Quotes About Focus

Some things that started in pre-season and then, you know what, the season gets started, you kind of forget about it and then move on to football, and it's strictly football until the season finishes.

The 'Strictly' experience is really like no other - the training and work that goes into it is immense.

I realized if and when I ever put my mind strictly to baseball. I can do some things very few people in this world can.

I made a really good start to my career, and there was a lot of speculation about where I'd end up going. Like I did then, I'm just trying to take this all in my stride and keep my feet on the ground.

I'm a little like Roy Keane. Mentally I'm very strong. I'm very hungry. I'm very dedicated. You can't throw me off my stride. That's how I break people. I just don't care what they do. They can throw 180, 180 and 180 again and I'm like, 'so what?' They've got to keep it up to beat me.

You've just got to take every game in stride and play every game like it's your last.

I didn't really hit my stride until my Olympic year.

Making great strides without a well-defined purpose will not bring positive results.

I try to come in with a focus to stop my man and win the game. I'm always trying to be ready to catch them off their strides by being physical enough without getting fouls.

You want to hit full strides going into the first game and maintain it.

I remember when I wanted every pitch to be a strike.

I want to strike out less than 20 times.

I am constantly re-evaluating my goals and trying to strike items from my to-do list that aren't critical.

If I am playing 18 ball, I aim to see how I can get my strike rate to 150-160. After 6-14 overs, you need to break down, that if you play half balls, then how much runs you need to get on the board.

I've been able to throw it for a strike, which has helped. If I'm not able to do that, I'm not going to have success with it.

I'm not always trying to strike out guys. It just kind of happens sometimes.

If there's a runner on third with less than two outs, I clearly do not want to strike out.

Sometimes I have to try to remind myself that I don't try to strike out hitters.

I'm not trying to throw six or seven pitches just to be able to strike you out. I'm trying to do it in three or four. It's the homework and the process between starts that I really focus on to help me do that.

I'm not trying to strike everybody out.

I'm not trying to strike them out, but there are certain situations, when it's an 0-2 count or a 1-2 count, when I want to have a pitch where I want to strike you out.

I don't need to be going out reverse-sweeping for six and four straightaway. Singles can be just as important as boundaries, rotating the strike and not letting the bowlers settle.

Once it gets to two strikes, it's time to battle, put something in play, and try to get the job done.

Hitting is business. With two strikes you really protect that plate.