Rickey Quotes & Sayings

Here is a couple more things I can't spell without you, disgust and distrust. — Rickey Russell

But how can we tally what an achievement it was to endure what Jackie Robinson endured those first few years? It was an incalculable and heroic sacrifice that can never be reckoned or understood by any conventional standards. Robinson did what he agreed to do when he met that day with Branch Rickey, and he changed the game forever. It was a singular feat of such great moral strength that all athletic strength must pale in comparison. With God's help, one man lifted up a whole people and pulled a whole nation into the future. — Eric Metaxas

What's that there Slivovitz like?" Helmholtz asked the bartender, squinting at a dusty bottle on the bottom row. He had just finished a sloe gin rickey. "I didn't even know we had it," said the bartender. He put the bottle on the bar, tilting it away from himself so he could read the label. "Prune brandy," he said. "Believe I'll try that next," said Helmholtz. — Kurt Vonnegut

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must. — Branch Rickey

My impact on the game was going out there and making things happen. — Rickey Henderson

I love the game and I wanted to continue playing. It came to a time that I had to stop. — Rickey Henderson

My dream was to play football for the Oakland Raiders. But my mother thought I would get hurt playing football, so she chose baseball for me. I guess moms do know best. — Rickey Henderson

I don't want to be one of those great players who never made it to the Series. — Rickey Henderson

People recognize me - but if you've been in the public eye as long as I have and people don't recognize you, I feel bad about myself. — Rickey Henderson

Only in baseball can a team player be a pure individualist first and a team player second, within the rules and spirit of the game. — Branch Rickey

Worry is simply thinking the same thing over and over again and not doing anything about it. — Branch Rickey

Rickey was never motivated by stats. He was motivated by numbers. Wins, runs, steals. — Rickey Henderson

All I had was natural ability. — Branch Rickey

I've seen few things more depressing than the end-of-season Giants-Padres series in 2001 in which Barry Bonds hit his 68th homer of the year while a .227-hitting, rapidly fossilizing Rickey Henderson staggered like a delirious marathoner toward 3,000 hits. — Stephen Rodrick

Well, Rickey's not one of them, so that's 49 percent right there. — Rickey Henderson

Mr. Rickey, I'll put more people in the park than anybody since Babe Ruth. — Dizzy Dean

It gave me no chance. He (Nolan Ryan) just blew it (strikeout #5,000) by me. But its an honor. I'll have another paragraph in all the baseball books. I'm already in the books three or four times. — Rickey Henderson

I did so many things that made me a threat. — Rickey Henderson

Perhaps it's art; but if it isn't, at least it's something else equally interesting to me! — George Rickey

Since the design of the movement is paramount, shape, for me, should have no significance. — George Rickey

A chiropractor is a doctor who performs adjustments on the spine," Rickey told the class before bending Gary backward and "adjusting" him, ripping off the false arm and spraying red hair dye all over the classroom. Gary howled in "pain" and collapsed dramatically on the threadbare school carpet, his legs flailing a bit before hitting the floor with a terrible, final-sounding thunk.
That was the first time they were sent to the principal's office together. They had to apologize to their teacher and explain to their classmates that doctor visits were unlikely to result in surprise dismemberments. — Poppy Z. Brite

I have to play baseball to make me happy. I have to be an athlete. But when it's all said and done, I'll be a normal father. A normal-type house man. — Rickey Henderson

I did not mind the public criticism. That sort of thing has not changed any program I thought was good. — Branch Rickey

Certain guys, they can see a guy do a certain thing with their glove and know what pitch is coming. I couldn't do that. But I can get on first base and I can tell you by his move if that pitcher is going to first base or home plate every time. — Rickey Henderson

Don't worry about your individual numbers. Worry about the team. If the team is successful, each of you will be successful, too. — Branch Rickey

Your charm makes me want to punch you in the nose."
That made Ricky chuckle. "I'm not trying to piss you off, darlin'. Just trying to get you to give me a chance."
"Why?" she had to ask. "I'm really not that interesting. I'm cute but not stunning. I'm not excessively tall. And sexually, I'm rather vanilla. So then what is it?"
Rickey decided to be honest with her. "I like your hair."
She suddenly went tense. "You don't have to be mean."
"I'm not. I like curls. If we have sex, can I play with them?"
"I don't even know how to respond to that. — Shelly Laurenston

