Yaz at Flagler College

Q&A courtesy of the Florida Times-Union.

Q: What has [Red Sox manager] Terry Francona done to make the difference with the team the past four years?

He's a ballplayers' manager. He rolls with everything and never gets upset. I think he brings a lot of calmness to the team and has done a tremendous job. Two World Series [titles] in four years ... how can you do any better?

Q: What's the recent success by the Red Sox meant to the fans?

After the first one, they kind expect it. I expect another one next year.

Q: What's the most difficult part of winning a Triple Crown, especially in this era?

Putting all three together is very tough. Winning the home runs and RBI [titles], that kind of happens. Mixing in the batting average is the most difficult part.

Q: What's your take on the Mitchell Report and the issue of performance-enhancing substances in baseball?

I think we just have to wait and see. In the minor leagues, they've been testing for quite a while, and I work with minor-league hitters, and I don't see any evidence of that with the kids in the minors. The whole thing has been kind of surprising, but let's just wait and see.

Q: How much did you work out and what kind of supplements, if anything, did you take during your career?

I took vitamins, sure. ... It was a different era. I used to work out, take two weeks off, work out some more during the winter, and if you were lucky, you only put on about three or four pounds before spring training.

Q: Do your records and those of other players in your era mean more, now that it has been discovered that so many of the top hitters in the game in recent years used performance-enhancing drugs?

Records are funny. A good friend of mine, Dwight Evans, worked hard for 20 years, and retired 28th on the [career] home run list. He's now in oblivion. I can't comprehend hitting 70, or even 60 home runs. When I hit 44, that was tremendous. Maybe if I had played in Yankee Stadium, I could see myself hitting 50 or 55 home runs, but 60 or 70? I can't comprehend that.