Willy Taveras Quotations

I didn't want to win it this way. I feel for Jeff. I know he wants to play. I don't want anyone to get hurt. He's a big part of this team.

He's done a great job against us. He throws a lot of strikes. I don't think there's anyone that's been any tougher on us.

I think it's fun to see a guy get on first base then steal second base and score on a single. Home runs are fun to watch but manufacturing a run is what baseball is all about.

When I saw my name in the lineup, I was happy about it. I always look to see if I'm playing. I did when I was playing every day.

We practice that a lot, ... But that ball, not many people can hit it there.

It was a little different, ... Usually I play every day but then I wasn't in the lineup. It didn't affect me because I couldn't do anything about it. I could only watch and be ready to play.

Speed has always been my game. It's how I got signed out of the Dominican Republic and it's what got me to the big leagues. If I'm going to have a long career, it's going to be because I can run.

That's my game, just try to make contact. I didn't expect to hit a home run in that situation -- just try to put it in play and make it happen.

They've got a pretty good All-Star team over there, big names. I'm enjoying it.

I'm just worried about helping my team win. Nothing is easy when you get to the major leagues and it takes a lot of hard work to be successful here. I'm happy with the season I'm having but I know I still have a lot to learn in this game.

I love to hit second, ... Biggio gets on, and I can move him over. He hits a lot of doubles, and I can try to move him over to third. That's a good situation.

I'm real happy about it, ... I have to go out there and play hard and try to win.

I'm really excited about that. It's a beautiful thing to get the opportunity to get a chance to play.

It helped my body, ... My wrist is not sore anymore, and I'm not tired.

It means something because it was the players who voted,

It's a little different here than some other places, ... It was hard at the beginning. I had to make an effort to get to know guys and learn to ask them for help. You have to get along with everybody.

It's a big concern for me because it's never happened before,

It's going to be great. I don't know how people are going to react when they see that, but I hope I get a chance to play in that game.

It's going to be fun. I've been joking with the guys, and it will be fun for the fans, too, to see me in another uniform.

It's going to be funny, joking with the new guys and facing them. It'll be funny for the fans, too, when they notice me in a different uniform.

I feel bad for Baggy. I know he wants to play. He's a great guy to have around. I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm not that type of person. We're all teammates here. It would be hard for me, too. I don't work like that.

I do look to see if I'm playing. Even when I was playing every day, I looked because they could put somebody else in there to play,