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Willie Mays

Willie Mays Quotes

Baseball player

Willie Mays, born on May 6, 1931, is an American professional baseball player. Known for his exceptional hitting skills and defensive abilities, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players in history during his career in Major League Baseball.

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Famous Willie Mays Quotes

“I don't know what Joe (DiMaggio) wanted (in regards to being called 'the greatest living ballplayer'), but I don't have a problem, if he wanted to do that. He was my hero. Joe was the best all-around player. Joe was the best. I only played against him once, in the '51 Series.”

Ifs Knows Problem Wanted Player Hero Regard Series My Hero

Author:Willie Mays

“The catch off Bobby Morgan (a backhanded grab of the Brooklyn Dodger's line drive in September 1951 at Ebbets Field) in Brooklyn was the best catch I ever made. Jackie Robinson and (Giants manager) Leo Durocher were the first people I saw when I opened my eyes”

People Firsts Made Eye Lines Saws Fields Managers Giants September Brooklyn Jackie Dodgers

Author:Willie Mays

“Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on his 660th home run, milestones in baseball are meant to be broken and I wish him continued success throughout his career.”

Home Running Success Wish Careers Broken Baseball Meant To Be Congratulations Alex Home Run Milestone Continued Success

Author:Willie Mays

“Never assume the other guy will never do something you would never do.”

Guy Assuming Other Guys Never Assume

Author:Willie Mays

“I'm not the type of guy to go out and just say, 'Hey, I'm raising my fist to do this and do that.' I don't think I'm that type of guy. I wasn't a leader the way other people may have wanted me to be.”

People Thinking Way May Wanted Guy Leader Type Hey Fists Type Of Guy

Author:Willie Mays

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.”

“Baseball is a game, yes. It is also a business. But what is most truly is is disguised combat. For all its gentility, its almost leisurely pace, baseball is violence under wraps.”

Games Violence Baseball Combat Pace Wraps Baseball Games Great Baseball Baseball Hitting Best Baseball Gentility

Author:Willie Mays

“I was a baseball player, I taught baseball, and all of a sudden I was in the business world. Now I used the baseball world to talk about their product. Not too much, just enough to keep going. Just be yourself and you'll never have a problem. That's what I did.”

World Enough Problem Used Too Much Player Taught Products Baseball Being Yourself Keep Going Baseball Player Just Be Yourself Business World

Author:Willie Mays

“I think I was programmed to do good things when I came into the majors. I knew how to play.”

Thinking Play Majors Good Things

Author:Willie Mays

“It isn't hard to be good from time to time in sports. What is tough, is being good every day.”

“If you can do that - if you run, hit, run the bases, hit with power, field, throw and do all other things that are part of the game - then you're a good ballplayer.”

Ifs Running Games Can Do Fields Baseball Bases

Author:Willie Mays

“Every time I look at my pocketbook, I see Jackie Robinson.”

Looks Baseball Jackie Great Baseball Pocketbooks

Author:Willie Mays

“I was very fortunate to play sports. All the anger in me went out. I had to do what I had to do. If you stay angry all the time, then you really don't have a good life.”

Ifs Play Sports Angry Fortunate Good Life

Author:Willie Mays

“Baseball is a game, yes. It is also a business.”

Games Baseball Great Baseball Baseball Hitting Best Baseball Gentility

Author:Willie Mays

“I didn't teach you that. Catch the ball with your glove.”

Teach Baseball Balls Gloves

Author:Willie Mays

“They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.”

Sports Baseball Balls African American Throwing Hitting Inspirational Sports Catching Batting Baseball Pitching

Author:Willie Mays

“I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.”

Thinking Saws Player Baseball Baseball Player Best Baseball

Author:Willie Mays

“When I'm not hitting, I don't hit nobody. But, when I'm hitting, I hit anybody.”

Author:Willie Mays

“The greatest challenge I think is adjusting to not playing baseball. The reason for that is I had to come out of baseball and come into the business world, not being a college graduate, not being educated to come into the business world the way I should have.”

Thinking World Way Should Reason Challenges College Should Have Baseball Educated Graduates Adjusting Business World College Graduates Playing Baseball

Author:Willie Mays

“When I got to professional ball I used to play 150 games every year. It depends on how many games there was.”

Years Play Used Games Depends Balls

Author:Willie Mays

“When I was in Birmingham I used to go to a place called Redwood Field. I used to get there for a two o'clock game. Where can you make this kind of money playing sports? It was just a pleasure to go out and enjoy myself and get paid for it.”

Kind Two Used Games Sports Enjoy Pleasure Fields Paid Clock Birmingham Redwoods Playing Sports

Author:Willie Mays

“Youngsters of Little League can survive undercoaching a lot better than overcoaching.”