Luck is the residue of opportunity and design. — Branch Rickey

Some day I'm going to have to stand before God, and if He asks me why I didn't let that [Jackie] Robinson fellow play ball, I don't think saying 'because of the color of his skin' would be a good enough answer. — Branch Rickey

Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of the hit-and-run. — Branch Rickey

Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late. — Branch Rickey

I am alarmed at the subtle invasion of professional football, which is gaining preeminence over baseball. It's unthinkable. — Branch Rickey

We win if the world is convinced of two things, that you are a fine gentleman, and a great baseball player. — Branch Rickey

It is not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind. — Branch Rickey

I love talking about baserunning. — Rickey Henderson

My journey as a player is complete. — Rickey Henderson

Luck is a residue of design. — Branch Rickey

Never surrender opportunity for security. — Branch Rickey

I told myself that if I ever make it to the big leagues that I would be the one to appreciate the fans. Take a little time out to sign autographs and shake their hands and say hello to them. — Rickey Henderson

The world's not so simple anymore, I guess it never was. We ignored it, now we can't. — Branch Rickey

I'm a man of some intelligence. I've had some education, passed the bar, practiced law. I've been a teacher and I deal with men of substance, statesman, business leaders, the clergy ... So why do I spend my time arguing with Dizzy Dean? — Branch Rickey

The only name on my birth certificate was Henley, no first name. — Rickey Henderson

Lou Brock was a great base stealer but today I am the greatest. — Rickey Henderson

Nothing's impossible for Rickey. You don't have enough fingers and toes to count out Rickey. — Rickey Henderson

I can still steal a base anytime I get ready. — Rickey Henderson

This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball. — Rickey Henderson

Branch Rickey made me a better man. — Branch Rickey

How to use your leisure time is the biggest problem of a ballplayer. — Branch Rickey

Never surrender opportunity to security. — Branch Rickey

Baseball people, and that includes myself, are slow to change and accept new ideas. I remember that it took years to persuade them to put numbers on uniforms. — Branch Rickey

The man with the ball is responsible for what happens to the ball. — Branch Rickey

It is sad and oddly comforting once you realize that chaos is the natural order — Rickey Russell

He (Branch Rickey) must think I went to the Massachesetts Constitution of Technology. — Dizzy Dean

I'm already in the (record) books three or four times. — Rickey Henderson

I find fault with my children because I like them and I want them to go places - uprightness and strength and courage and civil respect and anything that affects the probabilities of failure on the part of those that are closest to me, that concerns me - I find fault. — Branch Rickey

I was stealing all the bases, and when you had to go to arbitration they said, 'You know, only the big boys make the money.' So I got to try and figure out how to hit a home run, too. — Rickey Henderson

If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game. — Rickey Henderson

Today I am the greatest of all time. — Rickey Henderson

Don't worry, Rickey, you're still the best. — Rickey Henderson

When you're a kid, you want to be a millionaire. — Rickey Henderson

I won twenty-eight games in thirty-five and I couldn't believe my eyes when the Cards sent me a contract with a cut in salary. Mr Rickey said I deserved a cut because I didn't win thirty games. — Dizzy Dean

When I was a little-leaguer, I was sort of famous for stealing bases - and it started only because my mom wanted to be sure where I was in the afternoons. Mom always used to say, "If you don't come home dirty, you didn't play a baseball game." So I always tried to get in a situation where I had to slide so that I could go home dirty. — Rickey Henderson

Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. He lived on the field as though it was his last day. — Branch Rickey

I like playing for Oakland, they have a very colorful uniform. — Rickey Henderson

Branch Rickey once said of me that I was a man with an infinite capacity for immediately making a bad thing worse. — Leo Durocher

The greatest untapped reservoir of raw material in the history of our game is the black race. — Branch Rickey

The bottom line is just that Rickey Henderson was my favorite player. His flair, his style-the key word is impact-he's an impact player. — Jimmy Rollins

I had the idea that the film would be much better served by a Branch Rickey look-a-like than a Harrison Ford look-a-like. I didn't want the audience to go into the film thinking that they knew me from some previous experience in the movies. — Harrison Ford

If you look at some of the people in the Hall of Fame, my numbers are compatible. — Rickey Henderson

