I have watched him from afar, and if he isn't the best in the game, he is right up there with the best. He is so smooth and natural.

I think Alex Gonzalez is as good a shortstop as you'll find. He's got this play where he kind of takes the knee and slides to his right and gets up and fires. I've lost a ton of base hits on that play.

I guess that's the silver lining. The nice thing about our position is we don't have to watch the scoreboard. It's interesting, and we're gonna do it, but if we can take care of business and win, it's not going to matter.

I haven't noticed any idiots here. I mean that in a good way.

If you play as long as I have, things happen. You can only beat your head against the wall for so long. We made the playoffs, and I came back and helped us down the stretch. It was the first time that I had been to the playoffs.

I had my first Major League at-bat off him in 1995. He struck me out. But I think that helped me out in seeing some pitches, and I know he's aggressive and always comes after you.

I'm looking forward to that. I played many years in County Stadium where we had six or eight thousand in a 60,000-seat stadium. It helps. It helps your energy level. It's a long season. It's a grind, and that energy and that excitement can only help you stay focused and stay alert.

They were the better team. We wanted to fight back, and they didn't let us.

It was like slow motion. I reached and it was by me. This can be a very humbling game.

It's smart to stay sharp. With tonight and Monday, we're getting two days off in a span of five days. That's ample.