He was a great manager. He led Texas to its first division title, but he was more than that. He was a man of great character, integrity and passion.

Sometimes the title is the last thing that comes to me. Sometimes it's the first.

We are called the nation of inventors. And we are. We could still claim that title and wear its loftiest honors if we had stopped with the first thing we invented, which was human liberty.

The throw he makes to Galloway with the division title on the line says a lot about what a clutch performer he is. That wasn't a slant or a wide flare, that was a 44-yard throw that landed right on the screws. He got hit a lot, and we had some balls batted down. He's got great resolve.

You can't contend for a division title without a shortstop. We got a guy who has been an All-Star, has three years left on his contract and Boston will pay about 50 percent of it. That's why we traded Andy.

Each of the three titles has been special in its own way. This year's title was special because we had a rough start and many people did not believe we could win. We bonded as a team and worked together to achieve our goal.