Welcome to a beautiful day at a beautiful ballpark and a beautiful event. [applause] [applause] >> Yeah, this is St. Paul, Minnesota, isn't it? I see all the and and Frank White and Charles Sims and Al Nunes who's retiring at age 80 at the end of the week, former go for great Charlie Walters, former Twins pitcher and on and on it goes. The spirit of St. Paul and the spirit of what makes this community so much fun. We are here to honor one of Minnesota's favorite sons, the greatest athlete to ever come out of the state of Minnesota, Dave Winfield. [cheering] [applause] >> He's got his entire family here. And I just said to him right before, I said, "I I hope you realize living in California, I hope you realize what a legend Dave Winfield is." And it's our job, those people that are out here today, we interact with them, to let them know what he did to make this state forever proud that we can say, "You've all done it, right? You're talking to somebody from another state and they're talking about Minnesota and somehow you bring up, well, you know who Dave Winfield is. [laughter] He's from Minnesota. Yeah, he's from Minnesota. How many times have we said that with such great pride? Because we're so proud of what Dave Winfield has done to represent this state. We got a great program ahead for you heading towards the unveiling uh of the statue that you've heard so much about that first we'll talk and then we'll go back there take a couple minutes in between and then we will unveil a statue that will stand here as a symbol of excellence uh into perpetuity uh and a great likeness of Dave Winfield. Start our event today uh a few words from a guy that knows a lot about it because he works right here. Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Andy Rodriguez, the director, here to the stand. [cheering] [applause] >> Good afternoon. >> Good afternoon. >> Appreciate you all being here. You know, leading up to this event event, I've been thinking about how our city has so many remarkable people, but few have left a mark on this community or on the broader story of American sports than the way Dave Winfield has. It's a privilege to stand here today and say what so many of us have long believed and was just said. Dave Winfield is the greatest all-around athlete the state of Minnesota has ever produced. [snorts] [applause] The record speaks for itself. A Hall of Famer, a World Series champion, an athlete so gifted that he was drafted by multiple professional leagues, Major League Baseball, the NBA, the ABA, the NFL. Am I missing anything? That achievement has never been matched and it may never be. And I'll admit, standing up here recognizing Dave is a surreal moment for me. I was seven years old when I watched him come to the plate in extra innings of game six of the 1992 World Series. With the game tied, he drove a two-run double down the left field line and helped deliver the first championship in Toronto Blue Jays history and the first World Series title of his own career. I didn't fully understand what I was watching at the time, but I knew it mattered and I haven't forgotten about it. But before Dave was a Hall of Famer, Dave was a kid from St. Paul, rooted in the Rondo neighborhood. He grew up in this community. He played on the fields down the street at Oxford and in this very park. He attended Central High School right next door. And if there are any Central alumni or students in the crowd today, go ahead and take a moment. [cheering] [applause] >> This one is yours, too. This this city helped shape the uh this this city helped shape the values that would define his life. And I'll tell you something that happened last night while this statue was being installed. Yesterday was the last day of school for Central Seniors. Students were celebrating here in the park and one by one they stopped to ask what was going on. Who is that? Why does he get a statue? Then they learned he went to Central and you could see it click. He went to our school. Damn, that's dope. [snorts] A little while later, a parent rolled down a car window and asked the same question. I said, "That's Dave Winfield." Oh my god. No way. That's amazing. His brother Steve used to teach me baseball. Shout out Stevie. [applause] But that is St. Paul. That's what St. Paul is. And Dave Winfield is not a distant legend here. He is somebody's brother, somebody's teammate, somebody's classmate. His story is woven into the fabric of this community. And that's exactly why this statue matters. Those students weren't just learning about a Hall of Famer. They were seeing proof that greatness can come from where they come from. that someone who walked the same streets and attended the same school and grew up in the same city could reach the very highest level of his profession while never forgetting where he started. Throughout his life, Dave has carried St. Paul with him. He has used his success not only to build an extraordinary career but to create opportunities for others. He has invested in young people, championed education and remain committed to giving back. That is what