Top 101 Quotes & Sayings by Gabe Kapler - Page 2

I am immensely proud of our people. The way we have been persecuted, and our drive and our survival, is mind-boggling. I think that is part of the reason I continue to be so connected to the Holocaust, and why that has such a moving effect on me.

Historically, baseball has used the 60-yard dash to measure speed. In the most trivial way, this makes sense. This measurement, however, doesn't tell us much about baseball speed.

I've been privy to many athletic environments, both amateur and professional.

Independent of the strength implications, baseball, like most athletic events, is a game of feeling capable of handling the current challenge.

The New York Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka, and the baseball world has yawned.

I had my share of failures at the plate as a MLB player, but I was always pretty confident against left-handed pitching.

There is nowhere on Earth like Boston for a player.

Throwing on a hoodie and headphones and getting lost in a long run is pure freedom for me. I embrace the trance, the intense sweat and, of course, the endorphin release.

I think the players set the tone right away in spring training.

I'm just a person that is trying his best along the way.

I loved having a fan appreciate my style of play, but nothing in the world is more gratifying than having 24 guys gaze at you adoringly for quite assertively scoring a run at the expense of a member of the other team.

When scouts evaluate players for power, they are not simply watching to see if the ball clears the wall. They're laser focused on the flight of the ball, its trajectory and the speed with which it leaves the bat.

I came out on the losing end of a home-plate collision enough times that I truly had to consider the risk.

When a ball is struck with more velocity and at the right angle to create the most distance, you end up with a bomb.

Tall pitchers create leverage and angle, often inducing more groundballs and sometimes swings and misses.

I am extremely connected to and proud of who I am culturally, where I come from, my parents and their parents.

Heavy pitchers can have bulky muscle that leads to decreased flexibility or carry extra fat that puts increased stress on the ligaments and tendons.

Narcissism is a trait universally unappreciated by human beings, and NFL players fall into this human bucket.

Oft-injured MLB players should consider taking a full year off near the middle of their careers.

Hip flexibility is genetic to a degree, and the most gifted hitters have won both the genetic and mechanical lottery.

In 2006, I woke up every morning and dreaded the ballpark. I knew how difficult it was to even prepare my body to go out and play.

There are so few Jewish ballplayers, so you want to be a positive role model and provide an example that the Jewish community can be proud of.

In 2005, when I felt my Achilles snap, I knew instantly that it wasn't just my anatomy that had changed, but my life as well.

I was stronger than Robinson Cano is, but he consistently strikes the baseball with substantially more force than I did.

Young and wiry pitchers allow for the opportunity to add muscle, which often leads to improved velocity.

Confidence, it turns out, is as vital to a players success as is talent.

The Rays organization pays close attention to what's going on mentally and emotionally for its players.

Teammates in all sports love to be acknowledged.

A pitcher's windup and throw is an explosive, coordinated full-body movement. They perform the move once, then rest, then perform it again. There is nothing aerobic about it.

When I backed off the cardio and refocused on strength training, the muscle definition came back.

Watching Clayton Kershaw in the very first game of the 2014 season, I realized that he's not overpowering; he's deceptive. It's the sum of his parts that makes the Los Angeles Dodgers ace baseball's most successful pitcher.

That desire to compete is almost a physical addiction.

As an average hitter myself, I lacked that true back knee drive.

I tore my Achilles' tendon in September 2005.

Lower stress equals a calmer approach at the plate. Calm equals a still head, allowing us to see the ball better. Confidence and relaxation; the hitter's Holy Grail.

Post career-threatening injury, you must fight not only your body, but your mind as well.

Brace yourself if you're a traditional hitting coach, I'm about to say something that will hurt your feelings. The best baseball swing is an uppercut.

Short pitchers often have compact, repeatable mechanics that can lead to good control and command.

My dad ran a few marathons; I fight the urge to do the same because I know that it's not the most efficient way to train unless you're preparing for an event similar in nature, which baseball players are not.

Rehabbing any significant injury is a substantial challenge independently; braving the process twice makes for even longer odds.

I just haven't really had a chance to allow to sink in. I'm sure there is going to come a time when reality is going to hit me and I'm going to know that it's going to be a while before I help my teammates, and that's going to be hard for me.