The league is great, road trips and fans are unbelievable. There is no doubt that baseball is the No. 1 sport in Venezuela -- there is nothing even close. You have to deal with press here just like in the big leagues. The following is just like the big leagues.

Although we have not been down this road before, we all know that there is big influx of baseball fans who arrive around the first of March with the express mission of attending games for Cactus League.

This is bigger than baseball in the Olympics because of the attraction of the fans. If they're going to knock us out, then we have got something that they don't have. That's how I feel and I want the Olympic people to know it.

We have a lot of baseball fans in the area,

As much as we disliked the Yankees, fans and players alike, they were good for baseball. They consistently unsuccessful teams like the Browns, Senators, and A's paid a lot of their bills with those big crowds that poured through the gates when the Yankees came to town.

I know it is the fans that are responsible for me being here. I've always tried in each and every broadcast to serve the fans to the best of my ability.