"Defense is a lot more natural to me than offense."

"I enjoy coming to the ballpark every day. I don't go to work. I come here to play."

"I hope I haven't maxed out, because I'm not satisfied. I hope I can be a better ball player, and I hope I'm on my way."

"I hope I haven't reached a pinnacle...I hope there's something more for me in baseball and in life."

"I'm a baseball player. I'm also a guy who mows his lawn and plays with his dog."

"I'm very happy in this environment. I'm happy coming to the ballpark. I'm happy driving home. I come to the park, and it's all about baseball."

"I've been given an opportunity right now and I'm going to run through a wall to try to take advantage of it."

"I want productive at-bats. I don't want to just single with two outs and nobody on...I want to do some damage."

"My dream was to play Major League baseball. I've lived that dream."

"Playing baseball-hitting-is very difficult. But saying hello to someone is the easiest thing in the world."

"The way I perform best is with a clear and happy mind."

"When I struggle, I realize that I'm not seeing the ball. To fix the problem, I don't worry about where my hands are, how my feet are set up, or where my weight is. I concentrate on seeing the ball and hitting it right back up the middle."

"He could cover third base and shortstop." - Edgar Renteria

"He does a lot of things that other guys don't. He gets from first to third. He hustles every time he hits the ball. He probably saves 75 to 100 runs a year." - Larry Bowa

"He plays every game like it's his last, and that's the greatest compliment I can give." - Rex Hudle

"He's always working on the difficult plays. That says a lot." - Matt Morris

"He's a quiet, gentle giant who can really play this game." - Steve Kline

"He's as good as anyone who ever played the position." - Tony La Russa

"He's as well-rounded a player as I've ever seen." - Mike Matheny

"He saves runs defensively, and he generates runs offensively." - Tony La Russa

"He's got great athleticism at third base. He's got great tools, period." - Cal Ripken

"He's the brightest and most level-headed player I've ever been around." - Ed Wade

"He's very focused. His concentration level is very high." - Hal McRae

"If I had to start a team tomorrow, Scott's my third baseman." - Ray King

"It's real nice to see a young guy who comes along who's hard-nosed like he is and very businesslike." - Walt Weiss

"Not a lot of players play the game the way he does. But a lot more should." - Curt Schilling

"Rolen's the perfect baseball player. It's his tenacity, his preparation, the way he plays. He tries to do everything fundamentally sound. And he puts the team team first-there's no fanfare with him." - Ned Yost

"There have been times where he'll make one of those great plays and I'll just be standing there staring. Then I'll see the other guys running off the field because there are three outs." - Jim Edmonds

"This guy's a stud...there's nothing he can't do." - Tim McCarver

"When I first saw him play, it was easy to tell he was not only a special player, but a special person." - Rico Brogna

"When Mike Schmidt says you're the best third baseman he's ever seen, that's pretty good." - Jason Isringhausen

"When we were in the minor leagues, Scott's was always the name we heard about. He was the guy everyone wanted to play with." - Pat Burrell

"You respect him because he plays the game the right way." - Matt Clement