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Baseball was socially relevant, and so was my rebellion against it.

When I was 12, I had a coach tell me I would never be a championship pitcher. That devastated me. I was crushed.

In baseball, I was a pitcher, which I hated because there was no action there.

I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher.

And then when I went to stay in '68, I can honestly say that I was not focused on my career and on what it took to be a major league pitcher and to be a starting pitcher.

It took me a while to figure that out and to realize what a gift that I had been given. And when I finally did, I dedicated myself to be the best pitcher I possibly could be, for as long as I possibly could be.

I had an addiction to play baseball.

I never faced a pitcher with better stuff than Nolan Ryan.

I can honestly say it took two full years for me to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player.