Momentum is your next day’s pitcher.
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.
He represented the Twins, but I think everyone in baseball felt like they were a teammate of Kirby Puckett.
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.
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.