makes this statue worthy of more than admiration. It's worth it makes it worthy of inspiration. This statue will remind every young person that passes by that greatness can begin right here in our neighborhoods, our schools, our parks, and our city. And while today is an important milestone, it's not the finish line. Dave's story is extraordinary, but it's not the only story the city has produced. St. Paul is uniquely rich in baseball history and the concept of a Hall of Fame Plaza here at Dunning Park brings a vision of a place where those stories can be preserved and shared. There are three more Hall of Famers from St. Paul whose legacies deserve to stand here as well and we look to we look forward to continuing that work. [applause] Before I wrap up, I want to I want to thank the team at Big Statues for bringing this vision to life. Their craft craftsmanship has created something that will inspire people for generations. Appreciate you. Thank you so much. [applause] I also want to thank the Winfield family, Robin, Steve, the whole the whole squad. Thank you. Uh our community partners and the parks and recreation staff who helped make today possible. Uh we truly appreciate truly appreciate everything you have done to bring us to this moment. And Dave, on behalf of the city of St. Paul and this community, thank you. [snorts] This statue will stand as a tribute to one of St. Paul's greatest sons. [applause] >> And I'll end by saying welcome home. [applause] So with that, I will introduce our great mayor of the city of St. Paul, Mayor Khalur to say a few words. [applause] >> Good afternoon everyone. >> I am so grateful to be here with all of you. You know, I I thought about what I would say here in this moment in this occasion and I will just say before I start this speech officially that like I was a kid girl who grew up. I came to this country as a refugee and girls my generation weren't allowed to play sports. So I used to forge my parents' signatures so that I could play and um I think about what it means to be people who come from humble beginnings. People who come who come from places in which people discount us all the time and to be able to uh to rise to greatness the way Dave has. He is a symbol for all of us and what can happen regardless of where we start or where we're from that uh we can rise to greatness because no one can take what we have inside of us away from us. And so I'm just so grateful that I get to be here in such greatness. And I want to thank you all for being here to celebrate this occasion and to honor Dave. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but Dave is a St. Paul kid. From Rondo just across the highway to Central High School to the new University of Minnesota, it all started here. More than 20,000 men have batted in Major League Baseball. Only 33 have accumulated 3,000 hits. Dave is one of them. I'm sorry. [applause] I like to think that St. Paul gets a little bit of credit for that. After all, St. Paul has produced, as Andy said, four baseball hall of famers in Dave, Paul Molader, Jack Morris, and Joe Mau. So, we must be doing something right. I will note for the record that Minneapolis has zero. [laughter] Last year, Dave said that it's not where you're from, it's where you're going. And to have that permanent stature and legacy, it is one of the greatest honors of my life. And I could not agree more with you. We might have set you up, given you a place to start, but you turn grit into greatness. That's what I hope to provide for all the students here and across St. Paul, a starting place, a platform for them to jump from as they try to reach 3,000 hits or whatever milestone or marker they are seeking. I hope your statute and story serve as an inspiration to kids who walk through this park every single day. Thank you, Dave, for calling this city home, to our own parks and reccks department for making this park and access to youth sports possible. And thank you for all of you for being here to celebrate this. This is greatness. and for us to even get to be a small part of that, take that, cherish that, and celebrate it. And with that, I want to introduce our uh very own council member Buoie that I'm glad I went before her cuz every time she goes, it's like she's pumping up the crowd and she's rhyming up here and she's spitting things and I'm like, "Oh my god, let me go after let me go before her." So with that, Council Member Buoie. [applause] >> Thank you, Mayor Her. Hey, good morning St. Paul. Good morning everyone. Good morning. What a beautiful beautiful day. We are just here. I was just thinking I believe it was last year around uh in July we were here announcing the the statue and now we're here all the way home run going to unveil it. So, it's just such a beautiful day. I want to before I even start, I just want to say thank you to our director of parks and reccks for the city of St. Paul, Andy Rod Grievous, for your hard work, your strong partnerships, your collaboration, um, and just also your your vision. And I just want to say thank you for getting out the way that the