Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
My dad was around every second. Teaching me the game.
I wear my dad's cross. It's very important to me. I hang it in my locker before each game.
I'm a California Angels fan because that's the first game my dad took me to see, and they stuck with me.
My dad was a really big baseball guy who helped coach me and thought the game should be played the right way.
Having grown up there, my dad in 1967 took me to the Rams-Eagles game, and I've been a Rams fan since I was a kid.
My dad is the person who taught me how important the mental side of the game is. He studied kung fu growing up and he taught me how to meditate when I was a kid.
I can't remember a major league game where I could make eye contact with my dad. I kept wondering if he was going to yell at me for hanging a pitch or something.
My dad always taught me the fundamentals of the game: dribble, pass, shoot. So I never relied heavily on any one thing until I got to college, when I was just adjusting to the team.
My dad speaks a lot of sense and keeps me grounded. He'll watch me play and, if I've done well, he'll have a quiet word with me and say, 'Well done.' If I've had a not-so-good game, he'll let me know about it.
My dad was a huge influence on me. He taught me how to play and a lot about the game. He was very passionate and intense. As I started coaching, he wanted to tell me about all of the presses and man-to-man coverages and big philosophical things.
I've always loved video games. I played 'Ms. Pac-man' with my dad, and I Ioved 'Galaga' and 'Tempest' and grew up on the standing arcade games. Even to this day, my dad will call me if he's playing 'Ms. Pac-man' and hold the phone up to the game.
I knew there was going to be pressure on me with the captaincy. I knew people would be writing about my performances more than anyone else's, but that's not a problem because I have my dad telling me about my performance every single game, and he is my biggest critic.
It's important to be vocal, and to be fair, I've always had that in me, to be honest. One of the things my dad has always said to me is make sure you're vocal, and before the game, I always get a text off him telling me to do the things well and again, 'Be vocal, Dec.'
My dad always taught me to never be satisfied: to want more and know that what is done is done. That was his way of seeing the game. You've done it, now move on. People might say, 'Well, when can you enjoy it?' But it worked for me because, in the game, you need to be on your toes.
My dad started taking me to Winnipeg games when I was 3 or 4. As a kid, I loved Wayne Gretzky, and I remember the first game I got to see him play against the Jets. The Kings beat the Jets, and I was happy that they did. Gretzky left the game after the first period, and I was upset about that.
Ever since third grade - I never even noticed it until after the game - people were telling me how crazy my dad is. I think I'm so locked in when I'm playing on the floor, I only hear him maybe during timeouts or when we're up 20 or 30 and I'm on the bench. But when I'm in the game, I don't hear him.