It's easier for me to accept that I can't play anymore because I literally gave it all I got. That allows me to be a little bit more at peace.

I'm just living a normal life - a regular life, as people would call it. I'm enjoying it.

Obviously I wasn't playing well at the time. But as a player, you lie to yourself. You say, "There's nothing wrong. I'm just not on time [at the plate]." You make something else up because pain is not an option.

I was a guy who came to work every day. I was there. When my manager got to the field at 12, I felt like there was no reason for him to ever wonder if I was playing. For me, that's a big deal. I teach that to my kids.

It's easier for me to accept that I can't play anymore because I literally gave it all I got. That allows me to be a little bit more at peace.

Coming up through high school, coaches would tell me not to swing so hard. It's the only way I know. It just happens.

When I was playing, my wife and kids would go on the road with me, and we would go to different lunch spots that we saw on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."