I'd say he's done just about everything the right way so far.

He's the kind of guy who is always looking to improve. He pushes himself every day. His game, when it's on, it's a dominating style.

He's shown he's ready to among the elite starting pitchers. His stuff is there. He is definitely going to be one of the leaders of this staff for the next few years.

Everyone in the league knew he was one of the best players. I played against him then. I remember him being such a great competitor.

The nice thing about it is that, with the exception of Esteban, everyone else was here last year. So everyone knows the drill, what we're doing, what we're trying to do. And Esteban's a veteran, so he'll be fine.

It was a very productive day for him. We accomplished what we wanted.

It would be hard to come back and start and expect five innings and 80 pitches.

With his mentality, he knows how to dominate. He takes his game to a different level every time he throws a baseball. He loves to compete, and he's learned his trade.

I remember facing him on opening day in 1987. It was Oakland at the Minnesota Twins, the first time I got him out on a breaking ball down-and-in and next at bat he hit the same pitch for a home run. I was telling my kids that story yesterday.

The fact Rich has been sick (with food poisoning) the last few days and lost a little weight, well, we've got time. This won't hurt him.