“Everyone who knows me knows I grew up playing hockey. Just because I don’t go to the papers and tell everyone I’m hurt—I’ve been getting treatment for my elbow the last two months, but I didn’t tell anybody because it’s an excuse.”

“You’ve got to hit 30 before you hit 40.”

“If you can stay back, you can wait an extra split-second longer, and then you become more relaxed, and that’s when you gain confidence.”

“I feel like I’m strong enough that I don’t have to do anything to turn on the ball. When I do that—when I’m ready to take the ball up the middle, when I’m willing to go the other way—that’s when I can turn on the ball."

“I don’t like opening up the paper and reading … quotes about myself.  I don’t really like to see myself on TV or anything like that.”

“It’s just exciting to be a part of a group like this. It looks like we have a pretty good future here and a good core of young guys. Hopefully we can keep that going for a while.”

"There are going to be a lot more eyes on me and other teams paying a little more attention. I have to go out and prove that I can do it again."

"I love Minnesota, and I’d love to play my whole career here."

"I don’t really set personal goals for home runs or anything like that. However many I hit, I hit. If I’m making consistent contact and hitting the ball hard, then I will hit home runs."

"I’m always alright, as long as I’ve got [a bat].”

“I am sorry that during my time here we weren’t able to achieve our ultimate goal of winning the World Series.”

“It was tough saying goodbye. Look on the other side of it, you're on your way to a team that is playing in front of a sold-out stadium and is playing for the playoffs and a division championship and all the other fun stuff. It's a lot of adrenaline, a lot of emotion that I haven't had in awhile.”

"I believe I'm a middle-of-the-order hitter capable of driving in runs. If I stay healthy, I'll get back to that level."

"A first-place team? You're always excited to become a part of that."

"I'm excited by this opportunity, of doing something every day to help this team win, to do whatever it takes to get in the playoffs."

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