"But more important than personal awards is winning the World Series. That's the max that anyone could ask for. Let alone to have the ball in your in your glove for the final out of the World Series. That was the ultimate."

"I was in good control of my body, and I kept my head still."

"The thing that got me over the hump was accepting that I had to do whatever I could to stay in the game."

"Pitching... sometimes I did so poorly, it brought me to tears."

"I do want to sell as many records and win as many awards as I can. The awards though, they don't necessarily determine if you're good or not. I know that now."

"Keep courage. Whatever you do, do not feel sorry for yourself. You will win in a great age of opportunity."

"I used to play too with a boy who played a saxophone. We didn't play no blues, we'd play a lot of love songs - 'Stardust', 'Blue Moon', 'Out Cold Again', 'Sophisticated Lady', 'Stars Fell On Alabama', a lot of different stuff."

"I like to edit my sentences as I write them. I rearrange a sentence many times before moving on to the next one. For me, that editing process feels like a form of play, like a puzzle that needs solving, and it's one of the most satisfying parts of writing."