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15 Feb 2009 |
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I have been very fortunate in my life in that I have been able to cover some high-profile sporting events. Among other things, I have covered the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, college bowl games and NFL playoff contests. I get free parking and admission to these games, the food is wonderful and the seats are great. And there is definitely an adrenaline rush trying to get a game story in on deadline. All in all it is a pretty sweet gig except for one thing. Getting quotes from the players is nowhere near as fun as you might imagine.
So that is why I love great quotes. They are rare. And they can transform a good piece into a great piece. So here I present my list of Top 10 baseball quotes. 10. Derek Bell
“Nobody told me I was in competition. If there is competition, somebody better let me know. If there is competition, they better eliminate me out of the race and go ahead and do what they're going to do with me. I ain't never hit in spring training and I never will. If it ain't settled with me out there, then they can trade me. I ain't going out there to hurt myself in spring training battling for a job. If it is [a competition], then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.' Tell them exactly what I said.” In 2001, Derek Bell posted a .173/.287/.288 line in his first year with the Pirates after signing a two-year contract. When he heard the news that the Pirates planned to open up Bell’s RF position for whoever played best, Bell hit the roof. The Pirates took him up on their offer, released him and he never played in the majors again. 9. Tug McGraw
“I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf.”
Man, it would have been great to have been a beat reporter in the 70s. It is unfathomable that an athlete today would joke around with a reporter about drug usage. This was McGraw’s response when asked if he preferred grass of Astro Turf. And grass seems like such a quaint way to refer to marijuana. I wonder when the last time a person seriously used grass as a slang term? Any way, I have always thought it was a nice indication of the poor quality of stuff they smoked back then  8. Casey Stengel"See that fellow over there? He's 20 years old. In 10 years he has a chance to be a star. Now, that fellow over there, he's 20, too. In 10 years he has a chance to be 30." Casey was referring to Ed Kranepool and Greg Goosen. The Krane went on to an 18-year career in the majors while Goosen recorded a total of 460 at-bats in the majors. Stengel might have been cast as a friendly old clown, but he could still identify talent. Kranepool went on to be the last player from the 1962 Mets to play with the team while Goosen holds the all-time record for highest batting average for the Seattle Pilots, as he hit .309 in 139 at-bats with the club in their only season. 7. Sandy Alderson
“This is either a threat to be ignored, or an offer to be accepted.” Before Billy Beane, there was Sandy Alderson. A former Marine who served in Vietnam, Alderson was far from the typical front office guy, as he got his job neither through nepotism nor by being a former player. A lawyer, he joined the A’s in 1981 as general counsel and later became the team’s general manager. This quote came from when Alderson worked in the commissioner’s office as the executive vice president for baseball operations. Alderson was negotiating with the umpires and they were upset with him already over his decree that they call more strikes. The umpires, or more correctly 57 of the 66 umpires, issued a mass resignation in an attempt to get out from under MLB control. Upon hearing the news, Alderson issued this reply and then backed his words with actions as MLB eventually accepted the resignation of 22 of the umpires. At least 11 of those 22 umpires eventually regained their positions, although a few of them had to go back to the minor leagues to re-establish their credentials. 6. Dave Baker
“It replaced the Kentucky Derby as the most exciting two minutes in sports.” Dave Baker was an engineer for the Braves’ radio broadcast and he said this line after Greg Maddux legged out a triple. It’s probably cheating a little bit, since he didn’t say this to a reporter, but it was so widely circulated at the time that it made it into many print stories. 5. Gary Sheffield
Sheffield, one of the most consistently quotable players around, uttered these lines after an altercation with a fan at Fenway Park. A patron interfered with Sheffield fielding a ball and for a few moments it looked like Sheffield might tear his head off. And this happened in the wake of the Ron Artest brawl at The Palace which featured players and fans fighting. No blows came about, and that is a very good thing. But Sheffield should not be applauded for acting as any sane person should. And the “fan” should know better than to interfere with a player in the middle of the game. 4. Ralph Kiner
“Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Garry Maddox.” Ralph Kiner made the Hall of Fame as a player although most people today think of him as the long-time broadcaster for the Mets. Kiner had a good voice and plenty of tales from when he was a player, but his command of the English language often came up short. He is remembered for saying things backwards and completely messing up even the simplest of broadcasting tasks. But he also had a knack for pulling out great witticisms and this one has stood the test of time, as people will frequently use the quote and insert their favorite player in lieu of Maddox. 3. Roy Smalley
An offensive-minded shortstop for the Twins, the Smalley acquisition was considered to be a major coup when the Yankees traded for him in early 1982. He did fine in parts of three seasons in New York but his main contribution seemingly came from this quote about his unusually stylish wardrobe for the day. For those who don’t remember, the Cosmos were a soccer franchise in the NASL that was famous for signing international stars like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia. Meanwhile, Walt Garrison was a running back for the Cowboys who gained notoriety back then for his real-life cowboy ways in Skoal commercials. 2. Reggie Jackson
"Every hitter likes fastballs just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's how you feel when Nolan Ryan's throwing balls by you." In 81 plate appearances versus Ryan, Jackson had a .210/.383/.403 line with three home runs and nine RBIs. Jackson fanned 22 times in 62 at-bats versus Ryan. And while Jackson claimed to like fastballs, the pitcher he hit the most home runs off in his career was knuckleball specialist Wilbur Wood. 1. Pete Rose
“What did God say to the Cubs? Don’t win until I get back.”
What are your favorite baseball quotes?
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Comments (18)
  written by BrianJoura, February 16, 2009
Thanks to all who left comments! Sorry I did not get back to you yesterday but I slept most of the day due to meds for my back.
written by RhettOldham, February 16, 2009
Dizzy Dean,
"He kisses her on the strikes and she kisses him on the balls"
written by RhettOldham, February 16, 2009
"Ol' Abner's done it again" Mike Shannon. The Moon Man makes Cardinal Baseball.
If I ain't startin' I ain't departin', Garry Templeton on his All Star snub. After Whitey Herzog fought him in the Cardinal dugout he traded him to San Diego for Ozzie Smith. Templeton had 200 hits, 100 from each side of the plate
written by kevinorris, February 16, 2009 Good call on the Pedro quote Chuck. Brian, there is a great book that I reviewed call The Last Real Season by Mike Shropshire who covered the Rangers in the 70's. It contains everything that you're talking about in regards to players and the reporters in the 70's, hilarious stuff. I still love when Hawk randomly blurted out "I'm so Happy" in a game about two years ago after someone on the Sox hit a single. It's not a well known quote by any means, but it cracks me up whenever they play it on the radio since I was listening in live when he said it.
written by big o, February 16, 2009
a youthful yogi berra trots over to revoltin' joe to ask how they're going to handle flyballs hit into the left-centerfield gap .
to which mister dimaggio replied ===> "If I hear you call it , it's your's . If I don't , get the hell out of the way !"
written by ChristopherMulligan, February 15, 2009
Good call on the Pedro quote Chuck. Brian, there is a great book that I reviewed call The Last Real Season by Mike Shropshire who covered the Rangers in the 70's. It contains everything that you're talking about in regards to players and the reporters in the 70's, hilarious stuff.
Since the Cubs fans are taking a beating here I've gotta reperesent. "Cub fans, by consensus, are the best in baseball. Year after year, in good times and (mostly) bad, they turn out in vociferous numbers, sustaining themselves with a heavenly ichor that combines loyalty, criticism, cheerfulness, durability, rage, beer and hope, in exquisite proportions." - Roger Angell And of course, "It's a beautiful day for a ball game, let's play two!" - Mr. Cub For White Sox fans, "Dad gummit!!!"- Ken "Hawk" Harrelson
written by patrick dicaprio, February 15, 2009
http://archive.fantasybaseball...uotes.html
I tried to copy them all above but it was too big.
written by MichaelMuschiano, February 15, 2009
With all due respect, this list is a great job. But I think it is incomplete without any mention of Lou Gehrig. A dying man saying he is the luckiest man on the face of earth? COme on!! The words give me the chills as I write this write now. And the follow-up of Mickey Mantle speaking about it is unreal too.
