Ryan Zimmerman

“It's harder than you think to play varsity sports and maintain your grades.”

“Me and my buddies heard a lot about Brooks Robinson from our parents and coaches. My best friend from home that I grew up with, his father, who was our AAU coach, his middle name was Brooks, named after Brooks Robinson. As a third baseman, I always looked up to him.”

“I wouldn't say I'm die-hard religious, but I have my beliefs. I grew up right on the beach. We would wear flip-flops and tank tops to church and go right back to the beach. It was a real laid-back atmosphere, real relaxed.”

“My parents let me and my brother do what we wanted to do as long as we did it the right way.”

“I enjoy playing baseball. Not being able to do it is tough.”

“You're gonna be crappy sometimes, but you have to learn to get better from failing.”

“My parents were there to support us in whatever we wanted to do. But if we did something, they wanted to make sure we were committed. We weren't going to do it half way.”

“I've always been taught just to go about your business and do things the right way on and off the field.”

“Even in those years when we were losing, it's playing baseball for a living and having a good time. I learned a lot from those years. I made a lot of good friends and a lot of good teammates. I wouldn't give back those years for anything.”

“I think it's easier to play in a playoff race. This is exciting. It's a lot easier to come to the park with the bangs and bruises everyone has when you're in first place.”

“I'm not much of a beer drinker.”

“If something's hurt and you're masking pain, sooner or later you're going to have to do something a little more than a cortisone shot.”

“People in D.C. have a lot of other things going on. And when you win in this city, it's different.”

“Nothing is more frustrating than not being to do what you love to do.”

“I don't consider playing baseball a job. I have too much fun.”

“Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.”

“It's professional sports. You do what you need to do to play and, at the end of the season, you get cleaned up.”

“Whenever you have any sort of surgery, nothing's guaranteed.”

“People's lives and health take precedence over everything.”

“My wife and I go to five or six hockey games in the offseason. It's our favorite thing to do.”