I've been called one of the hardest bargainers who ever held out, and I'm proud of it.
That boy Mantle is a good one.
Just speed, raw speed, blinding speed, too much speed.
No man has ever been a perfect ballplayer. Stan Musial, however, is the closest to being perfect in the game today.
The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault.
When I came to Detroit I was just a mild-mannered Sunday-school boy.