I Can Still Steal A Base Anytime

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.

A Good Friend Of Mine Took Me Out And Had Me Hit Off A Tee. He Made Me Understand What Was My Strike Zone And - With My Speed - The Importance Of Making Contact. So I Give Him A Lot Of Credit For Changing My Game And Making Me The Player I Became. He Showed Me How To Work On Me And My Game, And Not Worry About Patterning Myself After Someone Else And Focusing On What They Were Capable Of Doing Rather Than What I Was Capable Of Doing.

People Always Ask Me Why I Still Want To Play, But I Want To Know Why No One Will Give Me An Opportunity. It's Like They Put A Stamp On Me: 'hall Of Fame. You're Done. That's It.' It's A Goddamn Shame.

I Like Playing For Oakland, They Have A Very Colorful Uniform.

My Impact On The Game Was Going Out There And Making Things Happen.