Circulating through the children's ward and seeing terminally ill kids, heads shaved, smiling and having a ball despite the tubes and needles sticking into them, I thought: What do I have to worry about? If God takes me, at least I've lived for 35 years.
There's very few things that tear me up and get me, but kids, especially terminally ill kids or kids with diseases... gets me every time.
Theres very few things that tear me up and get me, but kids, especially terminally ill kids or kids with diseases... gets me every time.
You're looking through the kaleidoscope of God and seeing God's face in so many ways, as friends, as strangers, passersby, country roads, jammed freeways, the cancer ward, the maternity ward - all the faces of God surround you at all times.
What people don't realize I have put 160 kids through school. I had a gym full of children. Some of those kids slept in the gym. Some of those kids lived in the gyms. I went to those kids schools. I think with the training, I can't make a fighter have that passion that I have, and it takes years to develop a fighter.
Having more freedom to bring the ball up and have the ball in my hands, just trusting me with the ball, that was one of the big things. My rookie year, I didn't have that. Just having that trust in me, just working and them seeing that I'm getting better at it, that I'm capable, that was kind of like a changing point for me.
I love having a shaved head. I'd rather not deal with hair if I don't have to. I like not thinking about it. A shaved head and letting my beard go requires the least amount of anything.
I shaved my head about 15 years ago and the first time I shaved it, I started running my hand through my hair and it was very therapeutic.
The more kids that we can meet or kids that are terminally ill, we try to do it because it's really important, and you can see the hope in their eyes and in their families and their parents.
If you have a class of 35 children, and they're all smiling, and there's one little bastard, and he's just staring at you as if to say 'Show me', then he's the one you think about going home on the train.
I think Daniel Murphy definitely is premeditated what he'd like to do. He's very good about not missing his pitch when he sees it. I know the ball has to look like at least a softball right now, at least, maybe more to the beach ball variety. He's seeing everything that well. He's a good hitter that is seeing the ball really well right now, and you have to make good pitches to get him out.
The families who chose me to take their terminally ill kids on their last hunts in life many times over the years know and love the real Ted Nugent. That they decide I'm good enough to take part in such a spiritual and emotional moment in their lives proves that I am good enough.
Do I like being thought of as attractive? I don’t know anyone on Earth who doesn’t, but I do find it funny. I look in a mirror and I see all the faults I’ve lived with for 35 years and yet people go kind of nuts for certain things about me. It’s not me being humble. I just think it’s weird.
You have to empathize with your children. If you love them, you never really get too angry with them when they make a mistake, because kids are expected to make mistakes. Having children, you start to see yourself through them.
LeBron always tells me to shoot the ball. Don't worry about stats, don't worry about percentages. 'We know what you can do, just shoot the ball and be comfortable.'
I have different reasons for the way that I react to things now that I have kids. It's not about me, it's about my children going out into this world that makes me say, "What the hell are you all doing?" I have to put them out there, and then I have to worry.
A lot of athletes have this sort of invincibility: [The jellyfish] should worry about me. I don't worry about them. I'll just swim right through them.