Central Lights are here. You know, we we've built a legacy of making our presence known, and we see that also with the amazing, the legendary Dave Winfield and his family. I also want to just say I'm going to spare you the humor of the baseball jokes. Um I um I am a auntie, a baseball auntie. I don't watch a lot of baseball, but now because we have so much legacy here and we are investing so much in our young people's opportunity, it's important that we show up. So I also want to just say why we're here today. We are here today to preserve legacy. A legacy that started right here on these dusty fields and made its way to the highest levels of achievement across the nation. A legacy that was built on talent, grit, discipline, determination, and a belief that where you come from does not define how far you can go. Today we place the Winfield name a Rondo family next to the all American Hall of Famer. Today we place not only a legacy but a neighborhood in a community that has been so great, so excellent. And when we think about who comes from St. Paul, we have a statue to show that legacy. And also when we think about the story of our young people who dare to dream, I was just um yesterday at at uh Central High School during the senior let out and I was thinking about the full circle experience of when I had walked out those central doors. And when you know when you are a leader, when you are contributing to your community and if you know if you done if you done your your work that it's not the last time you're going to walk out those central doors because you're going to go back and you're going to reach one and you're going to teach one. And when we think about what we're preserving here today, it's not just the celebration or the awe or the recognition or the praise of a extraordinary athlete. It's about that reaching and teaching and making sure that they can dare to dream, dare to be great. And it is the story of a family and of a community that was invested in daring to be great. And for every young person who walks past this display, I hope that they see not only a baseball legend, I hope they see possibility. I hope they see greatness that can come from not only our neighborhoods, our schools, our families, but importantly our cities. And Dave Winfield's legacy gives our children permission to dream bigger, to work harder, and believe that they too can leave a mark on their city. And as a daughter of Rondo and as a council member representing here Ward 1, I am proud of that future generations who'll be able to learn not only about the hometown but chart out a legacy of their own. And Mr. Winfield, I just want to say and Mr. Winfield and also the family, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for taking a swing at life. Thank you for running it all the way home for generations to come. Thank you for showing what excellence looks like and thank you for carrying the legacy of St. Paul with you every step of the way and congratulations to all of us. I just want to say thank you for everyone who played a part of making this day possible and everyone who also just wake ups every single day making sure they're telling the story. So when we come here and we're here to not only look at the statue, but not only here to celebrate the the game of life, but we want to just make sure that we are paying homage to that legacy. So I just want to also say on behalf of the city council, we declare May 30th, 2026 Dave Winfield Day. >> [applause] >> And with that, I'm going to pass it on over to Dave St. Peter from the Twins for the Minnesota Twins. [applause] >> Wow, what a day. Um, always always great to be in St. Paul and you know this is an honor to be here today. I want to offer congratulations to the city of St. Paul, to Mayor Her Council member, um to Andy, to all the people that have been involved in making today possible because I think today matters. It it matters for all kinds of reasons. Obviously, we're going to celebrate Dave Winfield. There's a vision here for a Hall of Fame Plaza, but the power of storytelling and what every kid that visits this area for years to come will learn about Dave Winfield. We'll eventually learn about Paul Molader, Jack Morris, and Joe Mau, and Tony Stone. There's power in that. And um I just can't say enough great things about that vision. Um I um I am absolutely thrilled to be here today to celebrate Dave Winfield. When I think of Dave Winfield, I think of four words. One is Hall of Famer. He probably would have been a Hall of Famer in basketball and football, too, but thank God he played baseball. Um, he was an elite player. His career spanned over three decades. And you ask anybody who played against him and they will tell you he was not maybe among the most. He might have been the most respected player on the field during his tenure in Major League Baseball. The second word would be Minnesota. When you think about where he grew up, uh you think about his storied career at the University of Minnesota as a Golden Gopher. You think about his return to Minnesota in 1993 to play for his