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I was a professional athlete, the best baseball player in the world at one point.

I played softball. I was on an all-star team. I traveled with the team. I loved it.

In 2007, I hit 50 home runs. That was pretty cool. I never thought I'd be able to do that. At the time, I didn't even think it was that big of a deal for some reason. But now, looking back, I realize it was pretty cool.

I had 12 years under my belt of baseball at the amateur level before I got to the big leagues.

My major league debut came at old Busch Stadium on Grand Avenue in St. Louis against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Always wanted to be a Major League player. Loved baseball. Followed it. Loved to play. Plus, I could always hit.

I won an MVP trophy with the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association. I didn't even start. I was a sub on this team. This was, like, an All-Star game where we had athletes from different teams, different mixtures. We had, like, the only black team in the league, basically. We had four players go to the All-Star game.

I was a professional baseball player from the time I was drafted out of high school in 1981 until the time I retired in 2003.

By far, the best moment of my big league career was when I caught the last out at the World Series.

And then 45 years later, as I finished my career in the great city of Cleveland, that was another great way to end my career, going to the World Series.