From the age of six I used to watch every England team and when I was messing around in the backyard I would pretend to be whoever was scoring runs at the time, whether they were a right or left-hander. I just wanted to be them and do that.
I wanted to be a pro wrestler, but my mom didn't let me. I used to make videos and stuff in the backyard. I had a buddy named Daniel Decker, and we used to have a tag team called the 'Deck Garra Era.' We used to make video after video. We were the tag team champions, but then we turned on each other.
I came of age right around the time that the sort of priced-to-own VHS world began, and so the movies that you really enjoyed, you were able to kind of watch as many times as you wanted.
I have three kids. Now they're all grown up, but when they were little, every time I would start a new project, they would say, 'So dad, are you making a movie we can watch or one we cannot watch?' That's the kind of stuff they would ask. People around me - family and friends - usually know when to watch and when not to watch.
Hits and runs are the numbers that really impress me. It means you're contributing a lot to your team by being in the lineup every single day, and scoring runs is how you win games.
We felt that as blacks there was a quota. We used to talk with other blacks on other clubs. There was a way they use to do it called stacking. If you had five halfbacks instead of one being a left halfback and one being a right halfback then you would stack them all at left and let them cut each other. It kept the numbers down. A lot of them went to Canada. We would talk with guys on the other clubs including Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and whoever. The numbers remained relatively about the same in the 1950's. They weren't carrying more then six.
It feels silly to watch endless hours of winter sports every four years, when we never watch them any other time, and we don't even understand the rules, which doesn't stop us from scoring everyone, every run, every skate, every race.
I think it just boils down to right place, right time, and just being able to break them big fights. Maybe it wasn't England's time, and right now, I feel like it's England's time.
When I played in a 21-team league, there were six or seven goalies who were just average, and the equipment and pads were smaller. I came in the right era. I played for the right team. It was all speed, and creativity and imagination.
I just enjoy batting, scoring runs, and contributing for my team.
I prefer scoring goals, but when I am playing out on the right, I tend to come inside and provide assists, but I also like playing on the left, and I think if that is where I play, then I will have more chance of scoring - but I just hope I can help the team score goals with my assists.
There's no secret about it: Every team does things differently. Seattle runs their program one way. New England runs it another way. Philly runs it another way.
The player who is almost at the same age as my daughter... I treat all my team-mates as brothers and I treat him just like a team-mate. I embrace them all and I am always around them giving advice because this is part of my job as a team captain and friend. I don't make them feel the gap in the age because I believe this should be normal.
I used to feel like not scoring runs is the worst thing in life but I started thinking: 'No, at least I'm getting to go out on the field wearing the Indian jersey.' Not many get to do that. I am lucky. Now, if I get runs or don't get runs, I'm just going out there trying to enjoy my cricket.
I help my team win. That's overall what I do best. If you watch me play, I'm usually going to be on the winning team. Whether it's scoring enough points or rebounding enough or guarding the best player on the other team, I'm gonna do what it takes to win.
I always believe you give your all for whoever you're playing for, whatever shirt you put on. You play for that team and you want to win for that team - whether I'm wearing a Liverpool shirt or an England shirt.
I became an air display pilot. I used to teach it. I was an examiner for a few years as well. It was great fun. I would still be doing it now if pretty much everyone I knew who was doing it hadn't died. In the first team I joined there were six people in it. By the time I stopped, there was only me and one other left - everyone else had died.