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Roberto Clemente
171 quotes
“Bobby, it don't matter how you stand; it matter where you end up!”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Circa 1956 or 1957, regarding his failure to find one consistent batting stance; as quoted by Pirate reliever Art Swanson in Remember Roberto: Clemente Recalled by Teammates, Family, Friends and Fans (1994) by Jim O'Bri…
“I had offers from Dodgers, Giants and Braves. Braves offer same amount as Dodgers but I have many friends on Brooklyn team. I feel more at home there and I sign.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "The Scoreboard" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Tuesday, May 10, 1955), p. 31
“I no play so gut yet," the Puerto Rican star tried to explain yesterday. "Me like hot weather, veree hot. I no run fast cold weather. No get warm in cold. No get warm, no play gut. You see." Clemente likes Forbes Field and Connie Mack Stadium the best of all the parks he's played in but has a strong dislike for Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds because of the crazy bounces the balls take as they ricochet off the walls.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted and paraphrased in "The Scoreboard" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Friday, June 10, 1955), p. 30
“Clemente, who says Josh Gibson is the best hitter he ever saw, is anxious to see Ted Williams when the slugger comes here a week from Monday for the benefit exhibition between the Pirates and Red Sox.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As paraphrased in "The Scoreboard: Thursday" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Saturday, June 11, 1955), p. 6
“I didn't like the trade. Santurce is close to my home town and I like the fans there. They good to me and cheer me all the time. I may not go back. I may work in Pittsburgh.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reacting to the sale of his erstwhile winter ball team, Santurce, and his subsequent trade to San Juan; as quoted in "Roberto Does Better When He's Ailing" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Saturday, March 2, 1…
“I love the game too much to quit. But right now I can't run or swing a bat too well. I had my tonsils out two weeks ago in Pittsburgh and that helped, but I still have the pain. I am studying to be a civil engineer in Puerto Rico, so that's what I'll do if I have to give up baseball.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted and paraphrased in "Not to Quit, Clemente Says" by the Associated Press, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Friday, July 26, 1957), p. 14
“I want play but back hurt. If I no can play good, I no help team. So I wait until pain goes away. I no swing bat good, no run good, no catch ball like old times. I try but pain, she too much. Some days, no pain. Other days, pain all time. Some days pain so much I theenk maybe I quit baseball. But I need money so I play baseball." Clemente doesn't even want to think of an operation on his back. He says he had two brothers and a sister who died following surgery and his family opposes operations.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted and paraphrased in "Aching Back Puts Clemente On Bench Again" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Friday, July 26, 1957), p. 20
“I will try to play this season out, then rest for a while. Then I will play some winter baseball, and if my back still hurts, I'll quit.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Pirates' Clemente May Quit Baseball" by International News Service, in The Washington Post (Friday, July 26, 1957), p. D2
“No one knows what eet is. They can't find anything. I run, I throw, I move eet hurts. Eet goes away and come back. Someday eet hurt . . . someday no. If eet doesn't cure, I quit baseball ... No fool around.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Clemente's Back May End Career" by UPI, in The Gallup Independent (Friday, July 26, 1957), p. 5
“I won't play ball in the winter. I gonna rest. If the pain is still there, I won't come back to spring training. I don't want to play the way I play now. I can't do nothing. That's like I steal money from the club.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking with George Kiseda of The Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph in late July or early August 1957, reproduced in "Frustration in the Fifties", from Roberto Clemente: The Great One (1997) by Bruce Markusen, p. 63
“How you blame Bragan for what we do? He no hit for us, no run for us, no peetch for us, no feeld for us. Bes manager I efer play for.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Murtaugh Takes Pirate Reins" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Sunday, August 4, 1957), Page 2, Sect. 4
“Last year I lose almost 20 pounds. When I go home end season I weigh only 163. I worry more 'bout bad back than I worry 'bout baseball. Now I feel goot. Ver goot. I sink I play one fitty games and I hit thee hunnert. I feel I hab goot season. Maybe fiteen home runs, nyenee RBIs, steal maybe dirty bases.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "The Great Outdoors: Drafted for $4,000, Clemente Becomes Bucs' Top Bargain; Now That His Back Ailment Is Cured, Outfielder Hopes He'll Hit .300 Again" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Thursday, A…
