In his words: Joe Mauer talks about concusion symptoms

Joe Mauer on his concussion symptoms and outlook:

• "I'm excited about the progress I've made in the last two years. I'm feeling great and I'm excited to get out there and prove that. I feel great. It was a struggle at times but I guess the message we're trying to get out there is how good I'm feeling and how far I've come."

• "I'm not going to lie, there were times it was difficult, but I feel great now and I think that message got lost. And I don't want that message to get lost because I've come a long way and worked too hard to focus on that."

• "It wasn't just day games. It was unpredictable. That was part of the frustration. There were some good days, too."

• "[Justin Morneau and I] are very close, and he was a good person to lean on with some of the things that I experienced. When he experienced it, I was trying to relate and couldn't really relate. Well, I [now] know a lot of what he was talking about."

• "If I had felt [the Twins] needed to know something, I would have went and told them, but you're out there and the season is a grind and you try to go out there and compete and that's what I do coming to the park every day."