Willie Stargell Quotes

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

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

I've always been a slave to my heart.

To be successful, one must take chances.

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

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

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

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

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

Helping someone is what life is all about.

There's nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street.

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

Love soothes wounds, while hatred and violence deepen them.

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

Life is one big transition.

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

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

I never search for a reason why - I have faith in the Lord's purpose.

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

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

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

I'm a God-fearing man who worships with my heart and with my life.

I see a lot of people who love their jobs. I see some garbage collectors smiling as they go about their work.

Judgment traps you within the limitations of your comparisons. It inhibits freedom.

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

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

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

The bat is gone, but the smile remains.

I found myself in a race with Mother Nature to play as much baseball as I could before she forced me to stop.

My first job after my retirement from baseball was as a narrator for the Eastman Philharmonica.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I gave out stars whenever an appropriate situation presented itself.

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

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

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

A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold.

Reporters often forget that athletes are human beings.

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

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

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

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

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