“If a Latin player is sick, they said it is all in their head. I'm sick of these people who make these statements. They call me 'Jake.' It is Roberto ... Roberto Walker Clemente.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Sidelights on Sports: I Remember Roberto" by Al Abrams, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Tuesday, January 2, 1973), pp. 14 and 17
“Many people tell me I wanna play like Weelie. I no play like Mays. From little boy up, I always play like thees. I always wanna run fast, to throw long and heet far.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attempting to differentiate himself from his onetime mentor, as quoted in "Clemente Realizes Boyhood Ambitions To Pain of Hurlers" by Rudy Cernkovic (UPI), in The Terre Haute Star (Tuesday, May 24, 1960), p. 9
“I do not care about home runs. The pitch is always away from me and it is foolish to try to pull this pitch for a home run. The pitcher does not wish it so, and I don't try. I am not foolish. Only in Philadelphia I think maybe I will try for the home run, but I do not think so even in L.A. I make the hits which the pitcher cannot stop, and that is better than striking out and will drive out the pitcher, too.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Les Biederman—who, not coincidentally, notes both Clemente's successful suppression of "the home run urge" and his ability to "hit for distance with the best" (the former earning the "unqualified praise of …
“It is easy to explain. This is the first time I ever went into a season without aches and pains. One year I was bothered by a bad back and it carried into another season. Another year I hurt my hand. This year I feel good.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On his vastly improved run production, as quoted in "3 Years Are Up and Clemente's At Top of Heap" by Oscar Fraley (UPI), in The Milwaukee Sentinel (Saturday, June 11, 1960), Page 6, Part 2
“I hit many what you call the "bad bol" pitches, and get good wood. The bol' travel like bullet. That remind me, I hit 565 foote hum-rum in Chicaga last year; the bol' disappear from centerfield, and Raj Hornsby tell me it longest drive he ever saw hit out of Wrigley Field. The bol' feel good on the bat but I feel bad at heart, when no writer with our team play up the big drive. I feel effort not appreciated.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Bill Nunn, Jr. in The New Pittsburgh Courier (June 25, 1960); reproduced in Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero (2006) by David Maraniss, p. 98
“In other years, we talk pennant with mouth, do nothing on field. This year we do our talking on field, keep mouths closed about pennant.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "The Scoreboard" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (August 13, 1960), p. 6
“I go up to hit. I hear people say I swing at bad pitches. If I can hit it, it is not a bad pitch.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking on his 25th birthday, after going 0 for 4 in a 3-2 Pirate win over Cincinnati; as quoted in "The Scoreboard: Confident Pirates Now Start Rooting for Yanks to Win" by Les Biederman, in The Pittsburgh Press (Augu…
“They've been knocking me down all season in the National League and I've still gotten my share of base hits.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commenting on the Yankees' pre-Series scouting report on Clemente ("Knock him down and forget him"); as quoted in "Change of Pace" by Bill Nunn, Jr. in The New Pittsburgh Courier (October 8, 1960), p. 26
“This is my ball park. Every game is played in daylight and I can see the ball good. And I can reach the stands in any direction. I hope I'm never traded but if I am, I wish it would be to the Cubs. I know I do well there in 77 games.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Discussing Wrigley Field (where he was currently hitting .693 for the season, with 9 hits in 13 AB, with 3 home runs and 9 RBI); as quoted in "Feast Then Famine For Pirates: Split Means Lost Ground In Race" by Lester J.…
“I jus' try to sacrifice myself, so I get runner to third. If I do, I feel good. But I get heet and Willie scores, and I feel better than good. [...] What makes me feel most good is that the skipper let me play the whole game. I think maybe he take me out after a few innings for Aaron but no, he pay me big compliment. I stay in game and that gave me confidence. I think I don't let him down, no?”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "All-Star Clemente Wins MVP Award" by Joe Reichler (AP), in The Michigan Daily (Wednesday, July 12, 1961), p. 4
“I was looking for an inside pitch. I don't know whether it was a fastball or not, but it came in a little inside and I was ready for it. I know it went out of here fast. Last year I hit one harder to the left field bleachers. That was a high fly ball. But this was a line drive. And I liked this hit better because it won the game.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Discussing his game-winning 7/14/61 grand slam, and contrasting it with a prodigious shot hit on 5/6/60, also at Candlestick Park; as quoted in "The Big Grand Slam: Clemente Was All Set" by Phil Berman, in The San Franc…
