My 12 years in New York were very, very special, the fans were very special, and it's something I will take with me wherever I go and into retirement.

Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It's about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result.

One win­ter, when I was 12, my older brother Frank (20) said to my father, 'We want you out of the house. We don't want any­thing other than the house we live in. We don't want any­thing from you. Just leave.' And he left.

Winning is a lot of fun. I remember having a meeting a couple years ago and telling the guys: 'You're not enjoying yourselves.' O'Neill said to me afterwards, 'Skip, it's not fun unless you win.'

You don't catch the knuckleball, you defend against it.

When I was 16 years old, my brother Frank said, 'You'd better become a catcher, because you're too big and fat to do anything else.' Well, I took his advice. It was a quick way to get to the big leagues, and I've never regretted it.

Kids are much more intuitive these days. Not that I'm crazy about what's on TV, but they know so much these days.