I learned a lot in the Minor Leagues, spending six years there. I honed my skills, as far as coaching goes. I was able to work with the players in a lot of facets of the game.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
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.
Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.
So I don't really believe that how many years you've had in the league determines how well your players play... Coaching is coaching.
You know over 20 years I played for a number of managers and dozens of coaches. I don't know any of them that I didn't learn something from to help make me a better player.
I fell in love with coaching. I loved interacting with young people, having the opportunity to make a tremendous impression on them.
I have been coaching recently. I coached high school basketball in Arizona, and I hope that more opportunities become available.
I think what coaching is all about, is taking players and analyzing there ability, put them in a position where they can excel within the framework of the team winning. And I hope that I've done that in my 33 years as a head coach.
My first career was as a coach and a teacher.
For me, it is just the total experience - from the time I first started as an assistant coach until I wound up at the University of Texas for 20 years.
I played from the time I was seven years old. My father was my first baseman coach. I had opportunities that I never really pursued - with some Miami teams and a few larger colleges, and then I ended up bailing and began cooking.