“I have friend in Puerto Rico who studied to be a doctor but did not finish. He has lots of money now and just likes to work as doctor sometimes. He has helped lots of fellows playing winter ball in my home. He fixed me up and I know chiropractor in St. Louis who is good for me. I think my friend in Puerto Rico can help Vernon. He can tell when it hurts without touching the spot. He do that with me just in exercise he asked me to do. I make face once and he said you have bad disc. And he right.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was mad last year. I played as well as anyone else on our team and I didn't receive one vote for MVP. Don't get me wrong; I didn't say I was the best last year or that I should have won the MVP award. But nobody seemed to care about me. But you win the batting title yourself. They can't take that away from you.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Clemente Will Seek Raise in Pay Next Year" by Lou Prato, in The Gettysburg Times (Tuesday, October 3, 1961), p. 5
“I want to thank my teammates for being a bunch of swell guys. I want to thank Branch Rickey for giving me the opportunity of playing baseball. Most of all I want to thank the people of Pittsburgh whose encouragement helped me win this award. They deserve the best.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From the Dapper Dan Award acceptance speech given on February 4, 1962, as quoted in "CHANGE OF PACE: Clemente Holds His Own as a Speaker" by Bill Nunn, Jr., in The New Pittsburgh Courier (February 17, 1962)
“If I don't have trouble with my stomach I think I can be up among the leading hitters in the league again this year. When I am bothered with my stomach, it leaves me weak. Then instead of just swinging to meet the ball I begin over-swinging and it messes me up. Funny thing, I am bothered more when I go home than when I'm in the States. I'm seriously thinking about spending the next winter in Pittsburgh.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking with reporters at the annual Dapper Dan banquet on February 4, 1962, as quoted in "CHANGE OF PACE: Clemente Holds His Own as a Speaker")
“I think he had the best eye, best stance and sharpest cut of all the big leaguers playing in Puerto Rico. He also field real good and throw like a bullet.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Recalling his boyhood idol Monte Irvin, as quoted in "CHANGE OF PACE: Scribes Now Rate Clemente as 'Best" by Bill Nunn, Jr., in The New Pittsburgh Courier (February 24, 1962)
“They pick us for sixth and seventh place. But if we fight, we are going to make it to the top. Myself, when I think I can do one thing and some one else thinks the opposite, I have to prove to the world that I can.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Addressing the ' Welcome Home Dinner, held on April 9, 1962 at Pittsburgh's ; as quoted in "62 Pirates Expect to Be Contender" by Vince Leonard, in The Pittsburgh Press (Tuesday, April 10, 1962), p. 37
“Everybody pick us for sixth place this year. The best way to prove to yourself this wrong is for Pirates to bounce back—to fight hard. I know something inside me explode when things are tough so I can do better.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking with reporters on April 9, 1962 at F.O.E.'s Welcome Home Dinner; as quoted in "Sidelights on Sports" by Al Abrams, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Wednesday, April 11, 1962), p. 24
“I sick, I have nervous stomach. I can hardly eat. I’m taking lot of vitamins and I’m getting stronger. But I still sick.” [...] Clemente said he’s been bothered by stomach trouble since last August. "During the winter I feel real bad. I lost 18 pounds but I’ve picked my weight back up a little since then. I don’t feel too strong and sometimes when I run I get short of breath. Sometime I feel good and sometime I don’t feel like playing ball at all.” [...] “If I get a little stronger, I hit with more power and I help the club more.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted and paraphrased in "Rival pitchers look out! Clemente very sick man" by Lou Prato (AP), in The Press-Courier (Tuesday, June 5, 1962), p. 12
“What I did was mild compared to what Durocher did to Conlan. I don't see how what I did can be called more serious than the Durocher incident. I had good reason to lose my head. That was the second time they call me out on a play I thought I had beat. That's enough to make anybody mad.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Fined, Suspended: Clemente Hit Hard By Giles" by Bill Nunn, Jr. in The New Pittsburgh Courier (June 8, 1963), p. 23
“It seems to me they like to play up my faults. If I make a bad play, it seems to get more publicity than the good things I do. They always compare me with Paul Waner and things in the past. I didn't play ball 25 years ago. I'm playing now. I think I should be judged on this basis. I get tired of hearing that Waner was a better hitter than me. A lot of old fans tell me I field better, run faster and throw harder than Waner. Nobody says anything about that.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Change of Pace" by Bill Nunn, Jr. in The New Pittsburgh Courier (August 10, 1963), p. 22
