- “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
- “Riley was humbled by the loss. “Dynasties get better as they get older,” he said, adding that he thought the Bulls were “the greatest team in the history of the game since the Celtics when they won 11 in 13 years.” This was the fourth time one of his teams had been knocked out of the playoffs by the Jordan-led Bulls. “We all have the misfortune of being born at the same time as Michael Jordan,” he added.” Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Page 179