Baseball got into my blood early and I worked harder at it than anything.

There only have been two people on this earth that I was nervous around: Chet Atkins and Mickey Mantle. It's because of the respect I have for them.

Any entertainer who tells you that the adoration of fans is not a heady experience probably never had the experience.

There are worse things than being thought a Republican.

Flying was as necessary to my business as fiddles and footlights.

How often does a guy who lives and breathes baseball meet a woman who loves the game and understands it as well as he?

I always wanted to grow up fast. I longed for more than the Mississippi Delta could give.