To be on the same team with Orr was great because when I turned pro, nobody had more charisma.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
My two favorite things about being a pro player are Sunday afternoons being able to excite many fans and the money because I get to treat my family and friends and myself to nice things.
I almost didn't turn pro at all. I was tempted to be a career amateur. I worked as an investment banker for nine months after I got out of school, and the money was fantastic and promised to get even more lucrative.
My first year of pro ball I played in the Northwest league and made the all-star team, and the next year I played I led the team in hitting and was third or fifth in the league.
Throughout my career, I was blessed with great teams and great teammates.
I couldn't have been a great goalkeeper without power, agility and quickness.
I was also very lucky to be a teammate of two of the greatest players to have ever played the game. I learned very early on by playing for Frank Robinson and with Henry Aaron that even the greatest players in the game were just one of the guys.
I was always a decent hockey player, but I'd have never made the NHL.
When I entered the pros, I was a young kid in the major leagues. I was 18 years old, right out of high school. I thought I knew everything, and I clearly didn't.
Defensively, from a team standpoint, I didn't feel I played very well. Very rarely was I satisfied with how I played.
I was lucky enough to have the talent to play baseball. That's how I treated my career. I didn't think I was anybody special, anybody different.