Quotes By Rafael Palmeiro

I'm very happy for the Contreras family. They're out. Now they've got a chance to experience life the way I did as a kid. You know, his kids are going to have a real chance in life now, and the same way that I had it.

I hope that people look at my whole career and appreciate that I've given everything that I've got.

I would love to go back and help rebuild that country and help - you know, kind of like what's going on with Iraq right now. You know, they've got a new government in place. They're trying to rebuild the country. I would love for that to happen in Cuba also.

The other deals with my life and my livelihood and my family and all that I stand for.

I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me.

But I think mainly, you know, just up in the East Coast, it's where it all originated. You know, Philadelphia. It goes back to the beginning. So, you know, fans have a lot of history, and they love their teams up here.

I respect the Hall of Fame, and if they think that I'm worthy enough, I would be very honored. And if they don't, I gave it all that I had to this game.

I don't think that - you know, I'm sure that there's guys that are doing it, because I'm sure in every sport there's players who want to get the edge. But I think that it's been blown overly - way more than guys are using it in our game.

With all the great products that are apparently out there that are undetectable, for me to take something like that... when people take things that now aren't even being tested for, does it make any sense?

I still feel like I can play defense at first base at a very high level.

Well, you know, I left Cuba as a kid when I was 6 years old back in 1971.

I wish that they had the freedoms like the Japanese and the Koreans and the Mexicans and everybody else that has that freedom to come over here and play the game, because I know Cuba has a very strong baseball history.

I wish that they could have more freedoms to be able to come and play. I know that the only way that they can get out is by, you know, defecting to another country or whatever, or getting on a boat.

You know, my family stood for something that they believed in, and I wasn't about to turn my back on them.

To snap my fingers and let it go away. Even if it takes the 3,000th hit with it, just let it all go away.

You just want to be able to have a nice career and make a living at it.

You set your goals to a point where they're attainable, but far enough away that you have to really go get them. And every year I push my goals a little bit farther away, and every year I work a little bit harder to get them.

Baseball gets better for whatever reason.

Three thousand, it's just a number. It's just a game.

I don't know who took what. That is pretty private with an individual.

My parents didn't agree with what was going on, you know, with the communists coming in, Fidel Castro. I didn't see the reason why I needed to go back there and be a part of that exhibition.

I don't see myself as someone that brings a lot of luggage.

There's a lot of history in Boston and a lot of history, obviously, in New York with all the championships.

I said what I said before Congress because I meant every word of it.

When I testified in front of Congress, I know that I was testifying under oath and I told the truth.

I don't think anybody ever saw anybody taking anything.

You know, when you first come up, and you get called up to the big leagues, all you want to do is just, you just want to have a career, a nice career. You want to make a living at it.

Yes, but I - you know, it's been such a long time, I'm sure that I've got cousins and uncles that I've never met before, you know, that I've left behind.

I'm not going to say what was being used in the clubhouse; whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse. But it was not like it was in your face.

The tragedy of all of this is that it happened to me and it shouldn't have happened. It ruined my life and my career. That's the tragedy of this.