Willie Mays on Roberto Clemente
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“I didn’t do it. This man next to me did it. Talk to him.”
“I got to spend some time with [my family] following the close of the ’54 season. But baseball was my living, and where the chance was to make an additional living, there I went. And it took me to Puerto Rico, where Herman Franks was managing the Santurce team in the winter league there. It was fun, even though they take their baseball more seriously down there. We had a good club, and everybody wanted to win – and when you’ve got people like Gomez and Roberto Clemente on your side in the Puerto Rican league, you’ve got a chance to win, and we did win.”
“It was just like a family. We were all extremely proud to play in that game, and winning it was extremely important. We had sort of an unwritten rule that guys like myself, Clemente and Aaron would play the full nine innings, or until we were either way ahead or way behind.”
“Take Clemente out of the Pirates’ lineup and I doubt whether they would be up as high as they are now. I talk with a lot of players around the league and most of them seem to feel that Clemente is the most colorful and one of the most improved men in the league. I certainly agree with that.”
“It should have been a home run. The error makes no difference to me and I don’t really care if the ruling’s changed. But I was playing Roberto in right centerfield and I had no chance to catch up to it, it was hit so hard. I guess they gave me an error because they thought I touched it. But it was at least a foot away from my glove when it bounced past me.”
“I think I was the best ballplayer I’ve ever seen. I feel nobody in the world could do what I could do on a baseball field. I hope I’m not saying anything wrong, but you have to think you’re the best. The next one would be Roberto Clemente.”
“I would have to do it by categories. I was a center fielder. So I would say Roberto Clemente.”
“That’s not like me, but I was giving my honest opinion. It doesn’t sound too good, though. [As for the second best player,] I’d have to say Roberto Clemente. He could do anything with the bat and in the field. And then there’s Cesar Cedeno. I don’t know why he hasn’t put it all together. He can do it all.”
“I wasn't the best hitter, Ted Williams was. I wasn't the best fielder, Roberto Clemente was. I wasn't the best base stealer, Maury Wills was. But I was among the best in everything.”
“Mays and Robin Roberts both told me that Clemente was the best player they ever saw.”
“Roberto Clemente threw me out on a bang-bang play at third. I should have remembered what a tremendous arm he had.”
“When Willie Mays was in Milwaukee last week, he was reluctant to say who he thought the best player was or is in baseball. At least that’s what Mays said during a brief interview this reporter and many others had with him at the Midwest Express Center. "''That’s for you guys to determine,'''" Mays said. Mays did say Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente was the best player he ever saw.”
“Over and over again, I have said Willie Mays is the greatest baseball player I ever saw. But Mays always says Roberto Clemente was the greatest player he ever played against.”
“He's the best player I ever saw.”