When you don't have the deepest pockets, you better have the best scouting and development.
— Tony La Russa
I was in the American League for 16, 17 years, and I think it's a really tough league to compete in.
Ever since I managed with guaranteed contracts and all the media, you know, you can get distracted by fame and fortune. Your values can get distorted. And the way you break through is, you just keep it personal and keep it simple and basic.
I was a lousy player with virtually no experience managing.
There's a bigger difference now than when I first got into professional baseball because that was before guaranteed contracts, before there was a lot of money, so it was mostly survival. You had more competition.
You know, I think when you coach or you manage, you make decisions, and there's some that are really, really tough.
Losing sucks. I don't think most people understand how bad it feels.
It's easy to figure out whether you're getting stale. All you've got to do is look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
There are always distractions, if you allow them.
To me, there is no more conscientious umpire in the Major Leagues than Jim Joyce. He gives you a hellacious effort every time.
Anything that disturbs your comfort factor is good for you.
My mind is just a product of 50 years of being taught. I'm no smarter than anyone else, but I've been taught by some wonderful people.
The arc of Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing has gotten bigger than when he hit line drives. Juan Gonzalez is a terrific power hitter, too.
Clubs are taking away the steal of home. Not only are more pitchers throwing out of the stretch position, but more third basemen are playing closer to the bag. But another reason why nobody does it much anymore is that some guys, no matter how fast they are, just aren't comfortable trying to steal home.
I've been so fortunate in life to have worked for such great organizations, with great owners and general managers and all the great players, along with the support of my family.
I think the game is so mental. If you sit around and you're mentally strong, you're ready.
If you like to run and the guys can't run, you don't run. If you like power, and you have guys that can't hit it out of the park, then you start moving guys around.
I can only think of about four players who I do not have anywhere from a good to a great relationship with.
If you're a coach, and you don't have trust with players, you've got no chance, and your credibility is zero. And that's why it's so important to tell them the truth. If you have something that you're upset about, tell them the truth. If they're doing something wrong, tell them the truth.
I have coaching friends, and when we get together, we often talk more about what we're doing to get players' attention than we do about the fascinating X's and O's of our sport.
I'm not a big 'Moneyball' fan.
I'm a great believer in the character of a club. To me, character has a lot to do with how you compete. That creates urgency and toughness. That elevates the talent that you have.
If the national government doesn't fix your problem, you've got a problem. You've got to fix it yourself. That's just part of the American way.
If you seriously aspire to be a manager in the big leagues, there is a baseball 'book' that one must learn. Alongside that book, you must practice Spanish. Of 25 players on each roster, sometimes there are between eight and 15 players who speak Spanish.
In the end, as a manager or coach, you have to keep your heart pure and do your best as a manager or a coach.
I don't miss being in the dugout - I'll make that clear.
You can't put a price on what Mark McGwire brings to the Cardinals organization. The responsibility he accepts is as great as any number of home runs.
If you try to give them a scheme, most hitters will rebel.
I think the guys that get to the All-Star Game deserve a lot of credit. They deserve their opportunity to get out there and let the baseball fandom see them.
What you end up doing is you try to match your guy's strength against a place they can be successful. They're doing the same thing against us. Sometimes they have the edge, sometimes you have the edge.
You've got to acknowledge what you did wrong and see if you can fix it to the extent possible, and turn the page.
Winning in Oakland in '89 was distinguished because that was truly a great team on a mission to prove that '88 was not what we represented. I look at that team in awe. It was a push-button team.
You can't manage by memo. You can't stand up there and just send out edicts. I think you just gotta really personalize your relationships.
I had started law school at Florida State University as a part-timer. I would go two quarters, and they allowed me to drop out to play baseball, and then I'd get readmitted in September. I was convinced I was going to be a lawyer and was using my baseball salary to pay my way through school.
My wife and I, we started a foundation about companion animal rescue, but there's a group called Performing Animal Welfare Society just outside of Sacramento... and they offered me a job as an elephant keeper.
Just because you're down to your last strike, you're not out yet. You can always do more. You'll always have more at-bats to take. That's true in baseball, in rescuing animals, and in life, generally.
I'm not going to manage again. I'm going to work for a team someday. But it won't be managing.
We're all men, not machines. We make mistakes.
I think each negotiation should be based on what's the best decision - taking everything into account, not taking one thing into account.
I've said this: If Jim Leyland had been in my place, he'd have the 2,000 wins and I'd have 1,000. Leyland is the greatest.
It's a sensitive thing, playing major league baseball.
I think there's a growing number of pitchers who want to have a plan going into a game about how they're going to go after that lineup. I'd say 75 percent want to have an idea, and they plan their attack. I know that 75 percent of hitters do not have that same type of plan against a pitcher.
If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back, and sometimes they could have come back, but they give in or give up.
