If the guys on the bench were as good as the guys you have out there, they'd be out there in first place.

A lot of guys said he was off the wall, he's crazy. I found him to be a guy with a lot of energy. He played the game hard. He just wanted to go out and play. Sometimes his emotion got in the way. He would lose control and tear things. I talked to him and reasoned with him. I listened to him. We developed a fondness for each other. I admire him for the way he goes about his work.

They have a really good team and those guys off the bench played hard. We wanted to take care of business, no matter who was out there.

I would say they're a No. 1. They're a good team. They've got some young guys coming off the bench. I think they'll be fine as long as Carney can lead them and they don't let the youth really take advantage of it.

They've got [Alfonso] Soriano and [Luis] Castillo. I wouldn't be playing. I don't want to sit on the bench. I'll go to spring training and get ready for the season.

We have always been big on guys on the bench being versatile.