He's come a long way since he first came to us in the trade [from the Chicago White Sox]. His stroke and plate coverage are much better.

A good game for us, although I was worried about Eddie [Guardado] in the ninth, he was out of sync so much. Not only did we get key hits late, but we had real good pitching and got key outs when we needed.

Willie certainly has been a sparkplug for us. He's done a good job for us, and after we gave him a chance [to play everyday], he has really shined.

the thing sat up and hissed at us, with those nasty teeth showing. We had guys running out of its way.

There might be some disappointment related to the latest trade volume data, especially the Chicago Board of Trade, where volume rose only 4 percent over year ago levels.

They are both good teams, well coached and physical teams. Chicago has a great defense and they are playing in Chicago, but they are both great teams.