Quotes by Monte Irvin - Page 1

I think anybody who saw him will tell you that Willie Mays was the greatest player who ever lived.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Player
Saws
Thinking
Mays
Willie
Willie Mays
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I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron. They were tremendous players, but they were no Josh Gibson.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Josh
Player
Aaron
Played
Tremendous
Gibson
Hank
Mays
Willie
Willie Mays
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Baseball has done more to move America in the right direction than all of the professional patriots with all their cheap words.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
America
Baseball
Moving
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My all-time heroes are Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., two men who had to really work to achieve what they did. And I had the privilege of meeting them both.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Kings
Men
Achieve
All Time
Hero
Luther
Privilege
Heroes
Dr
Marshall
Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King
Meeting
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I played for Almendares in Cuba. Guess who was trying out for the team? Castro. Fidel Castro, as a pitcher. He could throw pretty hard, but he was wild. He didn't have any control.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Castro
Cuba
Pitcher
Team
Trying
Wild
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I played in three countries. I played in two World Series. But I never found anything to match the joy and the laughter those years with the Eagles brought me. The city and county loved us.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
County
Eagles
Laughter
World Series
World City Me
Match
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Many of the greatest black athletes of all time played baseball for no money and no recognition. I'm just sorry many major league fans never got to see them play, because many of them were awesome.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Athlete
Baseball
League
Major League
Recognition
Sorry
Athletes
Awesome
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We used to look at each other and say, 'We play the same game with the same rules, the same bat, the same ball, the same field. What the hell does color have to do with it? You don't play with color. You play with talent.'
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Color
Talent
Rules
Ball
Bat
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I always felt that I had a mission in life. I thought I was born to play sports. Even now, I still feel that must have been my mission because I came through so many close calls where my life could very easily have been ended.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Life Sports Always
Life Sports My Life
Calls
Ended
Even Now
Mission
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Willie Wells, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, Buck Leonard, Quincy Troupe, Satchel Paige - earlier than when he was called up - Oscar Charleston and Josh Gibson. You see what kind of talent we had, and guys in the majors knew it too.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Charleston
Josh
Majors
Talent
Troupe
Buck
Earlier
Gibson
Guys
Oscar
Ray
Willie
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Early in life I learned, just through observation, that right always wins out over wrong. If a person has good intentions in his heart and wants to do the right thing, then there are certain ways that any obstacle can be overcome.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Good
Certain
Good Intentions
Heart
Observation
Overcoming
Right Thing
Winning
Life Good Always
Person
Life Good Heart
Life Always Heart
Just
Then
Thing
Always
Any
Out
Through
Do The Right Thing
Wrong
Early
His
Over
Intentions
Learned
Obstacle
Right
The Right Thing
Wants
Ways
Wins
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The reason we had an all-black outfield in '51 is Don Mueller got hurt, so Hank Thompson was a legitimate replacement. So what? People talk about, 'You're the first to do this. You're the first to do that.' Don't dwell on race all the time.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Hank
Time People Talk
Outfield
Replacement
Thompson
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It was in 1942 and I flew from St. Louis to Mexico City. I had just gotten married and we were on our honeymoon. I hit .397 and led the Mexican League with 20 home runs and was named the MVP of the league. It's when I realized I could compete with anyone at any level.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Running
Home
Flew
Honeymoon
League
Married
Mexican
Mexico
Mexico City
Mvp
Louis
Hit
Named
Compete
Gotten
Home Runs
Led
Realized
Runs
St. Louis
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Everyone says we have our first African American president. Has there ever been a Jewish president? An Italian president? They don't say a damn thing about that. You think we're still fighting the Civil War or something. If you want to mention it in passing, OK. But don't dwell on it.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
War
American President
Civil War
Damn
Fighting
Italian
Passing
Jewish
African
Civil
Damn Thing
Mention
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You should have seen Willie Wells play shortstop: as good as Ozzie Smith and a better hitter. How I wish people could have seen Ray Dandridge play third base, as good as Brooks Robinson and Craig Nettles and all of those. He was bowlegged; a train might go through there, but not a baseball.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Baseball
Brooks
Play
Should Have
Good Better People
Base
Craig
Hitter
Ray
Robinson
Shortstop
Smith
Third
Willie
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For me, there was nothing like my time with the Eagles - ever. We were young, and the world was new to us. It was the happiest time of our lives. They wouldn't let us play in their big leagues, but we had this game of ours... this marvelous, blessed game... and we just went out and played it.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Blessed
Eagles
Marvelous
My Time
Time World Me
Time World Game
Big Leagues
Time Game World
Happiest
Leagues
Let Us
Ours
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My mother was a Bible student, and when I was a youngster, both my mother and father would say, 'If people would only live by the Golden Rule, there wouldn't be the problems that there are.' In other words, 'treat people the way you want to be treated.' If somebody mistreats you, two wrongs won't make a right.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Bible
Father
Golden
Golden Rule
Mother
Mother And Father
Two
Somebody
Student
In Other Words
Problems
Rule
The Golden Rule
Treat
Wrongs
Youngster
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I'm a forgiver. I might not forget, but I forgive. My mother, father and older brother always told me: 'Don't hold grudges. If you do that, you don't lower yourself down to your adversary. Just treat people the way you want to be treated.' I honestly think that's why I was able to survive and have some success.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Able
Brother
Father
Forget
Honestly
Might
Mother
Older Brother
Success Always Yourself
Why
Adversary
Success Yourself Me
Grudges
Down
Forgive
Older
Hold
Lower
Survive
To Survive
Treat
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Oscar Charleston was the Willie Mays of his day. Nobody ever played center field better than Willie Mays. Suppose they had never given Willie a chance, and we said that, would anybody believe there was a kid in Alabama who was that good? Or there was a black guy in Atlanta who might break Babe Ruth's home run record? No.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Chance
Home
Alabama
Atlanta
Babe
Black
Break
Charleston
Given
Guy
Home Run
Might
Ruth
Had
Anybody
Played
Nobody
Center
Run
Day
Ever
Field
His
Record
Suppose
Mays
Oscar
Willie
Willie Mays
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Leo Durocher was our manager and he brought Willie up to me and said, 'This is Willie Mays and he's your new roommate.' You could see right away that this young man was a natural. He had those real big hands, great power and speed and would catch everything hit in his direction. He's the best center fielder that ever lived, no question.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Great Power
Speed
Young Man
Best Power Great
Brought
Catch
Center
Direction
Leo
Manager
Mays
No Question
Right Away
Willie
Willie Mays
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I was all-state in four sports in New Jersey, but sometimes I couldn't get served at a restaurant two blocks from my high school. There were no job opportunities then... the only thing a black youth could aspire to be was a bellboy or a pullman or an elevator operator, or, maybe, a teacher. There was a time when all we had was black baseball.
Monte Irvin / Baseball Player
Sports
Teacher
Aspire
Baseball
Jersey
New Jersey
Youth
Blocks
Elevator
Operator
Restaurant
Served
The Only Thing
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Monte Irvin Quotes - Page 1

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