The best thing anyone can do is be himself. Everyone was made different by God, and that's the way it should be. And if I were a writer or an announcer starting out, I don't think I'd imitate anybody. I'd try to be whatever I am.
Baseball is a ballet without music. Drama without words.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote compares baseball to a form of art, highlighting the beauty and drama found in the game.
Ernie Harwell's quote draws an analogy between baseball and ballet, emphasizing the elegance and artistry inherent in the sport. By referring to baseball as 'a ballet without music,' he suggests that the movements and actions on the field can be graceful and captivating, much like a dance performance, while describing it as 'drama without words' hints at the emotional narratives and climactic moments that unfold during a game, which resonate deeply with spectators, even in the absence of dialogue.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a baseball game to describe the artistry of the players.
More from Ernie Harwell
All quotes βBaseball is a tongue-tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball!
Baseball is just a game, as simple as a ball and bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.
Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World Series catch, and then dashing off to play stickball in the street with his teenage pals. Thatβs baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying, βI consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.β
Everybody in the minor leagues - if you're a player, an announcer, whatever - wants to be in the big leagues.
Baseball is a lot like life. It's a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.
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We rode on the winds of the rising storm, We ran to the sounds of the thunder. We danced among the lightning bolts, and tore the world asunder.
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