He brought that up -- the speed of the game. It's a little bit different here than in the Minor Leagues, and you can take advantage of it sometimes. People go through the motions sometimes, and if you're [thinking] ahead of them, you can take advantage of them.

That's the way Tito is. He believes that to win a pennant, it takes more than 25 guys and that you have to keep everyone sharp.

[The Red Sox] have a lot of confidence in me and I appreciate that.

I never had a chance to go the Olympics or Pan American Games. Just having a chance to put that jersey on, you represent more than the team. You represent the country and what you stand for. I know we're Americans. But [fans] don't see us as American citizens. We're Puerto Ricans. It's going to be a big deal for us.

There are a lot of kids out there and people who are having conversations and not paying attention to the game and they can get hit. I've got a glove and I can get hurt out there. Imagine what can happen if you don't have a glove.

I think that's pretty good because most of the time the line drives that you hit either late or early are the ones you crush and go down the lines. I think it would help.