Barry Zito

“I was this 5-7 pudgy kid in high school... I wasn't a popular kid. I was an outcast.”

“Regardless of what you want to call it, guys need some type of spirituality they can grab onto. If it's Christianity, which is a very structured approach, or if it's something that's a little more open-ended... like, Zen's something you can make yourself a part of. You can interpret it for yourself, like Taoism and stuff like that.”

“I'm OK being the veteran, but I'm still just a kid.”

“I think in the bullpen you can tell during your warmups, if you have a good feel for it. But anything can happen once you get into a game. Sometimes you just wind up throwing it better than ever before one day without knowing why.”

“I feel I can hang out with any group of people and find common ground to talk with them.”

“I looked up to my father when I was 7 and 8. I believed it was my calling to be in the big leagues. I'd been raised by a family that always told me I could do anything I wanted.”

“I refuse to be molded into some stereotypical ballplayer that has no interests, really, no life, no depth, no intelligence.”

“Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think.”

“It's not like I'm some kind of veteran and there is this huge age gap. I identify with them more off the field. I need to set an example, which is great, and I look forward to doing just that.”

“I just write mechanical things.”

“I hadn't focused on mechanics since I signed professionally.”

“Everyone focuses on the earthly state, but how cool might death be? I believe in spiritual rebirth, and I can't wait to experience that.”

“The outfield is solid, so is the catching and the infield.”

“I view my pitching on how confident I was out there, period. And if I lose that confidence, I can become a prisoner of my own mind.”

“Big league defense is going to get outs most times.”

“Meyer and I have a bit in common because we're both left-handed. I think it's great that he seeks out that advice because he's not too cool or too uncomfortable to ask for it.”

“When someone becomes successful or rich and famous, people perceive that person as being different. But I'm the same guy I've always been.”

“I do look forward to keeping in touch with the guys, because we'll always be connected in people's minds.”

“I can count my friends on one hand.”