“I know I’ve got a lock on the Dutch Hall of Fame.”

I want to stay around longer than the pitchers who were at the top when I came into the big leagues. I don’t want to be gone and have all the old guys – Seaver, Carlton, Ryan and Sutton – still pitching. I got rid of Palmer, now I want to outlast the rest of them.

When I take my kids to the Baseball Hall of Fame, I want them to experience the full array of talents that make the game what it is today, not just the larger-than-life freaks of nature.

I’m from Southern California, so I feel much more comfortable with a golf club in my hand than I do a weapon.

Getting into the Hall of Fame won’t change me. I’m still going to pass gas and pick my nose like I always do.

The best thing about the New Year is your 4.90 ERA disappears and starts back at zero.

Marv didn’t like the way I stepped toward the plate. I had a tendency to throw across my body. So, he took me off to the side at Met Stadium and put a chair on the mound.

It enrages me to see only certain players singled out for the Hall of Fame because they were born with a God-given specialty.

I want them to know that you don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest to reach your goals, and that hard work and perseverance are also rewarded.

If I threw across my body, I would step on the chair. Marv was trying to hurt me. I fooled him. I started stepping the right way.

I really like Kansas City Royals stadium – Kauffman Stadium.

The problem with being Comeback Player of the Year is it means you have to go somewhere before you can come back.

After I ran off the mound, I looked over at the St. Louis dugout. There were players rolling around on the floor, laughing. Poor Terry. I’ll have to admit that was a hell of a curveball.

The 16 years have gone so fast. I came to Minnesota as a 19-year-old kid. Marv Grissom was the pitching coach, an old-timer who taught me quite a bit.

I never show the back of my tongue. That is a Dutch expression.

The Dutch look like a huge jar of marmalade.