We draft mostly high school kids and we have one of the finest, if not the finest, player development programs and coaching staffs and we teach our players the right way to play. We also have a game plan in scouting, and there are certain types of players that we look for.
I'm a firm believer in smiles. I used to believe that everything had to be a belly laugh. But I've come to realize that a real sincere smile is mighty powerful.
I want to see a player on the football field. I want to see what kind of teammate they are, what kind of leadership qualities they have. I want to see how aggressive they are, how much fun they have playing the game.
I've always wanted to be the first one to laugh at me. I didn't want to get up on stage and start doing something and have someone say, 'Are you serious? Do you think that's good?'
The only thing that kept us from going bigger worldwide was the language barrier. All the corn that we did on 'Hee Haw,' it was hard to translate into their slang.
The show changed my life in so many remarkable ways. Now in my 82nd year, I have been blessed with a wonderful 67-year career with 'Hee Haw' as the icing on the cake.
We weren't selling anything. We were just having a good time. And that feeling - there are people who say, 'I wish my kids, I wish my generation, had a chance to see it.'
The first musical sound I ever heard was from a banjo. My father played, and I was an infant in a crib, and something just stayed with me from those early days.
Television really has been responsible for everything that I've done successfully.
Sure, I had dreams of being a star when I was 18. I could've pushed it, too, but it wouldn't have happened any sooner. I'm lucky. What's happened has happened in spite of me.
I think, basically, we didn't hurt anyone. We were out there having a good time. You can go and get educated, but you can come to 'Hee Haw' and get another education.
All the mail that I got, half of it said, 'You looked exactly like my brother,' or, 'You look exactly like so-and-so.'
A lot of the big stars of today got their beginnings and their first network and national exposure from 'Hee Haw.'
First and foremost, I am most proud of how 'Hee Haw' did its part to help pave the way for country music to burst from its regional roots to remarkable worldwide popularity.
In Georgia it's a little different because of the East Cobb program. It's such a strong program that we see a lot of kids that come through here on a lot of different teams from across the country that come here to play in tournaments.
You put this face on television, week in, week out, they'd stop me and they'd say, 'Hey, Roy, how are you doing?' They'd know who I was, what I was, what I looked like, and what I did - all from seeing and hearing it at the same time on television.
So I'm going to tell you, it's going to be a good year. There are good players all over this country, and it is our job as a scouting department to find them, draft them, sign them, develop them, and help us to continue to win championships. So it's going to be a good year.
To put it better, we believe the radar gun will get you drafted, but you have to pitch to get to the big leagues. Tools will get you drafted, but you have to be able to play to get to the big leagues.
Absolutely the worst thing about this job is the travel and being away from family. I have a wife and three wonderful children, the kids are all active in sports and it's very difficult to up and leave and miss them growing up.
As a scouting department, with the confidence we have in our player development, if a guy has the potential that we think they have and the makeup and they stay healthy, we think they will be a productive Major Leaguer. We take a lot of pride in that.
