There were times when I'd bench players for their lack of effort. We worked very hard on fundamentals, which was the Dodger way. We needed to be more aggressive.

Playing without the fundamentals is like eating without a knife and fork. You make a mess.

Sometimes your bench players are your most important players.

And hard times are good in their own way, too. Because the only way you can achieve true happiness is if you experience true sadness as well. It's all about light and shade. Balance.

She used to be real hard on herself last year and would get frustrated. I think she's worked through that now — this year I don't see it. I see her more focused. Right now, I think she's our most consistent hitter. She's our leader right now, so that's another reason we need her on the court.

We lost the game, but I'm somewhat pleased with the effort. We've got a lot of young players. We have a lot of first-year players.