The World Motivation
As a 16-year-old, I was 5-foot-5 and maybe 145 pounds. It was hard to believe a guy like that was going to make it to the big leagues.
“As a 16-year-old, I was 5-foot-5 and maybe 145 pounds. It was hard to believe a guy like that was going to make it to the big leagues.”
As a 16-year-old, I was 5-foot-5 and maybe 145 pounds. It was hard to believe a guy like that was going to make it to the big leagues.
The city of Houston has treated me really good.
I'm not a guy that shows a lot of emotion while I'm playing.
I don't like champagne. I mean, I like it bubbling and throwing it on someone's body. But I don't like champagne on my body.
A lot of people tell me now I'm their inspiration. They say, 'I don't play baseball,' and then they mention whatever - engineer, doctor, college student, high school student - but they're hurt because, for some reason, people feel shame about themselves or embarrassed because they are short or skinny or fat or whatever.
I'm usually the little kid that runs around all excited that he's just in the big leagues playing the game of baseball.
Before broadcasting for 50-some years, I did TV, played 10 years in the big leagues, won a world championship - and played a big part in that, too, letting the Cardinals inject me with hepatitis. Takes a big man to do that.
I was happy to be drafted. I was happy to be playing professional baseball. And I was happy to be in the big leagues.
You have to hit the fastball to play in the big leagues.
Growing up, you think about playing in the big leagues one day. But to this scale, and winning a World Series in your hometown, I don't think you could have planned that.