Scott Rolen Quotations

We've always had a tough time playing them.

There is a schedule that I'll see some games shortly - a nice amount of off days mixed in there. It seems reasonable and logical on paper. If it goes well, we'll see what else we can do. I'm eager to get to the field.

There are some things I need to work on just to get a feel back. I haven't played baseball for a while. I need to get some timing ... get some feel back. That stuff is going to be done in the cage and out here with coaches BP. This is a big test for me. I made contact. A lot of good things happened today.

No different than any other year. Played it the same as every year, no swings the first time out.

My decision is going to be, am I able to play baseball, and I couldn't before. If I can't lift my arm and get a shirt down, I can't play baseball.

Now would I have taken eight or 10 weeks? Sure, I would have. At the time, I'm ready to go, the doc says I'm ready to go, it's fine.

Right now I'm turned loose and I'm hitting off the tee and playing golf, running, lifting, strength training, lifting as much as I want to lift. I'm not restricted right now. In my range of motion, I'm right at the very end of everything -- five degrees is what they're telling me.

My understanding is that I should have no trouble getting back for spring training. It's a six-month rehab, maybe, and I have a little extra time in there. Hopefully, I should have no trouble coming back from the first day on.

I have every expectation to be ready for spring training,

I didn't really have a decision. I know my body. I know my shoulder. This was the only choice right now.

I don't have any problem with that. We'll see how it goes.

But that's a good thing. That's a positive thing. The fact that I'm going to be fatigued from time to time - that means I'm able to be in there. I'm only seven months (from surgery). ... Late in spring training I felt I turned the corner. I felt great the first couple weeks. I threw a bunch of games together. To me, that's great news.

I have a chance of being part of something pretty special, or walk around in a sling,

I have a bigger mouth than a lot of these youngsters right now, so I think that puts me at a distinct advantage. The more gum you get in your mouth the better you will be.

I feel good; I feel ready to play. I'm ready to at least go see what we have going.

I can't lift my arms, so there's not much I can do about it. I couldn't control what happened and I'm not going to kick rocks at my head about it.

I don't think you have to be the New York Yankees. But everybody has to have their job and contribute. That's how I see it.

He was throwing 96. I was just trying to look for something to hit.

He tested my strength, and everybody has tested the repair itself and the way it was done. Everybody said 'Get out of here, you're good.

He had good life on his ball. I think if you go around and talk to a bunch of hitters, they'll say they have a hard time picking the ball up. The ball gets on you. He's sneaky. He kept the ball down and moved it around and had good life on it.

He's built pretty well for a hitting streak. He runs well. He can bunt. He can beat out some infield hits, and he switch-hits. That's a nice profile for a streak. It doesn't mean it's easy to do. He's got a good shot to continue it.

I almost threw up because I had a lot of gum in my mouth, but I feel good about my performance.

March 2, if I get an AB that's great, if I don't, that's OK too.

There are a lot of swings I haven't taken, but I get to start over and start fresh. If I have some soreness, and I could have some setbacks along the way, that's not unheard of. But I'm not afraid of that.

When all the smoke clears, he says, you don't have any options, you have to have surgery. Not maybe, it's no, you cannot. The timing is the issue, that's the decision to make.

Don't dive for 10 days. I think the doctor pulled that number out of a hat.

There was a debate in the third where the bathroom was. We had a search party out for the bathroom; it was actually right in front of us. The door was closed.

I've been healthy. My shoulder has been feeling good and I've been able to respond. As long as I can stay healthy and stay strong, I'll run out on the field every day.

Things are starting to look a lot easier for Albert.

The thinking right now is I'd rather break camp healthy. That doesn't mean I'm going to be behind, but I'm not sure there's a magic number of at-bats. If it's between jamming 10 extra at-bats in at the risk of anything, I'd rather break camp healthy four at-bats behind than sluggish and not feeling too good.

This is as good as I've felt physically, without question, with the shoulder since (2002).

A lot of people liked the old place. It had some history. A lot of great players played there. The way the game's going, the trend of the game, is to have new ballparks.

