This is an issue that has an exceedingly high number of threads in it. It involves race, it involves culture, it involves crime, it involves justice.
Hitting is an art, but not an exact science.
When you've learned to believe in yourself, there's no telling how good a player you can be. That's because you have the mental edge.
Do you believe you're a starter or a benchwarmer? Do you believe you're an all-star or an also- ran? If the answers to these questions are the latter, your play on the field will reflect it. But when you've learned to shut off outside influences and believe in yourself, there's no telling how good a player you can be.
There is a special sensation in getting good wood on the ball and driving a double down the left-field line as the crowd in the ballpark rises to its feet and cheers. But, I also remember how much fun I had as a skinny barefoot kid hitting a tennis ball with a broomstick on a quiet, dusty street in Panama.
There was a point at which I thought I'd never get the most valuable player, especially the years I played at Minnesota. We never won a pennant there, we were far away from the big media centers of Los Angeles and New York, and I wasn't a flashy power hitter but a guy who hit to spots, who bunted and stole bases.
The way they dress here (California), your head is always in the stands. All those bikinis, your eyes get tired.
Intelligence is useful. Energy is valuable. Integrity is essential.
If you neglect your blogs they don't take up much time.
Being a sick man is like being a log caught in a stream, Gilles. All the straws gather around it.
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.