Major League Baseball

"Before I was drafted by the Red Sox, I really didn't know that much about them, but in talking to people, they said they weren't known for stealing a lot of bases. It's nice coming to an organization that doesn't necessarily use the run game and still have them give me the green light to steal and use my speed."

"I always knew I was fast from a young age."

"I didn't want to put a timeline on myself. I knew that if I went out and played hard, continued to improve-that's the biggest thing, continued to improve-that things were going to happen."

"I dreamed of winning the World Series some day, but I never thought I'd have my own parade."

"I got off to a great start and like the team success, I just rode it through."

"I haven't really been swinging the wood bat for that long. I went to college for three years swinging the aluminum and I was only in the Minor Leagues for two years."

"I'm a competitive person. I'm a perfectionist."

"I'm a pretty even-keeled person. I don't get too high, get too low."

"I'm half Native American and half white so I think I can adjust culturally to anything."

"I think I have the power to hit home runs, but I think that's something that will come later."

"I try to be my own player. I really haven't modeled my game after anybody."

"I understand the importance of giving back, and that's something I definitely want to do."

"It was fun, having speed and being able to jump. Especially playing football. I played wide receiver and defensive back."

"I weighed the pros and cons of both, and college outweighed the pro ranks at the time and I'm definitely glad I made the choice to come to Oregon State because I'm a better player for it."

"Johnny Damon is a great player, so that's an honor to be compared to him. I think it's pretty cool."

"My biggest thing is to stay with my approach and take quality ABs to the plate. I'm just trying to keep it simple."

"You can be in the league your whole career and never make it to a World Series. For me to do it in my first year and be part of a World Series championship team is very special."

"You can't complain when people appreciate what you're doing."

"Ells has that closing speed. When you're close to a ball and you can't get it, he can." - Jason Bay

"Ellsbury has put a new dimension of pure speed and excitement into our game." - Mike Lowell

"He can create havoc on them bases. He's got a little Johnny Damon in him, with a little different swing. He'll just continue to get better as he plays this game longer." - Jason Varitek

"He is fearless and he lets his instincts take over, which is fun to watch." - Dave Roberts

"He'll probably win a batting title some day." - Carl Crawford

"He's an excellent athlete and one of those quick-twitch muscle fiber guys that makes for an explosive runner." - Todd Claus

"He's been tremendous. There's a lot of things that we hang our hat on with him. We think he's going to be a very good major-league player because of the way he handles himself, not just his skills." - Terry Francona

"He's one of those guys who is athletic and fast, and he knows how to play the outfield. He's fun to watch, especially in right-center. There's a lot of room and you really get to see him get after it." - Jason Bay

"He's such a good athlete. He did so many different things that as soon as he got to pro ball, he really flourished." - Jed Lowrie

"It's impressive to see somebody just running like that." - Julio Lugo

"Jacoby already is a great role model for our Native American youth. Even though some Native Americans don't have the skill to play baseball, they can be just as successful in business or whatever they choose." - Packy Sevada

"Jacoby knows some Navajo songs I taught my boys. He'd probably sing one for you, if you asked." - Margie Ellsbury

"The frosting on the cake, he's still working on. The batter is already in the mixing bowl." - Ben Cherington

"The young outfielder has brought a fiber-optic speed to the base paths, a gritty glove in the outfield, and a surprisingly strong bat." - Christopher Hartmann

"What I don't want to do is put hesitation in him because you're not going to steal 55, 60 bases with hesitation." - Terry Francona