We spent the last couple of days in Afghanistan.  I came here to speak to the troops and that's exactly what I have done.  It has given me a great feeling to try to help these young men and women stay focused, feel appreciated, embrace their mission and realize just how important their patriotism is.

My father came to the United States from Italy.  He served in WWI in the Italian army, but he loved America.  He sat me and my four brothers down at the dinner table one night, and in broken English he told us something we all remember to this day.

"You five boys are lucky," he said.

"You live in the greatest country in the world, the land of opportunity.  If you have to fight for your country, you do it.  You may even have to give up your life for your country, you do it."

Now that's a father talking to his sons, so you know his love for this country ran deep if he was telling us that we may have to sacrifice ourselves for the United States.

All five of us served in the Armed Forces and wore the uniform with pride, dignity and character.

I have been to Walter Reed many times, and each time I go I am moved to tears because of the sacrifice these soldiers give to the defense of this country, but more importantly because each and every one of them told me they want to go back to be with their comrades and accomplish their mission.

I love this country, and I love my fellow Americans.

We spent the last couple of days in Afghanistan.  I came here to speak to the troops and that's exactly what I have done.  It has given me a great feeling to try to help these young men and women stay focused, feel appreciated, embrace their mission and realize just how important their patriotism is.

My father came to the United States from Italy.  He served in WWI in the Italian army, but he loved America.  He sat me and my four brothers down at the dinner table one night, and in broken English he told us something we all remember to this day.

"You five boys are lucky," he said.

"You live in the greatest country in the world, the land of opportunity.  If you have to fight for your country, you do it.  You may even have to give up your life for your country, you do it."

Now that's a father talking to his sons, so you know his love for this country ran deep if he was telling us that we may have to sacrifice ourselves for the United States.

All five of us wore the uniform and did our duty with pride, dignity and character.

I have been to Walter Reed many times, and each time I go I am moved to tears because of the sacrifice these soldiers give to the defense of this country, but more importantly because each and every one of them told me they want to go back to be with their comrades and accomplish their mission.

I love this country, and I love my fellow Americans.

Being on this USO tour I am really adding miles.  From Shannon, Ireland we went to Cairo, Egypt.  We toured the pyramids and met with thousands of troops. 

I have been to the Air Force Academy nine times to deliver motivational addresses to the cadets.  The most memorable one came many years ago when my wife and I were to be escorted around the base by a young lieutenant named Bob Wright.

Through conversation with Lt. Wright he told me that he came to the academy wanting to be a pilot but that he could never fly.  He was a pitcher on the baseball team and got hit in the head with a line drive.  The doctor who examined him told him that he could never fly.

"What was the name of that doctor, Lieutenant," I asked.  "Was it God?"

No.

"Because the only person who can tell you that you can't fly is God and don't you forget it."

After my commencement to the cadets Lt. Wright was taking my wife and I to the general's quarters. 

He told me he was going to fly.

"Wait a minute lieutenant," I said.  "A minute ago you told me you were never going to fly.  What changed your mind?

He told me that two things that my father told me that I said in my speech really affected him. 

The first was, "Because God delays, God doesn't deny."

The second was, "In every man's life the time will come when one door closes.  And if you are so concerned with the door that has closed you won't be able to see the door that has opened."

It was great to know that they were listening and maybe something I said would help them in life.

Well two years later I received a letter in the mail from Lt. Wright with a picture of him standing in front of his jet getting ready to go into battle during Desert Storm.  And on the bottom of the picture he wrote, "Because God delayed, God didn't deny."

Then you may remember Officer O'Grady who was shot down in battle.  Colonel Litweiler sent me the transcripts from O'Grady to the pilot rescuing him from the ground.  It was Captain Bob Wright.

Then General Kelly asked me to speak at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.  When I got off the plane I couldn't see much because of the glare from the sun.  But I saw someone running towards me, and when I got to him he hugged me like I was his long-lost father.

It was Colonel Bob Wright.  He was the youngest colonel in the Air Force.