hometown Minnesota Twins. And you think about everything he's done along the way to demonstrate commitment to the state of Minnesota and more importantly the city of St. Paul. I think of Minnesota with I think of Dave Winfield. The third word is community. Um, I got a chance over my career to work with a lot of players, a lot of great players and a lot of players who were good individuals, great individuals on and off the field. One of them sitting right here, Tony Oliva, maybe the best. [applause] [applause] Very few players, in fact, no player that I came across was as forwardthinking about commitment to community than Dave Winfield. He had started the Winfield Foundation at probably the ripe age of what, 25? >> 25 years old. Most players aren't mature enough to think about how they can make an impact off the field. And it plays itself out to this day. Tomorrow night, we'll celebrate the Winfield Scholars and the opportunities that have been provided to countless high school boys and girls athletes um in this city. I think of community when I think of Dave Winfield. And then the last word is probably the most important word is family. Family has always been number one for Dave Winfield. And we're so thrilled today to see this family here. And I'm really honored to pass off this microphone to somebody that we also consider a baseball hero in the state of Minnesota and my good friend Dave Winfield's brother. But more importantly, I think Dave is Steve Winfield's brother. Steve Winfield, come on up here. Thank [cheering] you. [applause] >> You good? Love you. kind of a surprise, but um [laughter] cuz I sure know who some some of the people are who could really speak talk. Uh, I just I'll just say this that um I'm very proud of my brother, of my community, my family, you know, that's here, whether they're sitting out here or whether they're standing over there by the dugout. Uh, you know, I just hope that we're all proud of, you know, what not only David has accomplished, but how all of us are a part of that. All of us are a part of that. And um I'm just saying and I know that um Ma's looking down, you know, [applause] cuz she came to many of ball games up in this field right here and it used to be called Dunning and now it's Tony Stone. I know Frank like that, you know. and uh you know so just thank you all for being here and you know I'm just going to pass it back over to my brother you know [applause] [applause] >> all right >> hello everybody good to see you today [applause] it's a fant Fantastic day. Blessed day. Um, everybody that uh preceded me here, they've said just about everything that I was going to say, but I'm going to tell it to you so you hear it from my mouth. Um, if I look back, well, first of all, there are things that are written that say a person that is successful or accomplished can't ever be recognized to the full extent in their own home. I don't believe that and this is a perfect example that that is not the case. So, I appreciate you all very much for the recognition and the support over the years. And um another thing I'll say before I get into words that I had planned for you is that uh some of you are old enough you you can look back. One of the key things in baseball was back in 1951. You hear the Giants win the pennant. The Giants they they overcame the Dodgers uh home run. Bobby Thompson and and those guys. And uh that was so a key time in baseball was the exact day that I was born, October 3rd, 1951. And my name is Win and Field. Two two words that are very appropriate for So maybe it was destiny. Maybe it was destiny. [applause] So, let let me let me do this because um someone mentioned that like the young kids even over at Central didn't don't know who I am. And that's okay. That's okay because I started >> 50 years ago, you know, right on these fields. I mean, um, I'm just going to tie a few things together so you understand who I am and why we got to today for a statue that that not only represents baseball but community. Um it was uh my grandmother who I knew for 36 years while she was alive. 36 37 years. Jesse Allison came up from small town in Arkansas border Tennessee. Came up to Minnesota. I wish I would have talked to her more, but I'm sure it was for a better life. She was born 1897. got here in 1913, 1914. So from that person, the Winfields, the Allison's and a number of the Waldens, another a lot of group, a lot of my family emerged from them coming to Minnesota, living right over there on Igelart Avenue. They still still live there. So [clears throat] we've been in this town, St. Paul for well over a hundred years. Well, I think we're in the fourth generation. [applause] And when I came along 1951, I look back, see, I I can remember when there was no freeway 94. I remember when St. Paul Central looked like a castle. Uh the the uh the town of St. Paul is not that much different. It's just about the same amount of people. The suburbs have blossomed. You know, you have millions of people out in the suburbs now, but the city looks pretty much the same. What was different? And um well before