Quotes By Willie Stargell

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

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

Helping someone is what life is all about.

That's where the future lies, in the youth of today.

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

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

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

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.

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

I was always a self-proclaimed poor slider.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A World Series trophy is a wonderful thing to behold.

Reporters often forget that athletes are human beings.

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

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

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

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

The bat is gone, but the smile remains.

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

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.

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

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

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