We fought like heck for every player and every advantage, but we knew we were part of something bigger than ourselves. To me, that is what baseball is all about. I hope it is always what baseball is all about.

Baseball is about talent, hard work, and strategy. But at the deepest level, it's about love, integrity, and respect.

Building a baseball team is like building a house. You look for the best architects, the best builders - and then you let them do their jobs.

I was trying to land an 18-year-old strapping first baseman from Blanco, Texas, population 200. His name was Willie Upshaw. It turned out there were only three scouts who knew about Willie - Dave Yocum and I working for the Yankees, and Al LaMacchia from the Atlanta Braves.

No matter how much technology changes scouting, no matter how much free agency and big TV contracts change the business of baseball, I hope and pray that the heart of the game will never change.

I was lucky to go to work every day for 50 years, to a job that I loved.