Mo Vaughn knows why you don’t remember him. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

“I didn’t really take any shit from any reporters. I just basically told it like it was,” the former American League MVP told me. “And I think that overlapped what I actually did.”

I spoke to Mo about his new clothing line, MVP Collections, his success as an entrepreneur across multiple industries, and how statistically he is the best hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox. Listen to the full interview here.

Since you retired, you’ve started several different businesses – a trucking company, a real estate and housing company – and this is your latest entrepreneurial effort. Why have you been able to keep all your money when so many professional athletes go broke?

“Really, I look at needs. When I got into transportation, I looked at that as a fail-safe business. When I got into housing, the need was obvious. I’ve been very fortunate to have good partners. People that are trustworthy and know what they are talking about. I’ve got a lot of good ideas, but you’ve got to get with good people. Whatever is new and coming up, I’ve always tried to stay on top of that. And MVP Collections is an extension of that – I think there’s a need and a market for this. I go out and I look at certain styles – denim style, coded jeans – and they really weren’t there for big guys. And I was just thinking about how guys who need a two, three, four or five x jeans – 38 to 50 sized waist – had nowhere to go. So I was able to price point this thing: $58 bucks for a premium T, $208 for premium denim. It’s a lifestyle brand that’s affordable for the average guy.”

When you were with the Red Sox, you’d put together great seasons then constantly run into the Indians who bounced you from the playoffs a couple of times. Why weren’t you able to beat them?

“We just weren’t as good. If you look at my years with the Red Sox in the 90s, who did we lose to? The Yankees, a better team. The Indians, a better team. And by the time I left Boston in ’04, the talent was there. You’ve got David Ortiz. You’ve got Manny Ramirez behind him. Then you get Pedro Martinez, now you’ve got a squad. And during my time in Boston, we just weren’t as good. Period. The Indians should’ve won at least one World Series. I had been playing against those guys since the minor leagues.”

With the Little League World Series going on, do you remember hitting any 450 foot blasts off a pitcher during your little league days?

“I will say this – I hit 33 home runs in a little league season. I remember I had this red aluminum bat and I was just hitting stuff deep. They kept pitching (to me) and when they pitched it, I hit it.”

You were the premier left-handed power hitter in Major League Baseball for 10 years. Why does it seem like people forgot about you?

“People forget about me because – and I’ve learned to understand the media after I made all the mistakes in the media – I was such an irritant in Boston. I really was.

“But if you look at my numbers over a five-year period, there’s nobody in Red Sox history that has the numbers that I have. We can match those numbers up against Jim Rice, David Ortiz, Carl Yazstremski and Ted Williams. I am right there with those guys. And to me, my mouth overshadowed my career at times. I was a good player. I was a dominant player. I came to the ballpark to play hard ball every day – that was my mindset. I didn’t sit against the Randy Johnson’s, I didn’t hide from those guys, and I played 155 games a year.”