Opening Day Wisdom from the Greats

Courtesy of Esquire.

Buck O'Neil, First Baseman (Interviewed 2007)

No, you're never gonna see that again. Oh, no! I mean, nobody is going to pitch to Barry Bonds in the World Series. You walk him. You don't walk batters to get to Barry Bonds. But that's how it was. That was a different era — an era of personal competition. You lived to pitch to Josh Gibson. Why do you think Babe Ruth hit so many home runs? They weren't pitching around him. When Walter Johnson was on the mound, he felt it was his job to get him out. This is how I get my kicks — pitching to the best.

Ted Williams, Legend (Interviewed 1999)

The most fun I ever had in my life was hittin’ a baseball. And the best sound I ever heard in my life was a ball hit with a bat. Powww!