"For the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break. Today, I consider the luckiest man on the face of the earth. That I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for." Mick at Yankee Stadium (Mickey Mantle Day): "I've often wondered how a man who knew he was gonna die could stand here and say he was the luckiest man in the world, but now I know how Lou Gehrig felt."
written by ichirosan, February 15, 2009
"If I ever saw myself saying I’m excited going to Cleveland, I’d punch myself in the face, because I’m lying."
-Ichiro Suzuki How is that that one didnt' crack the top 10? 
written by ChuckAnderson, February 15, 2009
"Wake up the Bambino - maybe I'll drill him in the ass" -- Pedro Martinez
"The only mystique and aura I know are dancers in a nightclub" -- Curt Schilling
written by lennymelnick, February 15, 2009
Asked if hitting third would hamper Reyes' stolen-base opportunities, which are critical to his game, Manuel invoked the team-first mantra the manager will preach in his first spring training as Amazin's boss.
"This is not about statistical success," Manuel said. BULLCRAP[/b] JERRY,ITS FANTASY BASEBALL! "That's a big part of the message throughout spring training is the game takes precedence over the individual stats."
written by big o, February 15, 2009
fun article , your misconceptions of grass being it's only weakness .
written by lennymelnick, February 15, 2009
The famed Yankee announcer Red Barber:
On the radio side."there is a long drive to right. Colivito goes back....and need I say more?" "top half of inning number 8...plenty of good seats still available,so come on out"
written by Tony Cincotta, February 15, 2009
Alexi Ramirez could be the best Japanese hitter since Suzuki ! - Name the legend
written by Patrick DiCaprio, February 15, 2009
1. Lenn Sakata, after a game winning hit, was asked by a reporter “what were you looking for in that situation.” Answered Sakata, “Something white, coming through.”
2. “I would love to have a guy that always gets the key hit, a pitcher that always makes his best pitch and a manager that can always make the right decision. The problem is getting him to put down his beer, come out of the stands and do those things.”–Danny Murtaugh 3. “Being up all night with a girl never hurt no professional baseball player. It’s staying up all night looking for that girl that does him in”–Casey Stengel, (not, apparently, speaking to A-Rod about his strip club visit). 4. You know it’s summertime at Candlestick when the fog rolls in, the wind kicks up, and you see the center fielder slicing open a caribou to survive the ninth inning.” –Bob Sarlette. 5. What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.”– Harry Caray. (a big ouch to you Cub fans…) 6. “This team’s idea of a rally is a two-out walk.”–Stump Merrill (sadly I recall this one from my younger days. Ugh.) 7. “I could never play in New York. The first time I came into a game there, I got into the bullpen car and they told me to lock the doors.”–Mike Flanagan 8. Johnny Broaca was in the ninth in a 1-0 game, and walks Cronin on four pitches. Foxx comes up and hits one to dead center in Yankee Stadium 450 feet away, and DiMaggio make a circus catch to preserve the win. He said “Cronin worried me, but I knew I could get Foxx.” 9. “Its a long fly to left field. And there it goes. Ahhh crap.”–Harry Caray, in his usual unbiased manner. 10. Lastly, two on the great city of Cleveland: “I asked the cab driver to show me the sights. He drove me around the block and dropped me back off at my hotel.”–Tim McCarver on the great night life in Cleveland., And Ichiro, of all people: “If I ever saw myself saying ‘I’m excited to go to Cleveland’ I’d punch myself in the face because I’d be lying.”
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Tags: baseball quotes Derek Bell Tug McGraw Casey Stengel Sandy Alderson Dave Baker Gary Sheffield Ralph Kiner Roy Smalley Reggie Jackson Pete Rose
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ad gummit!!!"- Ken "Hawk" Harrelson