Jim Rogash / AP

Alex Rodriguez has received plenty of criticism for his struggles in the playoffs.

Treat it like a special time
This should be the time you should remember for the rest of your life. You’re not going to remember your fifth start in 1982. But you will remember your success or failure in the postseason more than anything.

Competing in the playoffs is a time to cherish. There is pressure, of course, but I always say that pressure is nothing more than what you put on yourself. This is a dream that you had as a kid when you first picked up a baseball, and you just don’t want it to end.

You can play 20 years and never compete in a playoff game, and there are great players — guys like Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Ernie Banks and Ted Williams — who never won a World Series. You think of some of the greats who never played on a championship team and it really hits home how important it is to make the most of every chance.

People always ask me what was my favorite moment of my career. Was it the no-hitter, or winning all those games or getting all those strikeouts? But it’s none of those things. It’s winning championships in 1979 and 1987, because we did it as a team. That can never be taken away from me. It’s something I will have for the rest of my life, and will be passed on from generation to generation.

If you were to walk into my family room, you would see a wall covered with baseballs on display. Baseballs from my victories and milestones. But in the middle of the wall, with the lights shining down on them, are the two World Series trophies. They represent 23 years of my career. That’s the main focus.

After you win a World Series, the feeling is incredible. Your body experiences something like you’ve never experienced before. It’s that same high, almost, like the birth of your child.

But even then, it really does not hit home until Opening Day the next year when they present you with your ring in front of the fans. That is just awesome. That’s what you play for.

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