I went on inactive duty in August 1945, and since I had stayed in such good shape and had played ball on military teams, I was ready to start for the Indians just two days later, against the Tigers.
I just reared back and let them go.
The difference between relief pitching when I did it today is simple, there is too much of it. It’s one of those cases where more is not necessarily better.
As much as we disliked the Yankees, fans and players alike, they were good for baseball. They consistently unsuccessful teams like the Browns, Senators, and A’s paid a lot of their bills with those big crowds that poured through the gates when the Yankees came to town.
Ted Williams was the greatest hitter I ever saw, but DiMaggio was the greatest all around player.
Baseball is only a game, a game of inches and a lot of luck. During a time of all-out war, sports are very insignificant.
Sympathy is something that shouldn’t be bestowed upon the Yankees. Apparently it angers them.
I spent 34 months on the battleship Alabama, South Dakota-class. I was a gun captain. First we went to Russia for about 11 months with the British convoys. Then we were up in Norway and Scandinavia.
Nowadays, they have more trouble packing hair dryers than baseball equipment.
Yankee Stadium, it’s like everything else in this country. In Europe, they save all their old buildings for history. Here, we just tear them all down.
I did what any American could and should do: serve his country in its time of need.
I try to be a good human being and keep up with what’s going on in the world by reading and staying in touch with the current events.
My father loved baseball and he cultivated my talent. I don’t think he ever had any doubt in his mind that I would play professional baseball someday.
Nobody lives forever and I’ve had a blessed life.
Life comes down to honesty and doing what’s right. That’s what’s most important.
Where the ball went was up to heaven. Sometimes I threw the ball clean up into the stands.
Baseball in the Navy always was much more fun than it had been in the major leagues.
I’m no hero. Heroes don’t come back. Survivors return home. Heroes never come home. If anyone thinks I’m a hero, I’m not.
I don’t think baseball owes colored people anything. I don’t think colored people owe baseball anything, either.
The soldiers that didn’t come back were the heroes. It’s a roll of the dice. If a bullet has your name on it, you’re a hero. If you hear a bullet go by, you’re a survivor.