Thinking about the devil is worse than seeing the devil. — Branch Rickey

Rickey don't like it when Rickey can't find Rickey's limo. — Rickey Henderson

I love playing this game and every spring training feels like the first. — Rickey Henderson

Has he (Rickey Henderson) ever been here (Spring Training) the first day? You have to say Rickey's consistent. That's what you want in a ballplayer - consistency. — Don Mattingly

I don't care if I was a ditch-digger at a dollar a day, I'd want to do my job better than the fellow next to me. I'd want to be the best at whatever I do. — Branch Rickey

Fill in any figure you want for that boy (Mickey Mantle). Whatever the figure, it's a deal. — Branch Rickey

Problems are the price you pay for progress. — Branch Rickey

If things don't come easy, there is no premium on effort. There should be joy in the chase, zest in the pursuit. — Branch Rickey

Oakland is home, and you always want to go home. Anytime you get the chance, you're happy to go home. — Rickey Henderson

What I found fascinating was just how quickly the best of the young Negro League players were drafted into the major leagues once Branch Rickey broke the color line by hiring Jackie Robinson. It was clear that all of the major league owners already knew the talents of the black ballplayers that they had refused to let into their league. — Walter Dean Myers

Listen: People are always saying, 'Rickey says Rickey.' But it's been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I'm ticked off, saying, 'Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?' They say, 'Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don't you just say, 'I?' But I never did. I always said, 'Rickey,' and it become something for people to joke about. — Rickey Henderson

I was in the top ten percent of my law school class. I am a Doctor of Juris Prudence. I have an honorary Doctor of Laws. So, would somebody please tell me why I spent four mortal hours today conversing with a person named Dizzy Dean. — Branch Rickey

When (Rube) Waddell
had control and some sleep, he was unbeatable. — Branch Rickey

I wanted to be a part of something special and contributing to the launch of a new league was very exciting to me. — Rickey Henderson

I'm convinced that, in the end, art is not for the artist but for their fellow man. — George Rickey

I can't find a job. It makes me crazy. — Rickey Henderson

Sometimes I really do feel that Peter Griffin is right about the clouds plotting against us. — Rickey Russell

Just because I believed in what I was doing on the field and dedicated myself to playing the game, does that mean I'm cocky? Does that mean I'm arrogant? — Rickey Henderson

People always ask me why I still want to play, but I want to know why no one will give me an opportunity. It's like they put a stamp on me: 'Hall of Fame. You're done. That's it.' — Rickey Henderson

You make my insides feel like the vibrator's on!-Rev'ed up-throbbin'-as the beats send chill's down my mind into those dark legs of ecstasy where no man dare's whimper my name-That divine sensation that drives me into the nethersphere!-You here the trippin' I am drippin ? — Rickey Russell

To all the kids out there: Follow your dream. Believe in your dream. Because dreams do come true. — Rickey Henderson

White people build a really big fire and stand way back. Indians build a little-bitty fire and get real close. — Rickey Bray

Embrace Your Abomination!" - in regards to religious zealots constantly calling gays an abomination. — Rickey Russell

I really believe that music is the only motivation you need-regardless of genre-after that everything else you need to guide you just somehow falls in line-it's all about the beats! — Rickey Russell

Baseball is a game of inches. — Branch Rickey

I'm a Hall of Famer and I'm still fighting for it because I love the game and I love to play. — Rickey Henderson

In baseball you train the whole body, except for the hip and eyes. — Rickey Henderson

Things worthwhile generally don't just happen. Luck is a fact, but should not be a factor. Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined at their best. Negligence or indifference are usually reviewed from an unlucky seat. The law of cause and effect and causality both work the same with inexorable exactitudes. Luck is the residue of design. — Branch Rickey

Even the slowest guy can go from first to third and help win a ballgame. — Rickey Henderson

He (Leo Durocher) had the ability of taking a bad situation and making it immediately worse. — Branch Rickey

When I was growing up, my favorite player was Reggie Jackson - and I never got the opportunity to get an autograph from Reggie. I was so frustrated. I mean, he was my idol. And I couldn't get no autograph. I would go through punishment waiting on him (after games) because he was always the last guy to come out. And I would go back home with no autograph. — Rickey Henderson

I have always had fun playing the game of baseball because I loved it so much. — Rickey Henderson