He told me that if it weren't for me none of this would have happened.

"Don't you ever say that to me again, Colonel," I barked.  "It's because of you that it happened.  When you didn't believe you could fly you weren't doing anything, but the moment you believed you could fly you went on to become a war hero."

A few years ago he asked me to speak at the National War College, something I was happy to do.  He is a good friend, and a great patriot who has served his country well for many years. 

On this USO tour I am meeting many servicemen just like Colonel Bob Wright, people who love the United States of America and show their love through sacrifice and bravery.  I love talking to the troops and telling them how much they are loved and how proud I am of their service.

They are prepared to do whatever is asked of them, at a moment's notice.  They are the greatest military in the world, they wear the uniform of the greatest country in the world, and they do so to the highest degree of class, dignity and character.

At 4:00 a.m. EST time this morning I boarded a plane with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, to go on an overseas USO tour. 

We took off from Andrews Air Force Base and flew to Shannon, Ireland where we stopped to refuel.  While there, we ran into about 1,000 Marines returning from Iraq.  It was a sight to be seen, but even more impressive was their commitment to each other, their partiotism and their courage.  Every single one that I talked to wanted to go back.

Why?  Because they were doing something for their country.

I took the job to manage the 2000 USA Olympic baseball team.  I had already retired from my 20 years of managing the Dodgers.  I had already been inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame.  I had been to the top of the mountain.

Why did I want the job?  Because I wanted to do something for my country.

Obviously winning our first and only gold Medal doesn't compare to the bravery displayed by our Armed Forces, but we all feel patriotism and I hope that we all look for ways to express it.

This tour is a dream come true for me.  Nobody likes war, but as long as our troops are around the world fighting for us, you better believe I am going to do everything in my power to show my support for them.  I am going to do everytihng I can to motivate them, and to make them realize that they are loved and respected.

I'll be blogging daily about this trip, and I hope you check in to share this experience with me.

The season starts right now.  I love Opening Day because you've spent all winter waiting, all spring getting in shape and all of a sudden the games count.

Joe Torre did an outstanding job getting this team prepared to go all the way this year.  Ned Colletti and the McCourts have done everything in their power to bring a championship team to Los Angeles, which is something the fans here deserve.

I was 11-9 in my 20 Opening Days.  After one of those nine losses a writer asked me how I felt and I said, "Well at least I now know we won't win them all this year."

You see, before a single pitch is ever thrown, you know that your team will win at least a third of their games, which is 54.  And you know they'll lose a third of their games, which is 54.  So what happens in the remaining 54 games will detremine where the team finishes.

I'm excited to see this 2009 Dodger team and I hope you are too.

Hidden amidst the white blooms of the Dogwoods and the tall blades of the bluegrass lies a Kentucky institution named the Greyhound Tavern.  Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher with the Phillies, Tigers, Pirates, and most importantly the Dodgers, took me to eat at the Greyhound tonight after I spoke for him.

We had some hot slaw, fried chicken, meat loaf, cheese mashed potatoes and all the fixings.  We talked about baseball, named our all-time MLB team and had a lot of laughs.  I listed Jim as one of my all-time right handers, but he declined.

It was a pleasure to speak for Jim.  He was a great pitcher, a great friend, and now that he is in the United States Senate he is doing something great for his country.  While he is a skilled politian, his skill on the mound was tremendous.  But what made him great was his dominance on the inside of the plate.

And he was mean.  He would knock his own mother down, even on Mother's Day.

Jim comes from an era in baseball without pitch counts, without left-handed specialists out of the bullpen, without steroids and without multimillion dollar contracts.  He played for the love of the game, and he played the game with every bit of drive and determination he had within himself.  He never looked down to the bullpen in the fifth or sixth inning.  He wanted to pitch all nine and beat you.

I look forward to seeing Jim, and his lovely wife Mary of 57 years, every year at Cooperstown for the Induction weekend.  He is a good man and an even better friend and it was great to be with him tonight in Kentucky.