"All I know is that when I come to the ballpark I'm going to be on time and give 100 percent. I know that I have to do that to keep my job."

"Baseball people think they can find athletes with good bodies and teach them to play baseball. What's wrong with giving someone who already knows how to play baseball a chance? I think I fall into that category."

"I always thought I could hit like this. I just didn't know if I'd get a chance."

"I don't think there's any way you can worry about how many errors or how many bad plays you've made. You can get into a fielding funk just as quick as you can hitting."

"I like to have fun, and the only way to have fun is to win."

"I've had to work for everything I have, and I'm not going to stop. The minute I feel I've made it, I'm done."

"I've heard about my size all my life. It makes you work that much harder. It's gratifying to prove them wrong."

"I've seen plenty of ballplayers way better than me, but they didn't have the work ethic. It comes down to how bad you want it."

"Pressure is only what you make of it and what you put on yourself."

"Too many times, people put unnecessary pressure on themselves. It's stupid to think that way. You just have to stay within yourself and do what you have been doing all your life."

"What's there to be nervous about? You just go out and play the game."

"When you're getting $2,000 a month in the minors, it's hard not to eat Taco Bell every day."

"You can't listen to what people say about you. If you do, you're never going to get anywhere in life."

"You can't live your life saying, 'What if?' You live by the hand you're dealt. I'm not going to waste my time wishing I was 6-2."

"You don't know how long this is going to last. This could be my last year, I could have 10 or 15 more years after this. You never know. So you've got to take care of your game like it's your last."

"You've got to set high standards for yourself."

"All he wants to do is play and win. You could tell from the first time you saw him that he played with a lot of passion and desire." - Bobby Cox

"He has a lot of confidence going for him. He's secure in his job." - Gary Sheffield

"He plays the game crazy." - Rafael Furcal

"He's a guy who takes more pride in his defense than his offense. He knows he's going to hit, so he goes out and spends a majority of his time on his defense. You have to respect that." - Chipper Jones

"He's got a great work ethic. He's a throwback. He's had to work hard because scouts said he wouldn't get out of A ball." - Glenn Hubbard

"He's not a no-field, all-hit second baseman, which is the label he was given. You still have all the guts and grit, but there's a little bit of smoothness to go along with that." - Don Sutton

"He's worked very hard, and he probably has more talent than I do. When you put that together with his work ethic, you really have something." - Brian Giles

"I'm extremely proud. He's making a name for himself." - Brian Giles

"It might be 100 degrees out, and Marcus (Giles) will get here two hours early to work on ground balls or take extra batting practice. I had Mark Lemke when he was coming up, and Marcus reminds me of him. He wears us out." - Randy Ingle

"Neither Brian nor Marcus was really the type of player scouts looked for. They didn't have great size. They didn't have great speed. They didn't have great power. Even though they were both outstanding hitters, neither of them was what could be described as a tools player. They had to work very hard to get recognized." - Bill Giles

"The kid can hit, and he's learned to play solid defense." - Bobby Cox

"There's something about the guy, about his work ethic, his determination, his grit, that you want to bet on." - John Schuerholz

"We're very close and it's been great to see Marcus have the kind of success he's had. It doesn't surprise me because Marcus can flat-out play." - Brian Giles