First time anything like this has ever happened to me. I've been in the game over 60 years. I was kind of struggling (Saturday). I was like a fish out of water. |
Fortunately, for a lot of us, we had a lot of these guys that I played with my rookie year. I missed three years, (but) at that time you thought nothing of it. We got playing and we were winning and you thought it was never going to end. But it did end. It was just a fine time. |
He sent me a fruit basket and a card signed by all his teammates. I was very surprised. He didn't have to do that. It was very nice of him. He came into the (Sox) clubhouse after it happened and apologized, but I told him there was no need. It was my fault. |
He was a very unpretentious guy, and there was nothing conceited about him at all. He had a great body, and was good-looking with curly hair. He was a great guy to be around. |
He was in a class with Mel Allen and all those great announcers. You always go by the voice, and when they got that good voice, you could listen to them all day. |
He was in the clubhouse before the game. He was really easy to speak to. He dressed well. He was a peach of a guy. |
I can't remember him every criticizing a player. He was a peach of a guy. |
I think about Vern often, |
I think it?s gonna win again. |
I thought the pole was plenty, ... When something like this happens, it makes you feel pretty good. But I don't want to die just yet. |
I used to dodge them pretty good. I saw something in the kid shortstop. I wanted to talk to his coach first. I just had a suggestion I wanted to make to him. I'm not going to tell him how to play or anything like that ... but I never got there. |
I'll never forget him. I was talking about him just the other day. People ask you about people you've met. The announcers back in our day used to travel with us [on trains] and we would play cards with them. Those years there just seemed like there was a lot of affection there. |
If I was a poet laureate, I couldn't find the words. |
It was for the whole shebang, you know? ... You play every day tooth and nail in order to be in a spot like that. |
It was my own damn fault. I was in the wrong place. |