The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
Hank AaronRead
I'm hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, I'd be pulling for him.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a hope for future talent to surpass personal achievements, regardless of race.
Hank Aaron's quote emphasizes the importance of encouraging the next generation, especially in sports, where talent should be recognized and celebrated irrespective of one's racial background. It reflects a spirit of camaraderie and support for others in the pursuit of greatness, signaling that true success includes uplifting others and rooting for their achievements.
In practice
In a speech about diversity in sports, this quote can inspire young athletes.
The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.
I don't feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to work up a sweat.
In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.
In baseball, there is something electrifying about the big leagues. I had read so much about Stan Musial, Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson. I had put those guys on a pedestal. They were something special. I really thought they put their pants on different, rather than one leg at a time.
Making the majors is not as hard as staying there, staying interested day after day. It's like being married. The hardest part is to stay married.
It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.
Once you become a professional athlete or once you do anything well, then you're automatically a role model ... I have no problem being a role model. I love it. I have kids looking up to me and hopefully I inspire these kids to do good things.
God deliver me from the dread asbestos of βother things.β Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame.
Up in this air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.
The sun is always shining someplace.
There are times when words seem empty and only actions seem great. Such a time has come, and in the Providence of God America will once more have an opportunity to show the world that she was born to save mankind.
The amount of people - and kids especially - that come up to me saying I inspire them is honestly better than any match I could win, just to know that I inspire another kid maybe to pick up a racquet or go through something they're facing at school.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.