MLB ALL-STAR GAME

July 11, 2000

Sammy Sosa

SAMMY SOSA: That was a great pitch to go to rightfield. Pretty much, I was looking for something inside, and he just throw me that pitch outside. I was thinking: "Go to rightfield." I would have had it really great.

SAMMY SOSA: I think all the players, they are spending some more time in the gym. They are stronger, and they probably want to go and compete. This is the name of the game, and pretty much you see the difference in the first half. You see some people right now, some players that have 28, 30 home runs -- something that never happened before. And that's what made this game so exciting.

SAMMY SOSA: I don't know what you have to make an adjustment, but I prefer everything to keep going the way it is. (Laughter.)

SAMMY SOSA: You have to understand that you come here to the All-Star Game, three at-bats -- I think that was good enough for me. You have to give an opportunity to the other guys that are here for the first time. But I was talking to Bobby, and I said, "If you need me for more, I don't mind to stay for the game." But I don't think it was the right time for me to stay in the game. I think what I did yesterday and today, that's good enough.

SAMMY SOSA: Well, I cannot say no. We are going to go out there and try to finish strong. I still have a lot of future in my career. If it doesn't happen this year, I have a lot more years to come, and I'm going to get ready for it. You have to understand that in the first half, I would be playing the way that I was playing before, because I was a little bit -- kind of like really, really not happy. But I believe now that I'm back, and I feel great again and start to smile again, and go out and play the game the way it is.

SAMMY SOSA: I was just trying to make contact. You have to understand that you're facing some of the All-Star pitching, too. It's nothing like BP. You can go there and say, you know... (Laughing. ) But I made some good swings, and they made some good pitches. Good pitches are going to stop good hitters. I wish I could have one of those.

SAMMY SOSA: Unbelievable experience, especially for the last four weeks. Everything that I've been through, I come here to enjoy everything, and win there yesterday. It took me three years to win the Home Run Derby, and that's something that I really, really enjoy -- especially the fans that were there last night. It was unbelievable. It was something that I'm never going to forget. Hopefully, next year I'll come back and do much better.