It's nice to have writers write nice things about you and guys on radio and TV say nice things about you, but the guy who's in the locker next to you is the one you play the game for.
Interpretation
True appreciation comes from those closest to you rather than public acclaim.
In this quote, Joe Torre emphasizes the importance of camaraderie and mutual respect among teammates in sports. While public praise from media can be gratifying, the true measure of success and fulfillment in one's career lies in the respect and acknowledgment from those you work closely with, particularly in challenging and competitive environments.
In practice
In a team meeting, a coach might share this quote to remind players about the importance of support within the team.
We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn't get stuck there. We can keep future goals in mind, but we shouldn't get stuck there, either. The only way to reach our potential is to focus on what we must do now - this moment, this day - to perform effectively and win.
I hated the Yankees and Dodgers and wound up managing both.
If all of us who love baseball and are doing our jobs, then those who get the game from us will be as proud to be a part of it as we were. And we are. This game is a gift, and I am humbled, very humbled, to accept its greatest honor.
The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.
I made a ridiculous statement when I first went to North Carolina State. I said I know basketball down there was like life or death. It was very wrong. It's more important.
Cub fans, by consensus, are the best in baseball. Year after year, in good times and (mostly) bad, they turn out in vociferous numbers, sustaining themselves with a heavenly ichor that combines loyalty, criticism, cheerfulness, durability, rage, beer and hope, in exquisite proportions.
More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride.
When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we've really and truly arrived. Parity at last!
When it's over, it's over is part of football's greatest appeal to me. When a game ends, win or lose, it's time to prepare for the next one.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.