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"Why do people sing "Take Me Out to The Ballgame" when they're already there?"
"I want to be known as a good major-leauger...and good major-leaugers work to become good."
"I love the challenge of the game. I love the work.
My goal is to have a season that will make people forget the last. I'm pumped. I'm hungry."
"There is a difference between image and reputation. Image is nice. Reputation is developed over an entire career.
Reputation is what I'm searching for."
"Be respectful. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respect the lowest rank and the highest rank and you'll
never get in trouble."
"Some things are meant to be and if it was, you will know it."
"Leadership is a role you have to earn in order to be effective."
"I want to step forward. I don't want to step on anyone's toes doing it. If I do, too bad."
"Always follow your dreams, don't let anyone tell you that you can't be something."
"I'd rather have a gold glove than a silver slugger. Defense is so much more of a team game and one of my goals this
year is to make less than 25 errors."
"We have a responsibility not just as atheletes but as members of society to treat people well, to do things the
right way."
"You can take my cars or my house...just don't mess with my clothes."
"I'm not impulsive at all--except about buying clothes. That's my biggest weakness."
"I'm a terrible singer. I feel lucky to play baseball. You can't be gifted in everything."
"Looks aren't the number one thing. They have to have class, intelligence, then looks. If I was the ugliest SOB
in the world it would be a lot easier."
"Anyone can forget about talent, but if you're a good person, your name will be remembered a long time."
"Like I say, it's almost embarassing to talk about. I don't know if Michael Jordan or Bill Gates or Alexander the
Great or anyone is worth this type of money. But that's the market we're in today. That's what Mr. Hicks decided to pay me,
and now it's time to pay him back and win a couple championships."
"What I've learned from Cal is to respect the game, respect the fans. Nothing fancy out there. Just do your job."
"Keep reading books, stay in school. I encourage kids to read as much as they can, I challenge you to read a book
every two weeks, like I try to."
"Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it, you don't have a chance."
"The only stage I need is the World Series."
"I'm having a hard time finding a date. I don't trust any women I meet. I'm very skeptikal."
"I'm not a real vocal guy, but sometimes you need to kick someone in the ass."
"We (Alex and Derek Jeter) want to kill each other. I think we both drive each other and motivate each other. But,
when we're off the field, we're like family. I think the nice thing about it is we became good friends before we even mad
it to the big leagues. That makes it more of a healthy relationship."
"We (Alex and Derek Jeter) always talk about getting old, gray, and fat when our careers are over and just having
a good time. He's like me. He wants to have a good time and be a good person. It's a weird situation for us. It's just
like we're looking in the mirror. the only difference is I'm on the West Coast and he's on the East Coast."
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT ALEX
"Alex is playful, enthusiastic, and cheerful. He's fun to have around." - Ken Griffey, Jr.
"Of course I voted for him as Player of the Year; who wouldn't? He took some inside-out swings against us that landed
ten rows deep in right-center. He has done some amazing things at the most demanding position other than catcher. And he's
what, only 21? When I was 21, I was sitting in class thinking I was going to be a high school teacher. He's out winning a
batting title." - Gary DiSarcina
"The great thing is that he's always looking to improve. How good can he be? Well, we're talking about a guy who
is Hall of Fame caliber." - Lou Piniella
"Alex is going to be among the elite. If he comes even close to the season he had last year, he'll be in his own
league. You try to compare him to somebody, but you can't. He is the only one who has done what he has done." - Alan
Trammell
"He learned in one or two years what it took me ten years to learn. He uses the whole field, foul line to foul line."
- Edgar Martinez, two-time A.L. batting champion
"Last season, Alex probably did Edgar better than Edgar did. It's amazing. With Alex, success comes with his strength,
with his timing, with his weight shift, with his hands. Another year of two like that, kids will all be copying Alex. A lot
of them probably are now." - seven-time N.L. batting champion Tony Gwynn
"I'm Alex's biggest fan. I brag on him so much that my teammates are sick and tired of me talking about him. Last
year we talked all the time, especially early in the season. We both knew if we didn't get off to a good start, we might be
shipped out." - A.L. Rookie of the Year Derek Jeter
"Money and fame are like dust. You aren't worth anything if you don't stay the same person you were before you had
them." - Loudes Navarro, Alex's mother
"He is what baseball needs right now. He respects the game, has a lot of class and image most people would pay for.
I wish my daughter could marry him...but she's only two years old." - Gary DiSarcina
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