Richard Ben Cramer Quotes

At every step in his life, DiMaggio was what New Yorkers wanted in a hero.

I'm the guy that made Joe DiMaggio famous.

Everyone has someone they looked up to. Mine was Mickey Mantle. For Alex Rodriguez to idolize me coming up, that makes me feel very good.

Jerry Coleman was the kind of player who made me proud to wear the pinstripes.

M. J. was M. J. His body of work speaks for itself. We've seen his career, we've dissected his career and had the chance to watch it. That's done.

But I think the Great DiMaggio would be proud of me today.

If you had a son, it would be a great thing to have him grow up to be just like Gil Hodges.

Heroes are people who are all good with no bad in them. That's the way I always saw Joe DiMaggio. He was beyond question one of the greatest players of the century.

The Greatest Living Yankee is Whitey Ford, who came out of Aviation High School, which was then in Manhattan, and helped pitch the Yankees to victory in the 1950 World Series when he was 21.

When I was working on the unauthorized biography 'Stan Musial: An American Life,' which came out in 2011, old opponents recalled how Musial knew their names after they had been in the majors only a few days.

Carl Yastrzemski was the best all-around player. He could run, throw and hit. He had the ability to play a number of different positions. He signed as a shortstop. He could play the outfield, of course, and third base and first, too. He was a tremendous athlete. Mickey Mantle was unbelievable, too.

Ted Williams was the greatest hitter I ever saw, but DiMaggio was the greatest all around player.

When I played, Old-Timers' Day was my favorite day of the whole season, because I got to share a locker with one of the great Yankees... It was an out-of-body experience.

I always looked up there, because I remember a time when the only things on the walls in Fenway were the Jimmy Fund sign and the retired numbers. Never in a million years did you think you'd ever be up there with those guys.

Dirk Nowitzki has been my hero for many years.

My superhero has always been Tendulkar, and it will be Tendulkar for life. He is someone who has inspired me immensely. Just watching him play for India, I used to dream of winning games for India, because he used to do it single handedly.

In the spring of 1957, Mickey Mantle was the king of New York. He had the Triple Crown to prove it, having become only the 12th player in history to earn baseball's gaudiest jewel. In 1956, he had finally fulfilled the promise of his promise, batting .353, with 52 homers and 130 RBIs. Everybody loved Mickey.

Now I've had everything except for the thrill of watching Babe Ruth play.

There was never a day when I was as good as Joe DiMaggio at his best. Joe was the best, the very best I ever saw.

Pete Rose may not make the Hall of Fame, but a statue of him is going to be erected outside the Cincinnati Reds ballpark.

I met David Bowie when I was 14, and he became a hero to me - because he was an artist, and because he was a genius who had the time to be kind. I'd never met such an extraordinary artist before, and I haven't since - the world will be a greyer place without him.

How can I ever dog Derek Jeter? It's impossible. There is nothing to knock. He's a great defensive player. He's a great offensive player.

I used to watch Monte Irvin play when I was a kid. I idolized him. I used to wait in front of the ballpark just for him to pass by so I could see him.

I'm a Red Sox fan, but I still have a lot of respect for Mariano Rivera, who's the best closer of all-time.

My dad hit 152 home runs and that's the person I wanted to be like. My hero growing up.