Quotes

I'm the straw that stirs the drink.

I represent both the underdog and the overdog in our society.

"You can play football and be the next Jim Brown or play baseball and be the next Reggie Jackson." -- To a young Bo Jackson, who was deciding whether to play pro football or baseball.

"All the fans in those sections are black, under 10 and don't read the papers." -- After being asked why one section of Yankee Stadium didn't boo him.

Lee May's about the same age as me, he's got about the same stats. So how come he's making about one-eighty, two hundred thousand, and I'm the best damn paid player in the game? I'll tell you why: Because I put the meat in the seats!

If I were to play in New York, they'd name a candy bar after me.

Sometimes I underestimate the magnitude of me.

Fans don't boo nobodies.

Every hitter likes fastballs just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's how you feel when [Nolan] Ryan's throwing balls by you.

For a certain amount of money, you'll eat Alpo.

On playing in Japan: "Guys who play there say it gets awfully lonely - hell, for the money they're talking, I can buy some friends and take them with me."

On New York City: "It's a fickle town, a tough town. They getcha, boy. They don't let you escape with minor scratches and bruises. They put scars on you here."

On hitting slumps: "So many ideas come to you and you want to try them all but you can't. You're like a mosquito in a nudist camp. You don't know where to start."

I didn't come to New York to be a star. I brought my star with me.

The will to win is worthless if you don't get paid for it.

The only reason I don't like playing in the World Series is I can't watch myself play.

After Jackie Robinson the most important black in baseball history is Reggie Jackson, I really mean that.

On former Baltimore Orioles' manager Earl Weaver, who he played for in 1976 - "Earl Weaver smokes too much and drinks too much. He has a voice that sounds like broken glass. He has a ferocious temper, especially with umpires, and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He has never been accused of being a diplomat and has never set out to win any popularity contests with his players. He is also one of the few baseball geniuses I have ever met."