WHEN SPRING ROLLS around, I get that familiar itch to play baseball. Each day it becomes more intense, and the smile on my face gets a little wider because there’s nothing I enjoy more. I miss catching baseballs, hitting baseballs and throwing baseballs because I haven’t done any of that in a while. I love hearing the crack of the bat and seeing the fans in the stands. I’m ready to get going.
The Dodgers definitely have high expectations for 2010. We’re eager to get back to where we were last year and to try and make it even further. I want to do whatever it takes to help the Dodgers win. I want to get better, and I want everybody else to get better too.
I’m lucky to be on a team with a lot of character. The guys we have, the coaching staff—everybody, we always come together and find ways to win games. The character of our team is strong, and we have great chemistry. We’re also fortunate to have a manager like Joe Torre. He’s a man of few words, but when he needs to get a point across, he lets it be known this is what he wants done, and this is how he wants it to get done. You definitely have respect for a man who has been with so many World Series teams.
To me, spring means baseball, and baseball means everything.