I I tell you some of those things just know that me, my brother Steve, a lot of our friends, some of them are here today, man, we walked all these streets. I know all these streets, you know, walked them, ran them, did all kinds of things here. Even uh when my brother had a little paper route, you know, I'd make a little little chump change doing his route every once in a while, but walking. So I knew everybody's name where they lived. We we all went to school. I walked from Carol Avenue up to JJ Hill School. I don't think they call it hillschooling. >> Still do. Hill school. Then junior high, walked up to Marshall Junior High. Now I think it's called Webster. Okay. I don't know what they call it. And then we walk a couple of blocks right up here to Central. Great times. Many people that we met. I mean, we walked all over. We walked to the fairgrounds. We had to walk cuz I had no car. Family had no car. You know, I got my first car after my first baseball season. Finished my first baseball season. I'm 20 years old. Got myself a That was my birthday gift. get myself a car. But part of St. Paul, part of the lifeblood, part of the foundation of this city was um parks and wreck department. I did a little research on it. Uh when when St. Paul was young, parks and wreck was integrated into the way they established this city. They wanted to beautify the city. They wanted to keep kids off the street. They want to keep them motivated and who would know that it would play such a big part in my life. Um, I can look back 19 before 1961, there were no Minnesota Twins or there were no Minnesota Vikings. The Timberwolves didn't come till later. um University of Minnesota football team was good at that time. That's how long they even won a national championship. And um but the the thing with me I when when um they first brought and you have to excuse me there's there's so much I want to share with you. I don't want to take all day, but I want you to hear from me exactly the story of who I am, what I went through, and why we're here today. There, the um parks and recck department uh opened up a uh playground called Oxford Playground, >> half half a block from our house. Steve and I would spend all our time there. our mother didn't have to think of where we were cuz we were down at the playground. One of the early coaches and um we'll send our prayers out for him cuz he's uh having some difficulties at health difficulties at the moment. But Bill Peterson [applause] >> Bill was from the neighborhood uh came out of the Marines. He was one of the first uh coaches and and he headed up the playground down there. And we had in the winter when you used to be able to put water on the ground and it would freeze for a long time, kids skated. They played football. We played baseball. Um he saw me and my brother Steve play for and I have to give a shout out and I and I don't want to try to u hit every coach that poured into us, but there was our first coach was a a guy named Bob Carter. I don't know where he came came from, where he lived or anything, but uh Steve and I were pretty good ball players. And then Bill saw us play, he said, "Uh-huh, you think you're pretty good. I got you next year." [laughter] And so he taught us a lot of discipline and fundamentals and everything else. But there were the guys like M. Burch and Johnny Cotton and Pedford and Dave uh Good Low. I could go on and on. All these coaches, I appreciate what they did for me because what we did, we had teams and it wasn't just the unity and the teamwork and the friendship that we established. We're winners, too. I think we won at just about every level. Pee-wise, midgets, juniors, American Legion, state champs a couple of years. And it got me exposure and opportunity. And I took a scholarship. How about this? was out of high school, finished here. I'm drafted in baseball by the Baltimore Orioles, 35th round. You know, I mean, they used to have a lot of rounds. So, I was probably somewhere between number 500 and a thousand guys in the country that were picked. And my options were you can take $500 and take a bus ride to Bluefield, West Virginia in 1969 or take a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I said, "I'll see y'all later. I'm going across the river." University of Minnesota. [applause] And and and in life, you make choices and there are consequences. