It's not supposed to be personal. It's not about you. It's not about your opponent. It's about the game. It's about it being an honor to put the uniform on at this level. Don't bring it down from that.

You're not supposed to say that.

Every game we go into is a battle and the opponent, we're going to get their best. Penn-Trafford's not out of this race ... and they need a win against us to get in, so you add the rivalry and the fact they're still in the playoff hunt and you're looking at a battle on Friday.

Every game means a lot to me. The caliber of our opponent does not matter. We just try to keep a positive attitude.

I can take a full swing and once in a while feel a sting, but it goes away. I regain my strength and can finish the at-bat. If that happened last year, I was done for the rest of the game.

I almost threw up because I had a lot of gum in my mouth, but I feel good about my performance.