One of the beautiful things about baseball is the history.

I benefited from tremendous encouragement as a kid. So many people reached out to me, helped me, and believed in me even when I didn't always believe in myself.

I knew how far a little boy or girl could run with 50 words of reassurance.

I hope what people learned from watching me is that just because you do things a little differently doesn't mean you can't do them just as well.

I still get a lot of letters from kids and parents who face different challenges and disabilities. I share some of the lessons that I learned through sports and baseball, which makes me feel good. It's incredible to have an impact that way.

There are millions of people out there ignoring disabilities and accomplishing incredible feats. I learned you can learn to do things differently, but do them just as well. I've learned that it's not the disability that defines you, it's how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with. And I've learned that we have an obligation to the abilities we DO have, not the disability.

I want my career to be judged by what I did on the field. I appreciate the honors.