Top 19 Rod Carew Quotes

Here I am, a black man with a white man’s heart. In the end, that’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to help, and he wants us to share.

I think the Angels could use me the most. The Angels don’t have a day-to-day first baseman.

To me, I was just doing my job when I took the field, but to understand how close I came to death, I now realize what God has given me when he brought me into this world; he knew what he was doing.

Three thousand hits is something that should stand for itself.

Back when I first came up with the Twins as a second baseman, Billy worked with me on my fielding, on playing the game, on being heads-up, hustling, always doing my best, not alibiing. And when he was the Twins’ manager, I enjoyed playing for him.

Get your heart checked. I’ve always looked at myself as healthy, but I wasn’t.

Hitting is an art, but not an exact science.

Your first hit in the majors – that’s tops. It means you’re on your way. When you get the first hit, then you can get the rest.

There is a special sensation in getting good wood on the ball and driving a double down the left-field line as the crowd in the ballpark rises to its feet and cheers. But, I also remember how much fun I had as a skinny barefoot kid hitting a tennis ball with a broomstick on a quiet, dusty street in Panama.

I get a kick out of watching a team defense me. A player moves two steps in one direction and I hit it two steps the other way. It goes right by his glove and I laugh.

I always felt like I was healthy; I never felt like anything was wrong with me. Until the morning that I had a massive heart attack. On the golf course, by myself.

Tell your friends to get their hearts checked.

I never liked talking about myself or my background because I hated bringing back bad memories. And sometimes when I talked, it would come out the wrong way, and I’d look like a jerk. That’s why I became an enigma to people.

When I was 11, I spent eight months in the hospital with rheumatic fever and almost died.

My job has usually been to get on base so others can drive me in.

Harmon Killebrew was a gem. I can never thank him enough for all I learned from him. He was a consummate professional who treated everyone from the brashest of rookies to the groundskeepers to the ushers in the stadium with the utmost of respect.

You just can’t spend any time second-guessing yourself.

Every time I come back to the Twin Cities, I feel like I’m coming back home.

We have to help others. I hope that some of the young players today understand that. It’s not about them. The Man Upstairs gave them that ability to play, and play consistently, but he also wants them to open their hearts and understand that people need their help.