I was ecstatic. It was a huge opportunity. |
I was just looking for a pitch to hit. All day they were pitching us outside, so I knew I had to cover the outside half. |
Obviously it's hard to lose 26 home runs. But it shouldn't be a factor. When a guy comes out of the lineup it's a chance for someone on the bench to come up and do his thing. |
Our approach [from the plate] just hasn't been what it needs to be. We need to just do the little things right. ... We have some guys who are trying to do too much. |
That stuff comes and goes. It's something you've got to play through. |
That's huge, just having him in the lineup and that fear factor in the other dugout. His presence is big for us. It will be a confidence booster to have him back in the lineup. |
That's what we try to do. We try to answer every time they put a number up and kill their momentum. ... It was big for us. |
That's why Darren was out there. He is the guy that we want out there [in pressure situations], and he wanted to be out there himself. |
The quality of pitching was great this weekend. But our approach hasn't been what it needs to be. We need to do the little things we did last year to be so good. This year we've got guys trying to do too much. |
There's definitely a lot of anticipation for this year. There's a lot of expectations and excitement around the team. We're just ready to get going. |
These days you'll find a surf scene just about anyplace there are waves. Even on beaches once considered off the beaten path, you'll often find surf shops offering lessons and board rentals. |
We hadn't played together since we were six years old. It was good to play with him again. |
We never look at it like we can't win a game. We always feel that we can find a way to win a game. |
With a bit of instruction, it's much easier to catch a wave than it looks. But most wave riders will tell you that becoming a great surfer is a lifetime pursuit. |
Without a doubt, it's hard [getting down early]. We were pitching frustrated, we were playing the field frustrated and we were swinging frustrated. You can't play that way, or the game will come back to bite you quick. |