I killed a woman …

I drove a guy to prison …

I played baseball against Jackie Robinson …

I nearly played the role of Lou Gehrig in “The Pride of the Yankees.”

And I don’t think that these are the most interesting stories in my life.

Throughout my eighty-plus years on this earth, and nearly six decades working in minor league baseball, I’ve had some unbelievable experiences. I’ve had an amazing life and I feel very fortunate to have been able to live long enough to share some of my stories with you. I’ve often been asked to talk about the people whom I’ve known along the way, about the things I’ve been involved in and about my life working in minor league baseball. People have told me for years that I should write a book about my life in baseball.

I finally decided that that was a good idea and, during the process, I realized there are probably many things that people don’t know about me. You may think of me in a certain way. You may like me, or you may not. That’s okay with me and this book probably won’t change your opinion of me. But I have tried to live my life with integrity and by doing what I think is the right thing. Whether people agree with me or if they don’t, you’ll have to search long and far to find anyone who can honestly say that I screwed them over.

And I think that’s a pretty good epitaph for anyone to have.

I’m not as big of a horse’s ass as some people may think I am.

People may think I’m an ass because I believe certain things are important and I don’t vary from that. I’m a great believer in honesty and integrity and I guess when it comes to some of those things, I’m stubborn. I remember my dad Leon saying, “You can lose your money. You can lose your health. You can lose everything you own. But you can only lose your integrity if you want to lose it.” I prize that saying and have never forgotten it.

People may think I’m an ass because I don’t give up and give in on those things. I will compromise on a lot of things, but I’ll never compromise on honesty or integrity. I believe people think I’m hard, unyielding, and I don’t think that I am. I think that, if things are reasonable, I can be convinced to do it another way. I think the employees who have been with me any length of time have a great deal of respect for me and they know that I’m fair. I may not do everything they want, but they know I’m fair. And to me, that’s the most important thing you can be with anybody.

I know I have a reputation of being a person who really wants things to be done right. Being a perfectionist isn’t the right word. Nothing needs to be perfect, but it ought to approach it. I try to stay completely abreast of everything that’s going on. I hate surprises. If we’ve got a problem, I want to know about it. That way, if somebody says something to me about it, I already know. I probably have a reputation of being very tough to work for, and I don’t believe it’s true. Because I don’t think I could have people stay with me as long as they have if I really was that way. There are people I’ve had with me for almost forty years.

I don’t think my expectations in people are unreasonable. I probably expect more of myself than I do of anybody else, but I expect people to try. I am as displeased with myself if I make a mistake as I am with anyone else, or perhaps more so. As I tell people, make all the mistakes you want. Once. If you’re going to make a mistake, make a new one. If you keep making the same old ones, it tells me either you’re not very smart, or you’re not trying. The thing is, if I’m upset and air something out, it’s over with. I don’t hold grudges and I think I’m fair. I try very hard to be fair.

In this day and time, people who take great pride in their jobs are jewels. When I started working in professional baseball, I think people took more pride in their work. I have tried to explain to young people about the difference between a job and a career. Until you stop and think about it, a lot of people don’t understand there’s a major difference. I say that if this is a job, it’s a horseshit job. You work a lot of hours, particularly when you start. You work a tremendous number of hours and don’t get paid a lot. And often people don’t appreciate you very much. But if it’s a career, it’s a great career. It’s a huge difference.