Jim Thome

My family has loved Minnesota and that was one of the big reasons we decided to come back. For me, family decisions were a big part to coming back to the Twins.

My favorite thing to do is still to go back to Peoria, go to my cabin and hunt with the boys. This is a great lifestyle, don't get me wrong. But fun for me is going back with my buddies I grew up with.

I sign every autograph I can for kids because I remember myself at that age. I think it's ridiculous that some guys won't sign for a kid.

I've always enjoyed interleague play. It gives you a chance to see different clubs, to go to different places. It gives you a good chance to see where you are, where you stand with other teams.

It's tough to strike out. Believe me. I hate striking out. It's no fun. It's embarrassing. But there really isn't anything I can do. It's just a part of my game.

There's an inner feeling you get when you get in a situation to do well in a game. It's hard to explain.

Every player that plays for any organization, having great fans on your side every night is a great thing.

When do you know it's time to say, 'OK, that's it?' That is the most difficult part of any decision like that because you don't want to throw the 'R' word out there. I've mentioned it a couple times, but not in the sense that I'm doing it. That word is very fragile. We'll see.

We all make mistakes and sometimes you say things and you really don't realize what you're saying at that moment.