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. It was a good choice for me to go to the University of Minnesota. I went there on a half scholarship, played baseball, and uh Al Nunes and the guys know that uh the coaches uh followed me and wanted me to we we had a good basketball team, inter mural, but they said, "You should come and play for the varsity squad." And I did that, too. So, my four years at Minnesota, and this is the choice some of these young kids are going to make. I finished here, I was probably 6'2, 195. You come out of out of University of Minnesota about 66, 225, 230. You know what I'm saying? [laughter] And um I was drafted. I mean, well, before the draft in baseball, there was a lot to learn. You can be good in your hometown, and I was good. However, I knew that I needed another challenge, and I had to go other places to get better. And and and I will say what was uh very helpful to me. This is another one of those choices. The people there was a um collegiate league up in Alaska. Fairbanks, Alaska, 1500 miles from here. Never been away. I mean, we we won some championships. went to North Dakota, Nebraska, you know, but Alaska to play against some of the best players in the country. And I said, "That's where I need to go." And I played up there two years. And what I learned, I brought back here. I mean, because the summer league here, you know, if you can hit 400 and something and and and uh pitch a a perfect game one time, nobody got on base. it it feels good but you said I need some more another challenge. So Alaska was very helpful and I brought everything that I learned from somewhere else playing up there. We got a chance to play in Europe had a chance to play against Cuba, Nicarawa, Kiraasau, places like that that I never heard of. Panama and um I brought all that back. It made me better. And when I finished at at Minnesota after we won Big 10 championships in baseball, I was all American in baseball. Basketball, we won Big 10 championship outright one year. The next year we tied for it. We should have won it outright and won it two years in a row. That's when the team was really good, Charles. That's right. Shake your head. Am I right? Can I get an amen? >> Yeah. So the point is uh after that I got the drafts came around for football. The Vikings drafted me. Then NBA came around. So the Atlanta Hawks drafted me and they had the ABA with the three-color ball afro Dr. J all of that. So, I ABA drafted me and then the VI then the Minnesota uh excuse me, the San Diego Padres's drafted me. I chose baseball because that's what I always wanted to do in life. I remember at 12 years old after seeing guys like man Tony and Killer Brew and Rich Rollins and Bob Allison and Earl Baddy and Camilo Pasual and Vic Power and you know I could go on. a zoyo vert. That's who I wanted to be like. And people say, "Why? He only had 240 something." I don't know, but he could play, man. He could play. So, long story short, I'm I'm drafted. I choose the Padres's. And I'll start to condense some things here. I go to the Padres's, and it was the first year of my 22 years. Six teams, both leagues, both coasts, both countries. I'm with the Padres's that first six, seven years. It was a learning experience for me because I was good, but I had a lot to learn because I only hit at the University of Minnesota for one year and all of a sudden I go to the big leagues without minor league experience and it's like, okay, let's hit against guys like Bob Gibson, Tom Siver, Steve Carlton. You know, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. I had a lot to learn. So, the first part of my experience was learning in San Diego. The next third of my career or so, I went to the New York Yankees. And I'm going to say this, there was pretty much only two things that were good. when I signed, you know, they paid you well, but it was it was very difficult uh for the person who owned the team. I didn't have a good relationship. Every day I went to work, it was very difficult. And the other good part about New York was actually I met my wife then and um [applause] and I'm going to come back and tell you a little bit about her because you all y'all don't know that much about my family here. Then from there I went to and this is where I was very very thankful cuz after a decade of difficulty going to work, I got a chance to be a free agent and I I went to the California Angels and I I really appreciated what Gene Autry and his family did for me to give me an opportunity to see that man I can come to the ballpark and enjoy myself. They want me to do well. It was incredible and I appreciated that. I I played so well for two years. I was comeback player of the year. Um then I went to the Toronto Blue Jays and we won the championship. I'm playing for a manager Cedto Gaston that that uh was a teammate of mine in San Diego. And then you play for a team that had never won it before and um you know they drew 50,000 people every day. We were the first to draw 4 million fans. So we won for a country, not a city, not a state, not a region, but a whole country. And it changed the way even people looked at me, the way I felt about myself in my career because it had been stifled in in other places. I went from there and and Dave St. Peter, you he Dave was with the team. He wasn't the main the big dog at the time, but he he was there. And I appreciate the Polads having me come here and play for my hometown, my first favorite team to play here a couple of years, even though it was later in my career and you didn't you you saw glimpses of the stuff that I used to do every day. Um, I appreciated that so much. Not only being able to play here Dave, but for us to be able to start the um, RBI program, >> rookie league. >> Yeah. The rookie league. And we started that where