Stealing Bases Quotes

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.

Baseball is about homecoming. It is a journey by theft and strength, guile and speed, out around first to the far island of second, where foes lurk in the reefs and the green sea suddenly grows deeper, then to turn sharply, skimming the shallows, making for a shore that will show a friendly face, a color, a familiar language and, at third, to proceed, no longer by paths indirect but straight, to home.

Stealing bases was put to me almost as a prerequisite for staying in the game. They didn't give me a handbook on how to do it; they said do it. Under those conditions you go out and develop your own handbook.

I used to be a pretty good hit-and-run man when I played in the minors. I handled the bat well and could hit the ball to the right side of the infield. Nevertheless, I know that you often give the opposition an out on the hit-and-run play.

Stealing bases is just something I like to do. I figure if I can hit home runs and steal bases, I'd be different than everybody else.

I let the players use their abilities and what they're capable of doing. If they're capable of stealing bases, I'm going to give them the green light. I'm going to teach them to pick their spots and to get a base when they can get a base.

I was stealing all the bases, and when you had to go to arbitration they said, 'You know, only the big boys make the money.' So I got to try and figure out how to hit a home run, too.

When I was a little-leaguer, I was sort of famous for stealing bases - and it started only because my mom wanted to be sure where I was in the afternoons. Mom always used to say, "If you don't come home dirty, you didn't play a baseball game." So I always tried to get in a situation where I had to slide so that I could go home dirty.

I want to develop every base of my game-stealing bases, hitting, being a better fielder.

Of all the plays in baseball, stealing home is by far the most exciting.

I don't want to get on base and just run for the sake of running. What good is it if you steal 100 bases and get caught 60 times?

What I am, what I have, what I am going to leave behind me - all this I owe to the game of baseball.

Team speed for Christ's sake. You got bleeping' bleep bleep little fleas on the bleeping' bases getting picked off, trying to steal, getting thrown out, taking runs away from you. You get some big bleep bleepers that can hit the bleeping ball out of ballpark and you can't make any bleep bleeping mistakes.

There's nobody on my ball club that doesn't go from first to third on a base hit, or from second to home. Every time you steal a base, you're taking a gamble on getting thrown out, and taking the bat out of the hitter's hand.

Your obligation as a base runner is to try and be safe within the rules. OK?

I wasn't going to be drafted to steal bases at 18.

I love talking about baserunning.

I always think of baseball as so existential. Like, you're just out there in a field, in a big expanse of green grass.

If I can get on base once or twice a game, steal a bag, do something, then I'm happy.

People say I stole a lot of bases. I stole the bases for a reason. I crossed the plate.

Lou Brock was a great base stealer but today I am the greatest.

Baseball been berry berry good to me!