My dad used to wake me up at 5:30 in the morning and hit me ground balls and tell me, 'Don't be afraid to excel. Don't be afraid to be great.'

No one can stop what God has for you.

I took a huge risk leaving baseball, because I was predicted to play in the big leagues. I'm kind of a prototypical second baseman.

When I first came into the NFL, I was just trying to be super, super ready to learn the plays and all that. Now, I've found more balance. I think that with new life coming in, and family and everything else, balance has been critical. That goes for the social media part, too - allowing the fans to come into our world a little is cool.

In elementary and middle school, I threw kids against the wall. I rubbed their heads in the dirt at recess. I bit them. I even knocked teeth out.

Every setback has a major comeback.

Every day I wake up and that’s my goal, to be on a constant quest for knowledge and do something different, being unique and being uncommon.