me and Kirby, that was a wonderful thing. In fact, that year they finally acknowledged me as the Roberto Clemente Award winner. and you guys submitted my name and the baseball said yes. Yes. So my my point is and then I went from there to uh I finished up the care career in uh Cleveland. So, I've played all of these years, met all of these people, accomplished a lot, and um I don't want to go into ju just all the accolades, but I can look back and say, "No, I accomplished everything that I imagined and more." Um, so I go from there and this is where I have to tell you everybody thinks that it's easy to reach the pinnacle of an area whether whatever they work in. No, sometime you don't hear about the hard times. I let me get just a couple of things. the injuries that I had had one to my wrist. Could have ended my career. Very first year I got tackled at home plate trying to score a run and hurt a nerve in my leg. Couldn't walk for a while. The next year whole year I had to have it taped up like they do in basketball and and everything else. Could have my career could have been over just like that. And um so there were injuries and then I'm gonna tell you when I played in New York which was a middle of middle of my career like I told you I met my wife and I'm I'm going to give her a little credit for this. Not a little credit but the credit a lot of credit. This is my wife Tanya. She's smiling. [applause] I met her in 1981, my first year I was with the Yankees. Uh we dated and everything, but we got married in 1988. But she had been around me through the good times and bad. And in New York, it was extremely difficult every day because they just didn't want me to succeed. There were a lot of things going on. So, she was there to see the downtime as well as the good times. And I'm going to tell you, when you finish with all the fanfare and the glory and the public sentiment, you got to go home and you got to be happy. You have to be content. You have to be loved. You have to be nurtured. And this my wife >> [applause] >> Sometimes I miss out and I don't take her for granted. But she has been a bedrock of her family, my life. I wouldn't be the same person. I wouldn't have the same success if she wasn't in my life. No. [applause] Thank you. Um, so I mean ladies and gentlemen, so like I said, I could have been sidetracked by injuries, could have been sidetracked by just evil people who didn't want me to succeed. Um, I was deeply motivated to try to fulfill my destiny. I mean, I just came up. I'm just a kid from the neighborhood who loved baseball from the beginning and I want to be all I can be. And when you have people standing in the way, intentionally blocking the way when I when I left New York and I was able to go to other places, I was able to blossom once again when somebody else could have curled up, quit, rolled over, given in, I said, "No, that's not it's not going to be that way." So, I ended up being comeback player of the year. I ended up being getting 3,000 hits. I ended up winning uh the world championship. Um, and I just fulfilled the destiny. But people think it was easy. It wasn't easy. Um, but I appreciate what baseball has done for me in terms of the fitness, the competition, the world travel, the earning power, the man, I've done some great things because of baseball. Still my favorite sport. I would tell anybody to participate in it. It's been great to me and my family. So, I don't want to just continue to go on. I just want the everybody that's here that you whether you know me or not, you know something about what this statue represents. It's not only excellence on the field, but it was all the work I did in the community. And I and I have to say this, and I knew there's so much that I had to say that I I knew I was going to skip over something when I first made it professionally and we didn't make much money. I'm going to tell you in baseball in 1973 minimum salary $15,000 as a rookie. That's not not that's not your meal money for the trip. That's for the whole year. But still, a lot of people from the community said, "Man, how can we influence people coming after you? you know, your your life has been a model of excellence and so what can we do? So, we started the Winfield Awards where we would honor minority student athletes from all the St. Paul schools. Give them a chance, give them some honor, give them some recognition. And tomorrow at our dinner, it will be the 50th anniversary. 