I learned this a long time ago. If you call a guy into your office and shut the door, if there’s media around, it sends up a red flag. I never wanted to embarrass a player.

He represented the Twins , but I think everyone in baseball felt like they were a teammate of Kirby Puckett.

When somebody talks about your career, most people are gonna talk about wins and losses, a World Series or pennants. But if somebody asked me how I would sum up my career I would say I had a unbelievable, fabulous career.

I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.'

I've managed 25 years, and I can probably count on one hand players that I didn't really care for, and that's probably thousands of players that I've managed. I think that's pretty good. I love the players and I always will.

You don't lead by lip service, you lead by example.

Still. Smokers out there, you know what I'm talking about. That moment, after you've had a huge meal, say at Thanksgiving, when you step outside in the cold, light up a cigarette and take a deep inhale ... that's about the best moment in the world, you know? All the smokers out there, you know that feeling. Sometimes, smoking is fantastic.