Babe Ruth: Trending quotes (page 3)

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“Before I'm through with the big leagues I've got three more ambitions I'd like to realize. […] I'd like to hit 500 home runs before I end my big league career. And I ought to do it easily. I already have 480 in regular season games. […] Another is to play in 10 World Series before I quit. And that's one I think I will realize too. I've already been in nine. […] The third one had the boys guessing. The newspaper man guessed and guessed and never hit upon it. As a matter of fact, it hasn't anything to do with baseball records at all. Maybe I'll realize it and maybe I won't. But my third ambition is to play at least one season at a salary of $100,000 a year. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that now to boost my game and I'm not out with any announcement of my demands. I've played with Colonel Ruppert a long time and we've never had any serious disagreements. I know that if I can show him that I'm worth that much money, he'll give it to me. And I'm out to show him. Understand it's strictly up to me. And I mention it here simply because of the question the newspaper man asked me and the answer I gave him.”

Babe Ruth

In "Babe Ruth Says: I Would Like to Better Mark," The Austin Statesman (June 25, 1929), p. 11

Money , World , Home , Game

“I don't believe that the average fellow has anything like a true line on the value of wrist action in hitting anything—a baseball, a golf ball, a tennis ball or a polo ball. If you watch most of them, you will see they are trying to hit with their bodies, with their shoulders, with their arms—with almost everything except their wrists. I think it comes because most of them are overanxious, all tied up, too tense. They start by gripping too tightly. That kills off the hands and wrists. Their wrists get locked and then they have to swing their shoulders and bodies in. You'd be surprised how far a fellow can hit a ball, using only his wrists. I know I've been caught off guard or out of position on a sharp breaking curve, have had to slap at the ball, using only my wrists and have now and then watched it sail over the fence. The wrist is the mainspring—both wrists in baseball and golf. If you get them to work the rest is fairly easy. If you don't get them to work you are not going to do any good hitting. You can't get any speed in closing a door if the hinges are rusty and won't work. Hack Wilson must have great wrist action, for no short, stocky guy is going to hit that many home runs without a lot of it.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "The Sportlight" by Grantland Rice, in The Baltimore Sun (August 22, 1930), p. 13

Guy , Home , Thinking , Speed

“There's been so many lovely things said about me, and I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to thank everybody. Thank you.”

Babe Ruth

Farewell Address (1947)

Love

“Sure I'll miss it. But I'm not enough of a lunkhead to think I could go on forever. Tunney, Dempsey and Bob Jones missed the action of their games for a while, but not for long. I guess the tough part will be when the bunch blow in and I'll be up there in the stands looking on. But on the other hand I won't be dragging those aching dogs and bum legs over those hard diamonds. I can do what I want now. I'll stay and loaf here until April and then head North again. But I'll take the trip in one jump—not twenty.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "Babe Ruth, Idle First time In 23 Years, Blames His Legs" by Grantland Rice, in The Baltimore Sun (February 19, 1936), p. 14

Dogs , Game , Thinking , Parting

“I'd play for half my salary if I could hit in this dump all the time.”

Babe Ruth

Assessment of Wrigley Field shouted during batting practice on October 1, 1932, just prior to Game 3 of the World Series, as recalled by Ruth in a February 1944 interview with Chicago Daily News sports editor John Carmichael; as reproduced in "The Sports Parade" by Braven Dryer, in The Los Angeles Times (February 23, 1944), p. A7; and in Babe Ruth's Called Shot: The Myth and Mystery of Baseball's Greatest Home Run https://books.google.com/books?id=JlOsBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 (2014) by Ed Sherman, p. 80

Time

“They say I used to scare pitchers just by strolling to the plate but those guys always had a remedy for me. Whenever they were afraid I'd knock one out of the park, they'd walk me and their worries would be over. But once Cobb got on base then their worries really began. He would upset not only the pitcher or catcher, but the infield as well by going from first to third on a sacrifice bunt, scoring from second on an infield out, taking two bases on an outfield fly and making delayed steals. Fans still talk about the home run I hit in the 1932 World Series off Charley Root of the Cubs after I pointed to the rightfield stands. Well, I once remember Cobb beating out four bunts down the third base line in one game against Billy Bradley, a wonderful third baseman for Cleveland. That was after Cobb warned Bradley he would bunt to him every time he got up. Another time Cobb warned Lou Criger, a great catcher with Boston, that he would steal second, third and home on him first chance he got. Well, the first time up Cobb walked and on three pitches stole second, third and home against the dumbfounded Criger.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "Ruth Considers Ty Cobb As Greatest of Players" https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/55058790/

World , Guy , Home , Game

“I only have one superstition: I make sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in Baseball's Greatest Quotes (1982) by Kevin Nelson; reproduced in "Morning Briefing: Babe Ruth Was Not a Superstitious Man, Except on 714 Occasions," in The Los Angeles Times (March 1, 1982), p. D2
Unsourced variants:
Just one.Whenever I hit a home run, I make certain I touch all four bases.
I have only one superstition. I touch all the bases when I hit a home run.