50 years, [applause] man. [cheering] We have honored some 500 plus kids that have gone on, PhDs, doctors, Super Bowl winners, politicians, on and on. Really contributors to the community. We want to support them in their endeavors to be all they can be. So, we're we're gonna have the uh and so if anybody I don't want to say if there's any tickets left, I don't know, but it's over at the uh where's it at? >> Interal. >> At the Intercontinental Hotel tomorrow. So, you know, if you want to get your ticket, see what's up. Um so, ladies and gentlemen, I mean, I could go on and on. There are so many ex experiences. I've met world leaders. um the best in baseball. I I I'm going just give you give give you a story, you know, that cuz I I could go on and on about it, but sometimes you don't know if you're good enough, if you're prepared, is it your time? And Tony, you probably went through this, too, but you could hit everybody. Um, one of my heroes, there were two of my heroes that I had pinned up on my wall. I had Willie McCovy um because he was a hitter and every time he walked up the home plate the opposition was nervous, they were scared cuz he walked up there with confidence and you know and uh that's how I would stride up to home plate. That's I see some of these kids walking up there like they going to buy some ice cream or something. I said, "Man, come on, man. You can come in there to do some damage." So Willie McCovby was on my wall. He he ended up becoming a roommate and a mentor to me. But the other was Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson. Cuz when I was a pitcher, I thought I was Bob Gibson. That's right. I'll strike you out to knock you down. Do whatever that it took. So I met Bob Gibson in a store one time in in St. Louis my first year. And um I I I looked over I said to myself, "Man, this Bob Gibson, I'm going to go say hello." I didn't know that they didn't talk to guys on the other team. You know, nowadays, everybody loving and hugging and kissing and working out and doing. Nah, not back in the day. So, I go over to Bob Gibson and I say, "Bob Gibson," he's reading a magazine. I said, he he looks I said, "My name is Dave Winfield, San Diego Padres's." He looked over. He looked at at his paper and just put it back up and didn't say hello. [laughter] I didn't know that they didn't fraternize with guys. So anyway, we had a game. I didn't play in that series. I played in the next series when they came to San Diego. And I said to myself, I'm going to get this guy. I'm gonna get him. So first time, even though he was old near the end of his career, he had a nasty slider, Tony. Nasty. And so he gets two strikes on me, strikes me out. So I'm calm, cool until I get into the dugout and I'm screaming, "God bless America, mother, I'm [laughter] going to get." So next time I come up, we're down by two runs, two men on, he pitches, give me that same slider, and I hit a two iron out of left center field. Took my time walking around the bases, [laughter] walked across home plate and pointed at him. I said, "I'm here, too." Like, "Give me some respect." [applause] And and uh, of course, the next time, two times I came up, he threw at my head. But I survived. But there were challenges every day. Every day. And, and you'll see this in everything that you do in life. There are challenges. You don't have the answers all the time. And I certainly did not have all the answers. took me 10 years and people the a the average is four years. I played in my 10th year. I knew everything I needed. I'd been through enough experiences and um the point is it took me that long to learn what I needed to know to be good every day where you don't need a coach telling you well do this, do that, the other. I knew it. So, all I can say is I've been very fortunate, been blessed. I can't tell you that I grew up. People say, "Well, you grew up, you're big and strong and you did this and you were guaranteed that you're going to succeed." That's not the case. A little skinny kid, you know, I don't think I was fast. I don't I always had a good arm, but I didn't know that I was going to be chosen. And actually God had to look down and said, "You're the one to go through this process and emerge the other side." Cuz I didn't know. I was just doing what I love doing. And so anyway, I made it through the gauntlet, made it to the end. I got uh accomplished a lot. And I couldn't be happier cuz I got a great family. My wife and see my two kids. I I have three children. One is down in Houston, Texas. Couldn't make it up here for this. Ariel, David the second. [applause] And Camela, this is Tanya's sister. She's my sister, too. She came up from Houston, Texas for this. >> Oh, yeah. And when I was playing for the twin, these are true Minnesota twins, David Ariel. They were born here when I played for the twin. [applause] So ladies and gentlemen, all all I can say is I'll finish with this. As we look at the statue outside, it's not just for the athletic performance, but it's the contributions to the community. And I'm proud that you put those two things together, a a career in baseball, there's a lot of good athletes, but if a legacy, if people remember me for the things I did for other service to others, whether it was being a player representative in the players association by leading the way for baseball to do things for the Negro Leaguers, to be the first athlete in sports really to create their foundation. Everybody does it now, but it didn't exist back then. So to do all those things and still be alive to talk about it and see it and everything else, I'm blessed. So thank you everybody for coming out here. Thank you. Thank you very much. Love you guys. [applause] >> [applause]