He represented the Twins, but I think everyone in baseball felt like they were a teammate of Kirby Puckett.
I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, ‘Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.’
You’re not always going to be at your best, but it better be the best you’ve got that day.
You don’t lead by lip service, you lead by example.
We need to have preparation to win. A disciplined team will win more close games over a period of time.
We need our veterans to set an example, like being the first ones there. A veteran is entitled to a bigger paycheck, but not a special set of rules.
It takes time to get the whole package. Freshmen can’t be seniors.
I’ve managed 25 years, and I can probably count on one hand players that I didn’t really care for, and that’s probably thousands of players that I’ve managed. I think that’s pretty good. I love the players and I always will.
If anybody says they get used to it, you don’t.
I’m second in doubles – double vodkas, double scotches.
When somebody talks about your career, most people are gonna talk about wins and losses, a World Series or pennants. But if somebody asked me how I would sum up my career, I would say I had a unbelievable, fabulous career.
I learned this a long time ago. If you call a guy into your office and shut the door, if theres media around, it sends up a red flag. I never wanted to embarrass a player.
My eight years in Detroit, obviously, were my most successful years managing. I think that Pittsburgh and Detroit are probably very, very similar. We kinda rekindled the fire of baseball in Pittsburgh. We did the exact same thing in Detroit.
Momentum is your next day’s pitcher.
I had 11 years of managerial experience and four years of coaching before I managed a big-league team. To me, it was important, because I learned a lot through trial and error. And it’s tough to have to go through trial and error when you’re a big-league manager.