You’ve got to make adjustments as you get older.
I play in New York, man. Criticism is part of the game. You take criticism as a challenge.
One of the best things about being a Yankee is that you have guys like Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, Ron Guidry and Reggie Jackson wandering around the locker room offering you advice.
The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward.
I never think about my own stats, as long as I’m contributing to the team.
A lot of teams, I think, are just happy to make the post-season. Here, you have to win.
You know what I want to do? Wake up one weekend and not have to go anywhere and do nothing.
If you play well on the field, everything will take care of itself.
The Yankees have twenty-five heroes.
I think when things linger, that’s when they become a distraction. I don’t want any distractions.
If I put my name on something, I’m going to be involved. I’m not just going to put my name on it and not pay attention.
The big difference for me is that, as I get older, I find it’s a lot easier to stay in shape than it is to get back in shape.
The draft is a crapshoot, so I’ve been very fortunate to be drafted by the Yankees, and to have spent my whole career here.
The first thing to know about playing baseball in Michigan is, Michigan’s really cold.
The Yankees have strict rules. You can have a mustache but no other facial hair.
What kind of influence did my parents have on my life? Well, they had the most influence. These are the people who are closest to me. My parents are very positive people. They’ve been supportive. They’re always there.
So many people are insanely busy nowadays, and it’s easy to say, ‘Ah, I’ll workout tomorrow.’ But you have to set aside a time and stick to that schedule.
I’m a New Yorker now, and believe me, there’s no comparison between the Big Apple and Kalamazoo, no similarity at all. New York City’s hectic, always in fast-forward, and Kalamazoo’s more laid-back, smaller, slower.
Athletics keeps us healthy, gets us up and running around. It also gives you an opportunity to meet a lot of different people, which is very important.
You can’t be sensitive, because you’re going to get criticized. I don’t care who you are, you’re going to get criticized.