It's hard for a shortstop to play with a guy you don't know in the middle of the season. If you know a guy early in spring training, you're working with them.

It all comes down to when spring training comes. Do you want to go or don't you? If you want to go, you go.

I've always approached spring training as I have something to prove.

[This season] has taught me that when I go through a winter and go into spring training, I want to have a closer, to tell you the truth. We tried the system earlier in the season. That was not successful for us.

Spring [season] is for training mainly. Most of the training we do in spring is preparing for the fall.

Mickey Mantle was a very good golfer, but we weren't allowed to play golf during the season; only at spring training.