Willie Stargell Quotes

Pittsburgh isn't fancy, but it is real. It's a working town and money doesn't come easy. I feel as much a part of this city as the cobblestone streets and the steel mills, people in this town expect an honest day's work, and I've it to them for a long, long time.

Never had I had so many friends and so much fun as I did in the projects.

Simple pleasures were all the pleasures that I knew as a child.

When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball."

To me, baseball has always been a reflection of life. Like life, it adjusts. It survives everything.

Reporters often forget that athletes are human beings.

Baseball for me was instinctive, born within me, given to me as a gift from God.

I owe a large part of my success to Joe Brown, who helped me both as a player and a person.

Oakland revolved around Forbes Field. Nothing in the city could match that atmosphere.

I eventually became proud of my strikeouts, because each one represented another learning experience.

Human beings are pampered by the Lord. Their real tests don't come until later in life.

Vietnam helped me realize who the true heroes really are in this world. It's not the home-run hitters.

Unfortunately, inner feelings and potential are often stunted by our parents, relatives or peers.

I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.

I loved to hit with men on base and with the game on the line.

Helping someone is what life is all about.

It's supposed to be fun, the man says 'Play Ball' not 'Work Ball' you know.

I flailed my arm in a throwing motion before I could even walk.

I love September, especially when we're in it.

When we make a mistake, it becomes front-page news. We don't need any reporter telling us how badly we played.

People like us are afraid to leave ball. What else is there to do? When baseball has been your whole life, you can't think about a future without it, so you hang on as long as you can.

I've always been a slave to my heart.

I would always reserve a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.

They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And they tell you to hit it square.

I was the most powerful left-handed hitter in the Alameda area.

I always said that when it was time to retire, I would know it, and I would just tip my hat to the crowds.

Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork.

If a reporter doesn't like the person he's writing about, it shows up in his article.

The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.

I don't really feel that I deserve all my applause.

To middle-class parents, the project team may have seemed unfit for children, but it was exactly what I needed.

We devote our entire lives to becoming good ball players. We take batting practice until our hands bleed.

You only have a few years to play this game and you can't play it if you're all tied up in knots.

I was always a self-proclaimed poor slider.

Be honest and work hard to get what you want. Don't take shortcuts; you only cheat yourself in the long run. Success is not measured by money or fame, but by how you feel about your own goals and accomplishments and the time and effort you put into them.

The bat is gone, but the smile remains.

I've witnessed thousands of superior athletes try to becomes hitters and fail at it.

Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox.

I never did allow anything to keep me from my kids. They're the most important part of my life.

We all wore a 21 patch that one season as a silent tribute to our deceased teammate Roberto.

I'm always amazed when a pitcher becomes angry at a hitter for hitting a home run off him. When I strike out, I don't get angry at the pitcher, I get angry at myself. I would think that if a pitcher threw up a home run ball, he should be angry at himself.

Life is one big transition.

I'm proud of the fact that I'm the only player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium.

Playing baseball was my dream, and no amount of money could sway my opinion.

A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold.

I was bred as an outcast, part Negro and part Seminole, in my early years raised as an Indian.

Don't be sharp or flat; just be natural.

I wasn't out drinking and abusing my body. I simply loved to go out and dance.