It's a big part of that a lot of people don't understand. We had a good pulse here. You looked forward every day to coming to the park. Everybody was a big part of the team. It'll be like that again, but it takes awhile for guys to become familiar with one another.

It is quiet in here. There are a lot of new faces here. We haven't played any games yet. It's early. But, yeah, it's still a little different.

It's a lifetime experience, something you've looked forward to your whole life. You're not sure if you want it to be over with, or if you want it to last forever.

It's not supposed to be personal. It's not about you. It's not about your opponent. It's about the game. It's about it being an honor to put the uniform on at this level. Don't bring it down from that.

For an organization and a stadium with the richness and history that it has, to be traded over in '02 and selected to this, it's surprising, shocking and much appreciated,

It's beautiful; it's a beautiful ballpark. It's probably a little early to say it feels like home, but the people make it home.

It was actually right in front of us. The door was shut. We're not used to having a bathroom in the dugout.

I'm not going to get down on myself if I have a bad day or two in early March, or if I can't get on the field for a couple days in a row in early March because something happens. It's a trial process that I have to come back. I've said it a thousand times, but my point is April 3rd is my date.

I'm not good at that. I've never been good at that. Day game after a day game, I expect to be able to play. (Saturday) I might have been a little sore, a little tight. But if I can take 24 hours, I expect to come back and play again. If I wake up (Sunday) and it's still that way, then you talk about it.

I made a lot of good things happen today.

Incredible, I mean he threw the ball great, kept the ball down and obviously swung the bat well. He did everything and more to help himself and pitched a great game.

I had the surgery. I'm going to be in a sling for another week or so, then we'll go from there, ... The shoulder's been repaired. Everything is moving ahead.

I'm not trying to groove a swing right now for the season. I'm just trying to continue my range of motion and flexibility.

I'm healthy. I started hitting on Jan. 2. The day before I came to spring training, I had a full evaluation.

I'm happy with where I am right now. Everybody's happy.

I'll take three hits on Opening Day anywhere. I felt better the last two weeks of spring. I felt I could drive the ball. Things change when you get in a major-league stadium, the atmosphere changes, the ball seems to travel a little farther.

I really didn't have a decision. This is my only choice right now, to get the procedure done.

I really didn't have a decision. I know my body. Timing was the issue.

I don't know if there's a magic number of at-bats for me to take in spring training. I'm not going to worry about it if I don't get to a certain number down here. I feel like I'm making progress, and that's what I thought this was all about.

He's an eight-time Gold Glove outfielder; I'm certainly not worried about Jim Edmonds. I'm certainly not worried about him at the plate, I'm certainly not worried about him in the field. He's a huge part of this team, and right in the middle of everything.

I can take a full swing and once in a while feel a sting, but it goes away. I regain my strength and can finish the at-bat. If that happened last year, I was done for the rest of the game.

This is my job, and this is what I do,

This is a longer process, no doubt. This is a more serious rehab. There it was kind of a healing time, and once I was done healing, then I could just strengthen and come right back. I had no loss of range of motion or anything like that. My range of motion was almost zero after this surgery, so I had to come all the way back.

Different people, different backgrounds, different ideals... We walk in different doors at the beginning of the day, and we walk out of different doors at the end of the day. But when it is time to go out on that field, we all go through the same door.

I feel good. At this point, the only thing I'm trying to do is accumulate at-bats and get my work in, and so far that's what I'm doing.

The way I perform best is with a clear and happy mind.

I hope I haven't maxed out, because I'm not satisfied. I hope I can be a better ball player, and I hope I'm on my way.

My dream was to play Major League baseball. I've lived that dream.

I hope I haven't reached a pinnacle...I hope there's something more for me in baseball and in life.

I'm a baseball player. I'm also a guy who mows his lawn and plays with his dog.

Defense is a lot more natural to me than offense.

I actually don't think that I have a problem playing for managers. But history, people might think otherwise.

I enjoy coming to the ballpark every day. I don't go to work. I come here to play.

I've been given an opportunity right now and I'm going to run through a wall to try to take advantage of it.

I play baseball and I like to read. What makes that odd?