Ty Cobb quotes

Ty Cobb was an American baseball player regarded as one of the greatest hitters in the sport's history. His aggressive playing style and numerous records set new standards for Major League Baseball. He is often remembered for his intense competitiveness and lasting impact on the game. Here are 30 of his quotes:

A ball bat is a wondrous weapon. (Ty Cobb)
I've been called one of the hardest bargainers who ever held out, and I'm proud of it. View quote
Ty Cobb
When I played ball, I didn't play for fun. View quote
Ty Cobb
Williams is one batter I thought would break my lifetime batting average of.367. If he'd learned to hit to left, Ted would have broken every record in the book. View quote
Ty Cobb
Certainly it is okay for them to play. I see no reason in the world why we shouldn't compete with colored athletes as long as they conduct themselves with politeness and gentility. Let me say also that no white man has the right to be less of a gentleman than a colored man, in my book that goes not only for baseball but in all walks of life. View quote
Ty Cobb
On the diamond, I had been rough on Babe. I'd never taken my spurs out of his hide and one day he'd come looking for me in the Detroit clubhouse with fistic mayhem in mind. We'd won and lost duels to each other way back since 1915, when Babe had been a rookie pitcher with Bill Carrigan's Boston Red Sox. To add heat to the situation, some press association or other was always holding a poll to pick between Ruth and Cobb as the all-time star player. View quote
Ty Cobb
The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault. View quote
Ty Cobb
I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me... but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch. View quote
Ty Cobb
Every great batter works on the theory that the pitcher is more afraid of him than he is of the pitcher. View quote
Ty Cobb
Most collisions out on the fields are needless. View quote
Ty Cobb
I never could stand losing. Second place didn't interest me. I had a fire in my belly. (Ty Cobb)
I can't honestly say that I appreciate the way in which he changed baseball - from a game of science to an extension of his powerful slugging - but he was the most natural and unaffected man I ever knew. No one ever loved life more. No one ever inspired more youngsters. I have reverence for his marvelous ability. I look forward to meeting him again some day. View quote
Ty Cobb
I have observed that baseball is not unlike war, and when you get right down to it, we batters are the heavy artillery. View quote
Ty Cobb
I'm going to steal every base on you today. View quote
Ty Cobb
I'd told him exactly what I intended to do, and still gotten away with it. View quote
Ty Cobb
Joe's swing was purely natural, he was the perfect hitter. View quote
Ty Cobb
As a base-runner, I had some pretty radical ideas. View quote
Ty Cobb
After that, the responsibility for the catch is yours. View quote
Ty Cobb
I think if I had my life to live over again, I'd do things a little different. View quote
Ty Cobb
The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money and that's it, not for the love of it, the excitement of it, the thrill of it. View quote
Ty Cobb
Baseball was one-hundred percent of my life. (Ty Cobb)
Speed is a great asset; but it's greater when it's combined with quickness - and there's a big difference. View quote
Ty Cobb
I regret to this day that I never went to college. I feel I should have been a doctor. View quote
Ty Cobb
I may have been fierce, but never low or underhand. View quote
Ty Cobb
The crowd makes the ballgame. View quote
Ty Cobb