It's good to square the ball up in Spring Training.

I don't really prepare things necessarily. I have some ideas that I want to make sure I get across to our guys. But then when I stand up in front of our guys, whenever I do that - whether it's at different times during the season, or certainly at the start of spring training - I want it to be from the heart, and unscripted.

To me, the way I look at every spring training and every time I'm out there, I'm trying to earn a job.

Everybody's in the best shape of their life when they come to spring training.

The first day of spring training is like the first day of school.

The way it is now, 75% of teams leave spring training with no chance to win, and no desire to win so they can build for the future.

Spring training is kind of my offseason. I'm preparing for the season, but the workload that I experience in spring is much lower than any other time of year. And so, I enjoy it.

Just kind of finding it, that's what Spring Training is for, to work on stuff and get ready.

Fighting for a job - that's been my mindset every Spring Training.

I approach spring training the same way every year.

You mean guys don't get injured in spring training? Guys get hurt walking down the street.

These days baseball is different. You come to spring training, you get your legs ready, you arms loose, your agents ready, your lawyer lined up.

I love playing this game and every spring training feels like the first.

You're just trying to work on things in Spring Training, try to put the barrel on the ball and not peak too early.

I'm usually rough during Spring Training. My Spring Training numbers aren't very good, but I never expect them to be.

In spring training, I just try to spread everything out so I can be 100 percent before the season starts. I don't want to start feeling like I don't get it once the season starts. I want to be 100 percent on Opening Day.

I got to the big leagues when I was 20. I thought I had it all figured out. Went to spring training that next year and started off well, got sent down, and I pouted pretty much all of 2000. And it wasn't the right way to handle it.

It's hard for a shortstop to play with a guy you don't know in the middle of the season. If you know a guy early in spring training, you're working with them.

As far as sleeping goes, you're up and ready to go at six in the morning. Spring training was always a combination of relaxing and working, and I missed that quite a bit. I missed being around the ball field. A baseball. A bat. The smell of the uniform, you might say. Talking baseball. Seeing opponents as well as the Cubs.

We don't just say this every spring training - 'Playoffs, World Series.' You've got to do it.