“When I’m doing well, it’s like I’m in a nice little ballet. Everything is going slow all around me. It’s very peaceful.”

“I’m so secure in myself I couldn’t care less what people think of me.”

“I’m big into having routines. I’m almost a little anal about it, but you have to be—especially at this level.”

“There’s a part of me that wants to go streak and run outside and jump around and go swim in the ocean and do everything. The other part of me wants to bear down and repeat this kind of performance next year and in the years to come."

"I can relate to anyone. I can hang out with stoners, skaters, surfers, stockbrokers, lawyers, athletes, rappers. I feel I can hang out with any group of people and find common ground to talk with them."

"I'm not trying to be cocky, but I set such a high standard for myself. I'm not happy when I pitch seven innings and give up two runs and get a win.”

"I refuse to be molded into some stereotypical ballplayer that has no interests, really, no life, no depth, no intelligence."

"We're all physical bodies, but basically everything we do is determined by what goes on in our heads. The only person who ever stops me from achieving something is me."

"If I lose my confidence, I can become a prisoner of my own mind."

"It would be great to just be able to ignore everything and pitch to a spot, to suppress the intellect and let the intuition take over."

"I think I'm aware of what goes on in my mind more than some guys, and for that reason I fight more battles."

"I believe in spiritual rebirth, and I can't wait to experience that."

"There's no place I'd rather be than right here. It's a good blend of the familiar and change."

“My heart and soul is here in the Bay, and it's the only way I've known Major League Baseball.”

“I need to have perspective. That's one of the big things former players told me, to not try to live up to anything, just live up to yourself.”