“I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.”
“There’s nobody taking center from me until I give it up.”
When asked why he hustled on plays that had little effect on a game’s outcome or on his team’s standing, Joe replied, “Because there’s always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”
“Emotion was surging with me over this wonderful demonstration the New York fans had arranged on my behalf…Here I was-an immigrant fisherman’s son standing in front of 70,000 people and alongside the mayor of the world’s greatest city. It was overwhelming.”
“A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example.”
“I’m just a ballplayer with one ambition, and that is to give it all I’ve got to help my ball club win. I’ve never played any other way.”