some ground balls, but they got through the holes and I couldn't get out of it.

I think I got a little bit tired, I didn't really have good stuff all day, ... I was trying to get some ground balls, but they got through the holes and I couldn't get out of it.

It feels good. If it goes well (Thursday), I don't see any reason I won't be ready.

I struggled in the first, but I made some pitches when I had to, ... I felt good out there. I felt a flow, I was getting in a rhythm.

I thought it was a big game. With the way they've played us, to come in here and get the first one in the series, that's a big win.

I thought it went well. I didn't feel it at all.

I'm still working to feel totally comfortable with it. But it's definitely better than what I was throwing before.

I might have been thinking about that now if my back didn't give out for a little bit. Right now, all of my focus is on getting back into a game.

That's the manager's choice, whatever he wants to do. I would love to start, but we'll just have to see what happens.

That's the manager's choice. Whatever he thinks is going to work out best, that's fine with me.

You just hope he's able to handle it all. It can be tough to live up to the expectations.

When it's your elbow, you don't want to hurt it any further. When it's bruised, you don't want to take any chances.

When it's your elbow, you don't want to hurt anything further. If it's bruised, you don't want to take any chances.

When I first started throwing, I was really screwed up, mechanically, ... Trying to come back from being hurt, losing my arm slot, basically everything felt weird to throw. I worked with Billy, and he really helped me get back in sync. Toward the end, I thought my mechanics were the best they'd been in a while.

Today was the best day so far. I thought everything went pretty well.

When you get hit like that, the only thing you see is the ball right in front of your chin,

You do what you can, being the fifth guy.

To be down there for over three months, watching the games and following everything going on, your driving force is to get back and help the team get to the postseason, ... Doing this tonight, knowing the work I put in, it's great.

There's no calling in sick now, ... You've got to get out there.

Things like that happen. I hope next time I can pick them up. I threw bad. It's still going to take time to throw every five days, strength-wise. You keep battling, you keep working.

I've never seen that drill before. Maybe if that didn't happen, who knows if we would have had it or not. As long as it's not the hard baseballs they're firing at you.

I've never tried to worry about where I fit in or where my spot is. When it comes down to it, you have to do what you have to do anyway. You have to pitch well and take care of your own business, and hopefully, you fit in somewhere. Thinking about the other stuff, for me, has always taken away from my focus on what I have to do.

Coming off what happened, it was a start I wanted to get under my belt, ... And in the first inning, I was just trying too hard. These are big games.

You see the ball first; you don't really look for the bat. You see that the ball went to that side, so you know you have to get over there.

You're going to think about it. Once you're out there, you've got to play the game. Everything is in the past after that.

Your confidence is so high, ... There's never been a valley.

You don't want to find yourself rooting against guys. You just have to stay ready.

A bat, two balls -- I don't know. When it keeps happening, it's definitely frustrating.

It's just the way it happened. You just do what you can being the fifth guy.

It's just happening so fast, and you're just kind of riding it, ... It's not something you think about, because you don't really know any different. You just think that's the way it's supposed to be.

It's a start, and I want to start. I just want to stay healthy past tomorrow and go from there.

It was definitely frustrating for me last year. I could've drew up different scenarios for my first year in New York, but it's just what happens.

It's a pitcher's worst nightmare; to throw a ball and the next thing you know, it's right on you, ... I could have gotten hit in the face, so hopefully this will be all right.

It's a pitcher's worst nightmare, ... To throw a ball and the next thing you know, it's right on you.

It's the game, ... Stuff happens. I don't look at it like, 'Why me?' or anything like that.

You try to stay focused in the game. You have to approach it as a 0-0 game; you can't let up at all, especially the way they've played us. It seems like every day brings more pressure. We're in a pennant race, so when we come to the park, we have to play well.

It's nice being back here in uniform, ... I haven't been here as a player for three or four years because of the timing of injuries and other things, but it's always pretty cool going home.

It's sore and tight, ... I think I expected it to feel worse the next day, and it did this morning. We treated it all day today, so we'll see how it feels tomorrow.

The ball was hit to first base, so I took a step toward there, ... and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bat and it was kind of like the Seattle thing, at the last second, and I just kind of tried to move away.

The ball was hit to first base so I took a step over there. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bat. I just kind of moved and got hit right on the back of the elbow.

It was kind of sick feeling being on the plane and finding out your team lost. I was kind of hoping she was wrong.

It's what I expected after getting hit in the neck with a ball. It's sore. It's stiff. ... If there's any way to make my next start, I'll make it.

It?s tough, but you have to look to next year because there?s nothing else right now, it?s over right now. Coming in after signing over here, guys putting faith and trust in you, you work hard to do your job. Setbacks like that are definitely part of the game, but it?s also tough.

After that, we got better movement and just backed off a little bit.

I'm definitely looking forward to it, ... It's been a long time down here. After everything that happened as far as thinking that it could be over for me when I hurt it and how it felt ... to work to get back again, it's exciting.

I'm a big team guy, ... Whatever's best for the team, I'm on board with that. The goal is to win.

I'm just trying to take care of what I need to take care of and stay away from everything else. Today sure doesn't help things out. You want to pitch well when you're competing for a spot. When you don't pitch well, it's frustrating.

I'm not sure, ... If you got something that's bruised or tight it affects you a lot more.

I'm not sure, ... When you throw a ball in a game, it's pretty much max effort. When you have a bruise or something tight it affects you a lot more than maybe if you were hit in the neck or something.

I'm not trying to hit anybody first time out.

I just wanted to show people I could really catch them.

I look at it as how you perform, ... You've still got a job to do, and the last couple of outings have been bad.

I tend to look on the bright side. It could be worse. It was definitely frustrating for me last year. I could have drawn up different scenarios for my first year in New York.

I didn't see that side, ... I thought the work that I got in down there with the guys and the training staff was plenty, and the attention that you get was great. We would talk with Mel down there and find out where you're at. I thought it went well for me.

I don't look at it like a bad situation. I look at it as, this is my job; this is what I'm asked to do. Somebody's got to be in that position. I've got no problem doing that.

I don't look at anything as 'Why me?' or anything like that. It's definitely odd but it happens. What are you going to do about it? You've got to deal with it.

I do everything you can do ... all the exercises for your shoulder to try to get it as strong as possible, to make it as stable as you can. For me, that's the only way I sleep at night, knowing I've done everything to prepare to try and prevent that.

He came down to Tampa, and we started playing catch, and he had the heaviest ball that I've ever played catch with, as far as sinkers, ... If you could teach everyone what you need to make a ball that heavy, then everybody would do it. That's such a valuable pitch, and he throws an absolute bowling ball.

The first inning was scary. I felt a little out of synch early.