Young pitchers don't throw enough in the minor leagues, and when they get to the majors, they don't have the stamina; their arms haven't been built up.
When I played, I never needed the spotlight, nor did I want it. I simply wanted to play baseball and be respected by my teammates and the opposing players.
I view my pitching on how confident I was out there, period. And if I lose that confidence, I can become a prisoner of my own mind.
The fellow who can pay only twenty-five cents to see a ball game always will be just as welcome at Comiskey Park as the box seat holder.
I don't ever remember seeing a base runner who was all the way to third base run back across the mound. It was kind of a respectful thing.
You have to bear in mind that Mr. Autry's favorite horse was named Champion. He ain't ever had one called Runner Up.
I take golf trips with my brother or with friends. We usually go to Pebble or Bandon Dunes. One year we went to Hawaii.
I know I don't throw very hard anymore, but I'd like to think I can still hurt a guy who's not looking.
Black players had an issue with Joe Torre. They weren't treated like everybody else. Even I got called out in a couple of meetings that I thought was unfair.
I am very proud to be an American. This country has so much potential, I'd just like to see things better, or whatever, and I think it will be.
The farmer doesn't care for the pitchers' battle that resolves itself into a checkers game. The farmer loves the dramatic, and slugging is more dramatic than even the cleverest pitching.
When I was 14, and for the next four years, I was lifting and hauling 10-gallon milk cans full of milk. That will put muscles on you even if you're not trying.
I like my friends to be the hitters. The pitchers, they all have the same brain as I do. The hitters see the game from a different perspective.
I don't see myself as a Larry King or somebody. When you do interviews, sometimes it turns to interrogations. I'm more of a conversationalist, not throwing hardball questions.
In playing or managing, the game of ball is only fun for me when I'm out in front and winning. I don't give a hill of beans for the rest of the game.
There's only one cure for what's wrong with all of us pitchers, and that's to take a year off. Then, after you've gone a year without throwing, quit altogether.
There will never be another Mariano Rivera. He was a friend and a champion of a teammate. He really cared about the game of baseball, the way it was played, and whatever it took to win that night.
I knew that the Mets had never had a no-hitter. I never had one. This is very special. I knew this means a lot to New York.
The strongest thing I put into my body is steak and eggs. I just eat. I'm not a supplement guy. Steroids are not even a thought.
Is my ability what it was at, say, 25 or 30 years old? Probably not, but I like to compete. I like to go out and play the game hard.
You cannot expect to be on intimate terms with everybody on your club, and there is no reason why you should be, so long as you are playing the game.
