Any time you sign a big contract, you get in those later years, the expectations are high to play at a high level.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
It's not uncommon for a big free agent to come to a new club with a big contract and not perform up to his standards.
It's inevitable now, because everyone is a superstar, even if they're just an average player, and maybe that was part of the process set in motion when I signed that contract in 1994.
At the minor-league and major-league level, you know how important your coaching staff is, but in a big market it becomes absolutely huge.
The career isn't guaranteed for as long as you might want to play.
High expectations are the key to everything.
I'm realistic. And realistically, I'm not that type of player that earns that type of money any more. So I'd be willing to take a little cut to get a couple of extra years.
The ability of players to jump teams when their contracts are up has hurt fan loyalty.
We decided to either try trades or just go with older players. If you do that and let contracts expire you can be in the lottery for about four or five years and expect your fans to be patient.
I believe a lot of players that start to think about money - 'Oh my goodness; I'm up for a new contract' - they don't have a great season because they're thinking about all these different things. Do your business on the field, and everything takes care of itself.
I think anytime you play somebody on a yearly basis, you develop a history for what they like to do.