Jim Thome Quotes (43 Quotes)

The main thing is the health. When you have a big hit to get your team going, it feels good any time.

It was probably one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make in my life. Looking back, you make a decision and you move. You live with it and you face things like a man.

Obviously, I have a ton of memories here. To me, the reaction will be nice either way, because it's great to be here and seeing all the people you spent a lot of years seeing.

He's been great. This guy is trying to make me a good player. And I respect that.

I've been out half the year, so today was a big day for me, getting out there, just seeing the pitching. The two balls I hit were good passes. For me, that's where I look. What kind of passes, how I feel in the box. Being out half the year, I was really happy with the first day, for sure.

My favorite thing to do is still to go back to Peoria, go to my cabin and hunt with the boys. This is a great lifestyle, don't get me wrong. But fun for me is going back with my buddies I grew up with.

They've accomplished something I haven't. I've been close a couple of times, but I haven't reached that ultimate goal. At this stage of my career, it's about winning. It really is. It's all about winning that final game of the year, and they've done that.

With the emergence of Ryan Howard, who had a tremendous year, to be honest, I didn't really know what would happen,

I really enjoyed my time in Philadelphia, and I want to thank my teammates and the fans for a heck of a ride.

It's going to be tough for him, too, because of Mom. Mom spent a lot of time here.

The last thing you are ever thinking about against that guy is hitting a home run. As a left-handed hitter against him, you are trying to put the ball in play and make something happen.

He has got such good stuff, I don't think you really want to get in a hole on him. One of the first two pitches, he's probably going to throw for a strike, so the main thing with him is to make sure you get out ahead and look to hit early.

I sign every autograph I can for kids because I remember myself at that age. I think it's ridiculous that some guys won't sign for a kid.

That was probably one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make. But you make the decisions you make and you move on.

I think it's a very well constructed lineup. There's a thought process. I'm just happy to be in it.

I'll be honest, my back is really just a maintenance issue. I had a few problems last year, but it's never been anything I have to worry about. I've had periods where I've had a sore back, but I think every player gets that.

You don't have to be really fast to be a good base-runner. When you get out there, it's important to concentrate and understand the game situations.

I had the back and elbow injury that put me on the shelf for a long time. I haven't had a bat in my hand in a competitive situation for almost half a season. It was just nice for me to get back out again and get a feel for the game.

I think everyone knows my history in Cleveland -- very fond memories. I have a ton of respect for everyone over there that I've played with. It brought back a lot memories of old.

He had good command of all his pitches. I've faced him over the years and he had really good stuff. Credit him a lot.

There's an inner feeling you get when you get in a situation to do well in a game. It's hard to explain.

Yeah, I think it will be good. Baseball, especially hitting, it's about repetition. It's about getting a lot of at-bats. That's what we'll do.

I haven't had any setbacks at all. I'm excited. I called a couple of my buddies the other day and said, 'Man, I'm a baseball player again. Forget this rehab.' Everything's been good.

It was really special against the team you played for. The crowd the way they showed up was great. ... I think everyone knows my history in Cleveland, very fond memories. ... It was neat. It brought back a lot of memories.

We swung the bats really well today. This was a huge series for us - we knew we had to step it up against them, because they have been playing really well.

It's nice and it's always great to start off well. But let's keep it going. It seems there's someone who steps up each day. It's fun. It's like, 'Who's going to do it today' We're really rockin' and rollin' here.

It felt good. It was a big situation for us. Playing the Indians brought back a lot of fond memories for me. I have a lot of respect for all those guys over there.

It's been a good spring. To be honest it's hard to explain. I just try to be consistent. Have good at-bats and good things happen. Fortunately, that was the case this week.

When I leave the game of baseball someday, I want people to recognize that I always put my teams first,

To be honest, I don't comment on things like that. I try not to go there.

You look at our club, you look at the guys we have, everyone in the room knows how to play. We knew the way Detroit was playing coming into this series. That makes it even bigger to come in here and win the first two, with the momentum they had. It's good to get back on track.

It's a very close-knit group. I would say very, very similar (to the Indians), for sure.

It just was weird walking in here, nothing bad. Looking out in this angle (from the visiting dugout) is big-time different.

My dad told me when I went into high school, 'It's not what you do when you walk in the door that matters. It's what you do when you walk out.' That's when you've made a lasting impression.

I think what really helped was going down to the minor leagues. I had that little hamstring deal, and then I had sat out a couple games. I think I came back and struck out like three times. I felt I needed to go down and get some at-bats, and it worked out good.

The Indians are going in a way they want to go and I respect that, ... I've loved that organization and I still will.

I really don't care where I hit, as long as I'm in the lineup. ...That's Ozzie's decision. Whatever role I'm in, whatever position I'm in, I'll try to do the best I can and try to produce.

I got to see more pitches. I got over 30 at-bats in three days. When I got back to playing in the regular games, it just seemed to click.

Jermaine is a very professional hitter and he has very good at-bats. He kinda kick started it and helped us against (Brad) Radke. It's like, 'Who is going to do it today' I think we are rocking and rolling here.

The strongest thing I put into my body is steak and eggs. I just eat. I'm not a supplement guy. Steroids are not even a thought.

Everyone knows my history in Cleveland. Very fond memories. I have a ton of respect for everyone over there that I played with. The bottom line is, it was neat. It brought a lot of memories of old. I was telling the guys in the dugout it seemed different being on that side than the other side.

Being hurt last year and having those injuries, I think it has kind of put it all in perspective for me as to how much I really appreciate the game.

That was a big reason why I came here because of the success they had, winning it a year ago. Going to spring training and seeing the guys, how they prepare and how they go about their business, you can tell why they won it.