I thought talking to human beings was just something that could make things complicated and unpleasant. So I didn't talk much. I just watched people.
Ernie BanksRead
Baseball reveals character; golf exposes it.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that baseball shows a person's true character, while golf highlights it under pressure.
Ernie Banks' quote reflects the different ways sports can reveal an individual's character. Baseball, often seen as a team sport where cooperation and strategy are vital, brings out qualities such as teamwork and perseverance. In contrast, golf is an individual sport that requires self-discipline and composure, often exposing one's true nature when faced with challenges. Therefore, each sport can serve as a mirror, showcasing how individuals handle success, failure, and competition.
In practice
In a sportsmanship speech at an awards ceremony.
I thought talking to human beings was just something that could make things complicated and unpleasant. So I didn't talk much. I just watched people.
I hit a home run in my first game, and they told me to go into the stands and pass my cap around. I made six dollars in nickels, dimes, and quarters.
It was about 105 degrees in Chicago. And that's a time when everybody gets tired. I came into the clubhouse, and everybody was sitting around, and I said, 'Beautiful day. Let's play two!' And everybody looked at me like I was crazy. There were a couple of writers around, and they wrote that, and it stayed with me.
Football is mesmerizing, because it's a figurative war. You go in one direction till you get there, but you get there as a team, not as an individual. Players bond whether they're black or white, much as soldiers do.
Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes.
You can't score if you're turning it over. It's like a punt. If you go out and you punt 12 times, you're not scoring points. That's not good. So, when you turn the ball over and throw interceptions, you're giving the other team more opportunities and your team less opportunities.
People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory.
Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead.
I have not been short of invitations to other clubs and have been received more warmly by Everton than I have by Liverpool.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.