- “From the time I was a kid, through this morning when I woke up, I’ve wanted—no, needed—to be number one. I’m hard-wired to want to be the best, to win, and to think anything less is not worth pursuing. Oh, sure, I loved to play ball, but I needed to be the best, needed to win all my battles. That’s how I was programmed and that’s how all major league players are programmed. If they weren’t driven in that way, they wouldn’t be there. Once there, it only gets worse. I won the National League home run title eight times. Who the hell finished second? Other than his agent, who cares?” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 1147-1151