Baseball gives every American boy a chance to excel, not just to be as good as someone else but to be better than someone else. This is the nature of man and the name of the game.

I object to fishing tournaments less for what they do to fish than what they do to fishermen.

I don't want to take anything away from Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. They're both great hitters, but they're batting against guys they never would have seen in previous years.

All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street, folks will say, "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived."

It was always fun for me, I loved baseball so darn much. By the hours I practiced, you'd have to say I was working a lot of hours, but it was pretty near tireless fun for me. I'd rather swing a bat than do anything else in the world.

Hitting is the most important part of the game. It is where the big money is, where much of the status is, and the fan interest.

Think. Don't just swing. Think about the pitcher, what he threw you last time up, his best pitch, who's up next. Think.