My long-range mission is to be the first athlete to win the Nobel Prize.
— Ernie Banks
I meet a lot of people that grew up with my career and have retired, and I just want to talk to them. I like to get a feeling from them, a feeling of the old times.
I didn't understand anything about playing baseball. I started playing, and it was enjoyable. Most of my life, I played with older people on my team, in my league. I learned a lot about life. Every day in my life, I learned something new from somebody.
I wanted to finish my career with one team, in one city, one mayor, one park, one owner. I did that. The Wrigleys owned the team. We played all of our home games at Wrigley Field during the daytime. So my career was very unique, and I am proud of it.
We lived near a supermarket, and whatever they threw away, we would get it, and my mother would make soup. Or she would get a big can of lard, a big can of meal, a big can of flour, a big can of beans, and fix the same meal for months.
Some people feel that because you are black you will never be treated fairly, and that you should voice your opinions, be militant about them. I don't feel this way. You can't convince a fool against his will.
It's a kind of philosophy of my own life, to create the energy enough to keep on going.
I own stock, and I also insure my car with Geico.
Mr. Wrigley believed in this: Put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket. They don't do that today. This is the old-fashioned way I'm talking about. He carried it on to his business. Do one thing and stay with it.
I learned from Mr. Wrigley, early in my career, that loyalty wins and it creates friendships. I saw it work for him in his business.
No, I think the pitching today has more depth.
The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money.
I like my players to be married and in debt. That's the way you motivate them.
The only way to prove that you're a good sport is to lose.
My theme is, 'The spirit of friendship is the balance of life.' Not money. Not the World Series. It's friendship. The relationships I have with people, that's enough to keep me happy.
I don't try to hit home runs. I just try to meet the ball and get base hits.
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.
When you do things to try to help people and share things, it really comes back to you. I try to do that.
I guess my critics say, 'He must be crazy. Nothing can be that beautiful.' But when you think that there are so many people around the world who have nothing, you realize how lucky you are to be making a living in the big leagues.
Everybody believed you had to have a big piece of lumber and then muscle the ball over the fence. But by the time I and Hank Aaron - another guy who did it with his wrists - were through, there were a lot of guys ordering light bats and playing handball.
Another friend hired me to open doors for him in the moving and relocation business. I did that for 10 years, am still doing it. And I do some work for the Cubs, in community relations.
Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.
When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without paying taxes.
It would be a lot different for me because there is a lot of information that you need to know about as a player. How pitchers are pitching you, how defenses are playing, certain situations about certain pitchers.
It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!
The Cubs are due in sixty-two.
Did you hear that? I didn't hear anything. Put that question another way.
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.
Playing for the Kansas City Monarchs was like my school, my learning, my world. It was my whole life.
I'd like to get to the last game of the World Series at Wrigley Field and hit three homers. That was what I always wanted to do.
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.
I don't think it's up to black athletes to get involved in political or racial issues.
The Cubs are gonna shine in sixty-nine.
People ask me a lot about the values I got from playing for the Cubs for so many years. The value I got out of it was patience. A lot of people these days are not very patient.
But it all comes down to friendship, treating people right.
Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have.
During my time, there might have been one pitcher or two that were top pitchers on a team. Teams that won maybe had three, but today they have a lot of depth. They have a lot of long relievers, short relievers, and the strategy is different.
You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace.
It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!
Awards mean a lot, but they don't say it all. The people in baseball mean more to me than statistics.
