Quotes - D

"The debut of Jackie Robinson was quite uneventful, even though he had the unenviable distinction of snuffing out a rally by hitting into a remarkable double play. The muscular Negro minds his own business and shrewdly makes no effort to push himself. He speaks quietly and intelligently when spoken to and already has made a strong impression." - Arthur Daley, NY Times coverage of Robinson's debut, 15 Apr 47

"Let me get this straight. The owners are about to shut down baseball when it's more prosperous than it's even been, and the players are the ones who have to get their urine tested?" - Ron Darling (New York Mets pitcher), on the eve of the 1990 lockout.

"He's part of Americana, part of the folklore of this country: a guy who grew up in Oklahoma and became arguably the greatest power-hitting switch-hitter ever." - Ron Darling, Oakland A's pitcher, on Mickey Mantle

"I knew I was in trouble when they had to call a proctologist to set my thumb." - Rick Dempsey, Baltimore Orioles, after blocking home plate against Bo Jackson

"It's always the same, Combs walks, Koening singles, Ruth hits one out of the park, Gehrig doubles, Lazzeri triples. Then Dugan goes in the dirt on his can." - Joseph Anthony Dugan, NY Yankees 3B

"Born? Hell, Babe Ruth wasn't born. He fell from a tree." - Joseph Anthony Dugan, NY Yankees 3B

"This guy don't come to the ballpark to beat you. He comes to beat you bad. This Robinson, he plays a ton." - Leo Durocher, Dodger Manager 1947, on Jackie Robinson

"I never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesite...yes." - Leo "The Lip" Durocher

"Some guys are admired for coming to play, as the saying goes. I prefer those who come to kill." - Leo 'The Lip' Durocher, Brooklyn Dodgers manager

"Nice guys finish last." - Leo Durocher, former manager

"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." - Leo 'The Lip' Durocher

"A ball players's got to be kept hungry to become a big-leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family ever made the big leagues." - Joe DiMaggio

"You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen." - Joe DiMaggio, on Opening Day

"All pitchers are born pitchers." - Joe DiMaggio

"The phrase 'off with the crack of the bat', while romantic, is really meaningless, since the outfielder should be in motion long before he hears the sound of the ball meeting the bat." - Joe DiMaggio

"If I'da known he was gonna throw one, I'da thrown one, too." - Dizzy Dean (St. Louis Cardinals pitcher), after his brother Paul threw a no-hitter in the second game of a double-header, after Dizzy threw a two-hitter in the first game.

"If Satch and I were pitching on the same team, we'd cinch the pennant by July 4 and go fishing until World Series time." - Dizzy Dean, on Satchel Paige, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher

"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up." - Dizzy Dean

When he couldn't broadcast weather: "I can't tell you why there's a delay, but stick your head out of the window and you'll know why." - Dizzy Dean

"It puzzles me how they know what corners are good for filling stations. Just how did they know gas and oil was under there?" - Dizzy Dean

"The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing." - Dizzy Dean

"If I were catching blindfolded, I'd always know when it was Foxx who connected. He hit the ball harder than anyone else." - Bill Dickey, on Jimmie Foxx

"I managed a team that was so bad we considered a 2-0 count on the batter a rally." - Rich Donnelly, on managing in the minors

"He hit a pop-up against us one day that went so high, it was higher than the sun. It was up there so high, all nine guys on our team called for it." - Rich Donnelly, Florida Marlins coach, on Mark McGwire

"The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid. And if the hitter is timid, he has to remind the hitter he's timid." - Don Drysdale