Home

“Make no mistake about that. The old boy was the greatest player I ever saw or hope to see. When I was pitching I had fair success against all the other great hitters, but Cobb was one guy I never could get out. I had a reputation for being a slugger and I guess I could hit 'em pretty far at that, but that guy Cobb could do everything--better than any player I ever saw. Old Georgia Peach was a great hitter, a spectacular fielder, a wonderfui thrower and oh boy, how he could run.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "Ruth Considers Ty Cobb As Greatest of Players" https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/55058790/ by Joe Reichler (AP), in The Ironwood Daily Globe (August 24, 1945), p. 10

Hope , Guy , Boy , Success

“Brother Matthias had the right idea about training a baseball club. He made every boy on the team play every position in the game, including the bench. A kid might pitch a game one day and find himself behind the bat the next or perhaps out in the sun-field. You see Brother Matthias' idea was to fit a boy to jump in in any emergency and make good. So whatever I have at the bat or on the mound or in the outfield or even on the bases, I owe directly to Brother Matthias.”

Babe Ruth

On the mentoring he received from Brother Matthias Boutlier, Prefect of Discipline at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, in "Ruth, As a Kid, Learns to Play in Any Position" http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1920/08/09/page/15/ by Ruth, as told to Westbrook Pegler (uncredited), in The Chicago Tribune (August 9, 1920), p. 15; reprinted as "We Did Everything," https://books.google.com/books?id=SAAlxi-0EZYC&pg=PA6&dq=%22Brother+Matthias+had+the+right+idea%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjv7_zWgLnQAhUJ7yYKHZQFA_EQ6AEIGjAB#v=onepage&q=%22Brother%20Matthias%20had%20the%20right%20idea%22&f=false in Playing the Game: My Early Years in Baseball (2011), p. 6

Game , Boy , Idea , Sun

“My biggest home run thrill? The day I called that one on Root in the Yankee-Cub series. The whole crowd was riding me. I was riding 'em back with even rougher language. The Chicago bench was yelling "Onya—onya—onya—you big yellow bum." Root had thrown me two bad balls I didn't like. I protested both, then I pointed to the flag police in center field. I knew Root would feed me another just like the first two, so I moved up about eight inches closer and gave it the works. They tell me when they found that ball it was lopsided, shaped like an egg. I just got to thinking later what a terrible heel I'd have been that day if Root had struck me out, but I never thought of that till later. It's a good thing I didn't. What a mug I'd have been.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "Babe Ruth, Idle First time In 23 Years, Blames His Legs"

Home , Thinking

“My answer to that [i. e. the question of whether Ruth hoped to set a new single-season HR record] was "No." I don't believe I can ever better my 60 mark that I made in 1927. And, frankly, I don't believe anyone else will beat it for a long time either.”

Babe Ruth

In "Babe Ruth Says: I Would Like to Better Mark"

Hope , Question , Time , Season

“As Duke Ellington once said, "the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Elkton." […] About that Wellington guy, I wouldn't know. Ellington, yes. As for that Eton business — well, I married my first wife in Elkton, and I always hated the place. It musta stuck.”

Babe Ruth

Failed attempt—during a partially scripted radio interview, broadcast live on August 13, 1930—to deliver a familiar but apparently apocryphal quote, followed by his explanation for that failure; as quoted in The Tumult and the Shouting; My Life in Sport (1954) by Grantland Rice; reprinted in "The World I Loved — Part 1: My Baseball Hall of Fame" by Rice, in The New York Herald Tribune (October 3, 1954), pp. 8-9

Hate , Guy , Business

“That kid sure can bust 'em.”