“I think the fans in Pittsburgh are the best in baseball. They've always been on my side, even when I'm going bad. I've made plenty of friends and I would not trade these people for anybody, anywhere.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There was a time when I said if I couldn't play in Pittsburgh, I wouldn't want to play anywhere. I don't feel that way now. If the Pirates traded me, I would accept it as a part of baseball and continue doing my best wherever I went.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think winning the batting championship again (he won the title in 1961) would be my biggest thrill. I put it above the Most Valuable Player award. After all, hundreds of players are trying for the title. If I win, that means I'm best. It also means the first championship I won was no fluke. A lot of people like to say it was. I believe I stand a good chance of winning this year if my weight holds up. Right now I think it will.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are many good players in this game. If they weren't good, they wouldn't be in the majors. I'm not bragging when I say I think I'm as good as anyone. Mays, Aaron, Robinson, guys like that, hit with more power than I do. After that, I think I can hold my own.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In Puerto Rico, we like to laugh and talk before a game. Then we go out and play as hard as we can to win. Afterwards, we laugh and talk again. But in America, baseball is much more of a business. Play well and you get pats on the back and congratulations. Play bad and no pats and maybe nobody talks to you.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Roberto Clementeː Pounder from Puerto Rico" by John Devaney, in Baseball Stars of 1964 (1964), edited by Ray Robinson, p. 149
“In 1956 I was doing good until I hurt my back. Since then I step to the side with my left foot faster so I don't have to twist my body so much.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how stepping in the bucket of necessity became a familiar part of Clemente's batting form, as quoted in "Clemente Unorthodox?" Well, He Gets Results" by Ed Schuyler, Jr. (AP), in The Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Au…
“To hit in, it's okay; for power, it's not. If you get a line drive in this park, you're in good shape. It's best to hit to right field in this park because of the wall." He explained that balls bounding off and around the right field wall produce more extra base hits. He also said that he doesn't try for the home run. "If I tried hard, I might hit 20 to 25 homers a year. But if you hit for a high average, you will help the ball club more.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe I can hit with anybody in baseball. Maybe I can’t hit with the power of a Mays or a Frank Robinson or a Hank Aaron, but I can hit. As long as I play in Forbes Field, I can’t go for home runs. Line drives, yes, but not home runs.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in “Clouter Clemente: Popular Buc; Rifle-Armed Flyhawk Aims At Second Bat Crown” by Les Biederman, in The Sporting News (September 5, 1964)
“I'm a better fielder than anyone you can name. I have great respect for Mays, but I can go get the ball like Willie and I have a better arm.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I threw the javelin in high school, but that’s only part of the reason for my good arm. I got my good arm from my mother. Today she’s 73, yet she can throw a ball from second base to home plate with something on it. Last year, when they opened the amateur winter league in Puerto Rico, she threw out the first ball from a box seat to home plate. She had something on it, too. She’s in good health.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Good public relations. When I was a rookie in 1955, I was lonesome and had no place to go. So I didn’t mind staying to sign autographs. I have found people treat you like you treat them.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was a much bigger thrill to play on a winning team in 1960 than for me to win the batting title in 1961 when we finished sixth. When you’re with a bad team, you don’t have the incentive to keep going. Winning is such fun.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I hear people say I swing at bad pitches. What is a bad pitch? If I can hit it, it's not a bad pitch.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "SPORTS BEAT: Bucco Ship Needs Clemente's Big Bat" by Wendell Smith in The New Pittsburgh Courier (April 10, 1965), p. 15
“I see a lot of guys who look stylish at the plate, but they don't hit the ball very often.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They think it is an act. When I said I had back trouble, they call me Mama’s Boy. Goldbrick. When my elbow was swollen as big as a softball, they say it was in my head. If I am sick, I do not deny. If my back is hurting me and I am forced to punch at the ball with no power, I tell the truth. I tell them I am hurting.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Roberto Clemente: Man of Paradox" by Arnold Hano, in Sport (May 1965)
“With my eyes blind I can throw to the base. I know that. If Mantle have the arm I have you will put it in headlines because he is an American. You never give me credit. How many players in history have three batting titles? The sportswriters don't mention that. They ask me, "What you think about dis? What you think about dat?”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Aches and Pains and Three Batting Titles" by Myron Cope, in Sports Illustrated (March 7, 1966), p. 33
“If I make up my mind I’m going to hit 20 homers this year, I bet you any amount of money I can hit 20." A change of style would do the trick, he claims, but what sort of change? "Nothing. A little change in the hands, that’s all. I don’t want to tell you what it is.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source