Littles League Youngsters Little League

Author:Willie Mays

“I don't mean to be bashful, but I was”

Author:Willie Mays

“I always enjoyed playing ball, and it didn't matter to me whether I played with white kids or black. I never understood why an issue was made of who I played with, and I never felt comfortable, when I grew up, telling other people how to act”

People Made Matter Kids Felt Black White Issues Grew Comfortable Grew Up Understood Balls Enjoyed

Author:Willie Mays

“I'm a very lucky guy. I had so many people help me over the years that I never had many problems. If I had a problem, I could sit down with someone and they would explain the problem to me, and the problem become like a baseball game”

People Ifs Years Helping Problem Guy Games Lucky Baseball Help Me Baseball Games Lucky Guy

Author:Willie Mays

“Defense to me is the key to playing baseball.”

Motivational Sports Keys Baseball Defense Playing Baseball

Author:Willie Mays

“In 1950, when the Giants signed me, they gave me $15,000. I bought a 1950 Mercury. I couldn't drive, but I had it in the parking lot there, and everybody that could drive would drive the car. So it was like a community thing”

Community Car Giants Parking Mercury Parking Lot

Author:Willie Mays

“I was very blessed with a good body. Never got hurt. Never was in the hospital. The only time I was in the hospital was when I would get exhausted a little bit, and go in for a check-up or something.”

Littles Body Bits Hurt Little Bit Blessed Checks Hospitals Exhausted Only Time Hospitality Got Hurt

Author:Willie Mays

“At ten I was playing against 18-year-old guys. At 15 I was playing professional ball with the Birmingham Black Barons, so I really came very quickly in all sports.”

Years Guy Sports Black Ten Balls Birmingham Old Guys

Author:Willie Mays

“I played with the Birmingham Black Barons. I was making 500 at 14. That was a lot of money in those days.”

Black Making Money Lots Of Money Birmingham

Author:Willie Mays

“"And my father didn't have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn't have black quarterbacks, and I don't think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5′ 11". So I just picked baseball."”

Thinking Inspirational Made Father Black College Particular Basketball Baseball Made It Quarterback

Author:Willie Mays

“That's how easy baseball was for me. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I had the knowledge before I became a professional baseball player to do all these things and know what each guy would hit.”

Knows Trying Guy Easy Player Baseball Baseball Player Brag

Author:Willie Mays

“I remember the last season I played. I went home after a ballgame one day, lay down on my bed, and tears came to my eyes. How can you explain that? It's like crying for your mother after she's gone. You cry because you love her. I cried, I guess, because I loved baseball, and I knew I had to leave it.”

Inspirational Home Motivational Eye Lasts Remember Mother Gone Cry Tears One Day Bed Baseball Seasons Lays Athlete Cried Athletic Ballgame

Author:Willie Mays

“I don't rate them, I just hit them.”

Author:Willie Mays

“Yes, I had to learn how to live life outside, but I had so many people help me.”

People Life Helping Live Life Help Me How To Live Life

Author:Willie Mays

“What's tough is being good every day.”

Inspirational Sports Tough Be Good Motivational Sports Inspirational Sports Baseball Games Motivational Inspirational Sports Inspirational Baseball Funny Sports Great Coaching Funny Inspirational Sports Good Sports Game Day Tough Games Good Coaching

Author:Willie Mays

“Maybe I was born to play ball. Maybe I truly was.”

Play Born Balls

Book:Born to play ball

Source: Born to play ball

“What you are thinking, what shape your mind is in, is what makes the biggest difference of all.”

Thinking Mind Differences Shapes

Book:Willie Mays: My Life in and Out of Baseball

Source: Willie Mays: My Life in and Out of Baseball

“I don't compare 'em, I just catch 'em.”

Baseball Compare Ems

Author:Willie Mays

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated.”

Order Devotion Dedicated Dedication Constructive Constructive Criticism Dedication And Determination Destructive Criticism

Author:Willie Mays

“I would try and help everybody, because the game was so easy for me. It was just like walking in the park.”

Trying Helping Games Easy Walking Parks Walking Away

Author:Willie Mays

“One of the hardest parts of practice is the criticism a player takes from his coaches. Some players think a coach has it in for them when a flaw in style is pointed out ... I know that when things start going wrong, for one, I get the coach to keep his eye on me to see what I'm suddenly doing wrong. I can't see it or I wouldn't be doing it in the first place.”

Thinking Knows Firsts I Can Eye Sports Practice Player Style Criticism Coaches Hardest His Eyes Flaws

Author:Willie Mays

About the Author

Born: May 6, 1931
Known for: Baseball player
Quotes: 42

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Baseball Sports Games Thinking Balls Guy Inspirational People Player Baseball Games

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Born to play ballRelated source material

Willie Mays: My Life in and Out of BaseballRelated source material

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