Babe Ruth

Circa June 1923, on observing a young Lou Gehrig—almost two years prior to commencing his record-breaking consecutive game streak—take batting practice; as quoted in The Babe Ruth Story https://books.google.com/books?id=5mu1AAAAIAAJ&q=%22that+kid+sure+can+bust+%27em%22+intitle:The+intitle:Babe+intitle:Ruth+intitle:Story&dq=%22that+kid+sure+can+bust+%27em%22+intitle:The+intitle:Babe+intitle:Ruth+intitle:Story&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHhvezyoHcAhVm2oMKHZsSAfAQ6AEIKTAA (1948) by Ruth (as told to Bob Considine), p. 130. In the book, Ruth notes that his statement had evidently given rise to Gehrig's now largely forgotten nickname Buster (the latter having first appeared in print on February 29th, the following year https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B71SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YH0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5967%2C5402147&dq=yankee-includes-lou-gehrig), adding that, despite having long since been eclipsed by such handles as "The Iron Horse" and even "Larrupin' Lou," Gehrig's lesser-known moniker did indeed have its heyday during the early years of his Yankee tenure https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=%22buster+gehrig%22&dr_year=1925-1929. (Not surprisingly, this heyday entailed a good deal of Ruth/Gehrig alliteration, along the lines of "The Buster and the Babe" https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=gehrig+%22the+buster+and+the+babe%22&dr_year=1927-1937 and "the Big Bam and the Boy Buster" https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=Ruth+Gehrig+%22big+bam%22+%22boy+buster%22&dr_year=1927-1928.)

“I'm glad that I've played every position on the team, because I feel that I know more about the game and what to expect of the other fellows. Lots of times I hear men being roasted for not doing this or that when I know, from my all round experience, that they couldn't have been expected to do it. It's a pity some of our critics hadn't learned the game from every position.”

Babe Ruth

From "Learn Every Job On Team, Babe's Tip to Success—And Marry" http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1920/08/24/page/11/ by Ruth (as told to Pegler), in The Chicago Tribune (August 24,1920), p. 11; reprinted as "The Game I Enjoyed Most" https://books.google.com/books?id=SAAlxi-0EZYC&pg=PA79 in Playing the Game: My Early Years in Baseball, p. 79

Men , Feeling , Game , Learning

“I am going through with my barnstorming tour to the end. Bob Meusel and the other Yanks on my club agree with me that it will not hurt the game, as Landis fears. In fact, if anything, it will create more interest in next year's campaign for me to play out this tour. If Landis wants to put me out of organized baseball, let him do so. I will continue the tour.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "Ruth Flaunts Landis Edict; May 'Get Gate'" http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1921/10/17/page/19/ by the United Press, in The Chicago Tribune (October 17, 1921), p. 19

Fear , Game , Hurt

“I've got five big years ahead of me now, and I guess I'll have five more after that. What's the use of going further along than that? I haven't even thought of quitting the game. I feel like I was just starting in to begin. 'Course baseball is different from anything else. Look at those birds sitting across the lobby. They are business men, getting 'fit' for the season, too. But they are middle-aged, and gray and in what you birds call the prime of life. I'll be 33 when my new contract ends and a lot of people are reading me out of the game already. I'm going to be a business man, too, in baseball. Experience helps you a lot in this game, just as in any other.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in 'Have to Get More of 'Em,' Says Babe Ruth When He Hears of the Income Tax"

Life , Men , People , Age

“A ballplayer should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in Encyclopedia of Baseball (1951) by Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson; reproduced in "Good Field, Good Hit Sums Up New Baseball Data Book" http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1951/05/27/page/44/article/good-field-good-hit-sums-up-new-baseball-data-book by Robert Cromie, in The Chicago Tribune (May 27, 1951), p. A4

Feeling

“Honest, I was never happier in my life. I've felt that I was facing a kind of all-round challenge—the challenge of 41 years, the challenge that comes from carrying 230 pounds for 21 seasons, the challenge from a bunch of National League pitchers who want to prove that I can't hit as well in this league as I did in the American and the doubt exists that I can be of any help to our team through another year. It's keyed me up and given me a fresh target. I feel better than I have felt in four years. My legs haven't bothered me a bit. Bill McKechnie is a great guy to work for, and I am going to give him and Boston everything I have.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in "'Never Happier in My Life' Ruth Tells Grantland Rice; Babe Is Inspired by Challenge of National League Pitchers—Legs Feel Great" by Grantland Rice, in The Boston Globe (March 26, 1935), p. 21

Life , Guy , Feeling , Help

“If I'd just tried for them dinky singles I could've batted around six hundred!”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in Stolen! : A History of Base Stealing (1999) by Russell Roberts, Ch. 4 "The Babe Blasts the Steal" p. 71

“I'll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They're too much fun.”

Babe Ruth

As quoted in The Business of Baseball (2003) by Albert Theodore Powers, p. 61

Women , Drink