I never wanted all this hoopla. All I wanted was to be a good ball player and hit twenty-five or thirty homers, drive in a hundred runs, hit .280 and help my club win pennants. I just wanted to be one of the guys, an average player having a good season.

Don't quote me on this, but if they ever manage to ban beer advertising in baseball you can kiss the national pastime goodbye.

I don't know if I want to go to New York. They'll have to pay me a lot more money because I like it here in Kansas City.

Now they talk on the radio about the record set by (Babe) Ruth, and (Joe) DiMaggio and Henry Aaron. But they rarely mention mine. Do you know what I have to show for the sixty-one home runs? Nothing, exactly nothing.

It's a business. If I could make more money down in the zinc mines I'd be mining zinc.

I feel that I was a good all-around player, I had good speed, a good arm and could play the outfield.

Maybe I'm not a great man but I damn well want to break the record.