He (shoeless Joe Jackson) Was The Finest

The Way Those Clubs Shift Against Ted Williams, I Can't Understand How He Can Be So Stupid Not To Accept The Challenge To Him And Hit To Left Field.

The Longer I Live, The Longer I Realize That Batting Is More A Mental Matter Than It Is Physical. The Ability To Grasp The Bat, Swing At The Proper Time, Take A Proper Stance; All These Are Elemental. Batting Is Rather A Study In Psychology, A Sizing Up Of A Pitcher And Catcher And Observing Little Details That Are Of Immense Importance. It's Like The Study Of Crime, The Work Of A Detective As He Picks Up Clues.

He Batted Against Spitballs, Shineballs, Emeryballs And All The Other Trick Deliveries. He Never Figured Anything Out Or Studied Anything With The Same Scientific Approach I Gave It. He Just Swung. If He'd Ever Had Any Knowledge Of Batting, His Average Would Have Been Phenomenal. ... He Seemed Content To Just Punch The Ball, And I Can Still See Those Line Drives Whistling To The Far Precincts. Joe Jackson Hit The Ball Harder Than Any Man Ever To Play Baseball.

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.

I Regret To This Day That I Never Went To College. I Feel I Should Have Been A Doctor.