Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.
Date of birth: 1918-08-30
Date of death: 2002-07-05
Quotes number: 18
Nationality: American
Profession: Athlete
Didn't come up here to read. Came up here to hit.
Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is eighty percent of being a successful hitter. The other twenty percent is just execution.
I don't feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to work up a sweat.
I don't see pitches down the middle anymore - not even in batting practice.
I looked for the same pitch my whole career, a breaking ball. All of the time. I never worried about the fastball. They couldn't throw it past me, none of them.
I never doubted my ability, but when you hear all your life you're inferior, it makes you wonder if the other guys have something you've never seen before. If they do, I'm still looking for it.
I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious. When I get out on the field, nothing's a joke to me. I don't feel like I should walk around with a smile on my face.
I'm hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, I'd be pulling for him.
It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.
My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.