I'm trying to get myself in good shape, do my workouts, so that when I am back, I am ready to go.
Carlos Ruiz
Life is like school. You aren't going to be born knowing what to do in every situation. You learn little by little.
I love baseball. I love my city, Philadelphia and Panama. I want to do my best and show everybody... I'll do my best.
I was always taught that a catcher has to be the brains of the team.
When one goes to school, you don't have any idea of what you're going to learn. But as each day passes, you learn things. I believe sport is the same way. Some guys are born with a talent. But you have to nurture that talent and continue to learn.
You have to go out there and do your best and help the team win.
I won't tell you that I've never been discouraged. Of course I have; as a human being, that's bound to happen.
I really love Philadelphia and all of the fans, my teammates, the front office, the organization, everybody. I know I'm going to miss them. I really appreciate everything we did together. On the other side, I am happy because I have a chance to go to the playoffs. Another opportunity, maybe, to go to the World Series.
As a kid, baseball was always my passion.
For almost every interview, I had to have others translate for me, and look for someone to do that. I had a lot of miserable moments. But my teammates treated me well and helped me gain confidence.
Now, every organization has to have a translator for the Hispanics on the teams, and that helps a lot.
Every Hispanic player goes through that. It's a lot of hard work, to be able to communicate with your teammates. English is fundamental to be able to express yourself fully in a game.
The day I got to Los Angeles after I got traded, Chase Utley was the first guy I saw. He welcomed me. He gave me a big hug. He was, like, 'You. You are my brother.'
You know a guy. You know what's their best pitch. But catching it - that's different.
You want to keep doing better every day.
I like to work the count, but I know when I have to be aggressive.
I have some really cool memories here in Philly, and I thank you for the support. These are great fans, and I think when you play hard and when you do your best to win, they appreciate that. It was fun to be part of this organization and play for this city. I really enjoyed the time I was here.
Baseball continues, life continues, and I have to continue to work.
When I stop, it's going to be something my body is going to tell me when to stop.
I think my goal is to play every day because I believe that I can still play every day.
I always try to have some good at-bats. Home runs come once in a while; that's good.
I always say that I think my job is behind home plate, call a good game, play some good defense, and also, I know I was not a power hitter.
The good Lord was the one who provided everything for me.
