What man in his 40s would not like to look in the mirror and find Nolan Ryan?

I came into the game when I broke into the major leagues, the minimum salary was seven thousand dollars, and I'd have to go home in the wintertime and get a job.

Pitching in the big leagues is a dream. Preparing to pitch in the big leagues is a nightmare!

Dick Moss, my agent. Dick became my agent in 1979 when I signed my contract with the Houston Astros.

I can honestly say it took two full years for me to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player.

You've got to realize that in any competition there is always a winner and loser. When it turns out that you're the loser on a given day, you can be a graceful loser, but it doesn't mean that you're a loser in the sense that you're willing to accept losses readily. Concede that on that day you weren't the best and that you were beaten in competition. But that should make you more dedicated and hard working. It's wrong to accept defeat as a loser. Be graceful about losing, but don't accept it.

And when I went to Houston, they had a conditioning coach by the name of Gene Coleman. And that was the first time I had gone to an organization that had a program with a weight room and designed specifically for pitchers.