I always said to myself that if I thought I slipped and could not be the player that I want to be, then it was time for me to go.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I always said to myself that the minute I thought I'd slipped, and not be the player I wanted to be, it was time for me to go.
For example, I wouldn't hesitate to sit somebody down if he wasn't performing, even if he was the No. 1 player in the world. I've been sat down before.
This is my journey. If I fall, I have to pick myself up. If I'm not getting the playing time I want, it's up to me to figure out why.
When it was time for a player to go, he went.
When I was a player and hit into a double play, I felt as if I was letting everyone down.
We lived in Colorado, and my parents were outdoorsy mountain people. My father would always say, 'Go out and don't come back until you have something to show me.' Which meant he wanted me to come back with a scraped knee or an injury. When I went out to play, I felt like I'd better get hurt.
Playing the game, representing the team, giving my all and never letting go has meant everything to me.
I was a football player at college and dislocated my thumb. I was out for a bit and passed the theatre and saw some lovely drama students walking into an audition for 'Much Ado About Nothing' and thought: 'That's what I'll do when I recover.' I joined that production and was hooked.
I pinch myself every day anyway. Everyone knows the road I have had in the game and how I have managed to get myself to where I am today.
When people push back on you and don't think you can do it, and you struggle a little bit and wonder if they're right, it drives you to be successful and to be a great player.