Translation: It's all about the team in the world of Terry Ryan, and that translates to the players who have come up in the Minnesota Twins' system since Ryan has been a general manager.
"That's awful kind of him to have said," said Ryan. "I don't know Don Mattingly personally, but I am humbled to hear that."
Ryan may be humbled, but it's a tribute he has earned.
Ryan oversaw the building of a big league team that made six postseason appearances in a nine-year stretch earlier in this century. Then after stepping away from his role as the Twins' general manager for four years, he returned to that front-office role following the 2011 season.