Written by: Autobilia

Ike: What is your hitting philosophy and with your experience, what you would like to help the Yankees with?

Don: My philosophy is to let the ball come to you, stay balanced and hit it hard somewhere. I want to help them with staying balanced and hitting the ball as much as possible.

Ike: In Spring training, there are a bunch of players with big league dreams. What advice would you give young players to keep them focused on achieving that goal?

Don: Well, there are a lot of guys in the league that are already realizing their dreams by being there. The biggest thing I try to help the younger players with is to keep getting better. It is very important to keep improving, to play the game and improve in all areas everyday.

Ike: With Taylor being drafted in the 42nd round (1262nd overall), the odds are stacked against him. What do you think he will have to focus on and areas he need to work on to make it to the majors?

Don: I think once you get drafted your set. I tried to talk him into school first, but once you are there everyone is the same. He falls into the category I mentioned before. Long as he keeps improving, no one knows where the top of the hill is. If he continues to make adjustments along the way he has just as good of a chance as anybody.

Ike: What was the main factor that got you involved in the fight against forged autographs?

Don: More than anything the fans. I was concerned about the fans more than anything. I love seeing people collect it is like an art form. There is value there for them and it sucks for them when they spend their hard earned money on something that is not real. On the backside of that the player looks bad, even though it is not their fault, they are viewed poorly when their signature is forged. It does not matter who it is, but if you get ripped off then fans sometimes have bad feelings toward the player.

Ike: I know there are mixed feelings with different players, but how do you feel about the possible re-instatement of Pete Rose to baseball?

Don: I am probably not informed enough to give an opinion. Pete has always been great to me. I have not a lot of facts so I am not really informed what happened. I think Pete is definitely going to end up in the Hall of Fame.

Ike: Do you have any desire to one day become a manager, general manager, or top office position of a major league team?

Don: I do not really have any career plans. Far as what I am doing right now, I am happy with it, it is new for me. I want to focus on it and keep it simple, learn as I go, and we will see where it leads.

Ike: By working with players in spring training, who do you think is the Yankees top prospect and why?

Don: They have many good young players, but for me to try and single someone out it would not be the right thing to do.

Ike: Who was your biggest influence during your baseball career whether it is a player, coach, etc.?

Don: I had many different influences. Early on and straight through my High School Coach influenced me, he taught me to work hard and keep getting better all the time, keep improving. From a baseball standpoint, Rod Carew, Lou Pinella, and all the guys
I played with, they all taught me many things. Those are just a few of my greatest influences.

Ike: What is your most memorable moment in baseball as a player?

Don: The 1995 Playoffs, the first game.

Ike: Who was the toughest pitcher you've ever faced when it comes to just making contact with the ball?

Don: Far as being hard to hit and just totally overwhelmed I would have to say Randy Johnson. I had to hope he made mistakes, if he made great pitches you were in trouble.