Best sports quotes

When I grew up, baseball was the No. 1 sport.

Babe Ruth is an icon, in sports and in our society.

Playing the game was the easy part. The real work was in the preparation.

I've done a lot of special things in this game, and for none of that to be considered clutch, it's an injustice.

I do my best hitting when I'm walking. That means I'm relaxed and my pitch recognition is a lot better.

I guess anytime you are mentioned with Hank Aaron, it is the ultimate compliment, not only as a hitter, but obviously, the great ballplayer that he was.

No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players' contracts and rights are protected through the next round of bargaining.

Michael Jordan told me the way he kept the crown was by always outworking everyone else because he knew everyone was always coming after him. You can sneak up on people when you are 18, 19, 20. It's tougher when you're established. Before, I'd see 13, 14, 15 pitches that I could drive in a game. Now, I see one, two or three, so I have to be better.

I like to score and drive in runs more than pay attention to batting average.

Well, Milwaukee is a special place to me. It's where I started my career playing in Appleton. Getting cheered on the road is something I haven't been use to.

It's tougher when you're established. Before, I'd see 13, 14, 15 pitches that I could drive in a game. Now, I see one, two or three, so I have to be better.

I don't expect people to feel sorry for me. My teammates get more upset about the criticism and booing than I do.

Not one day goes by when I don't remind myself of how grateful I am for those who came before me over the last 25 years. When I see players like Mike Schmidt and Johnny Bench, I thank them.

I had the greatest year of my career in 2007. It's a year that I'm very proud of.

The truth is my idea has been to always stay at Barcelona and see out the rest of my career here. Like I always say, one doesn't know what can happen in the future, but if it were up to me to decide, I would stay at Barcelona for the rest of my career.

At Barca we trained every day with the ball. I hardly even took a step running without a ball at my feet.

Whether it's a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game - I play the same. I'm always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans, and to try and win.

One of the Arsenal players came up to me afterwards and said it had been an honor to be on the same pitch as me. I thought, My God, that is a great thing to say when your team has just lost.

The Barcelona youth program is one of the best in the world. As a kid, they teach you not to play to win, but to grow in ability as a player.

I go out and do the best I can in each game, and I don't think about the fouls other players will commit or whether I might be injured. It only does you harm to worry about those things.

The day you think there are no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player.

My family was always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.

You have got to love the game.

I do it because I love it and that's all I care about.

The only thing that matters is playing. I have enjoyed it since I was a little boy, and I still try to do that every time I go out on a pitch. I always say that when I no longer enjoy it or it's no longer fun to do it, then I won't do it anymore.

Nadal's the best player in history on [clay], and he is one of the best-ever players that played this game.

The tradition in Serbia has always been team sports - football, basketball, handball, volleyball and water polo, individual sports are not supported.

Even though now I'm pretty popular in my country and tennis is the No. 1 sport, and I'm very flattered that the people recognise me and come up and give me compliments, I'm more a person who likes to have privacy and peace.

I love football and it's the sport I would really like to play. I've said on national television here that I would really love to play for one of our football clubs when I finished my tennis career.

I physically feel very fit. I'm very motivated to keep on playing on a very high level. I'm going to try to use these years in front of me to fight for the number one in the world and fight for the biggest titles.

I got married, going to become a father soon, being No. 1 in the sport that I love with all my heart. I mean, it's pretty awesome.

You can not say you're unhappy because you have to travel, have to play this tournament, having to play sports ... You can't because you chose to play it and you love it. I'm tremendously grateful for the support I have received from my family and the close ones.

There are many guys out there who are actually fishing for a woman whom they are planning on keeping. But there are guys out there who are just sports fishing - catching them and then throwing them back into the ocean.

Now, revealing that you're a keeper is no guarantee that this guy won't just walk away. Some men really are just sport fishing and have no intention of doing anything more than throwing back the women they bed. If this is the case with this man, then let him walk - what do you care about? He's not the guy you're looking for.

I love to compete. That's the essence of who I am.

It will always be the ball and me.

Golf has made me and shaped me into the person I am here today.

Every sport evolves. Every sport gets bigger and more athletic, and you have to keep up.

There's no point in going to a tournament if you don't believe that you can win it.

I think that in itself, if you're a true golfer, you'll see specific things you need to work on. Much cheaper than private lessons.

Golf is a great way for someone to learn discipline, responsibility, and sportsmanship.

One of the things my dad kept instilling in me was the joy of the game. He made it fun for me. A lot of the time I see kids that don't enjoy being out there and that's a shame; you're supposed to enjoy the game.

I think the hardest part about Golf is being committed to your wife.

Golf is fluid. It's always changing. It's always evolving. First of all, you never master it.

I think the golf swing is all about rotation, all about trying to keep the club on plane.

I've had the luxury of playing golf around the world, and I've spent a lot of time evaluating how to play all kinds of courses.

I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be.

I think the best thing is being able to play golf competitively for a living. Ever since I was a little boy, that's something I've always wanted to do, and now I get a chance to live out my dreams.

In golf, just because a person is big and cut and ripped, doesn't mean they have a physical advantage.

It's cool now to play golf.

When things go right and you test properly and you find equipment that's better than what you were playing, then you can do some pretty neat things on the golf course.

We have a lot of fun every year, and I really enjoy being part of junior golf and the development of these players.

I told you all I was going to be No. 1, and I did just that.

I want to be one of the greatest athletes ever to live, not only in track and field, but in all of general sport.

I don't know the history of my sport. I'm not like those people who know everything.

When I was young, I didn't really think about anything other than sports.

If I can stay [involved] with the sport, we can find different ways to motivate people and preach to them and explain to them that all they need is dedication to the sport.

I want to stay involved in athletics; I want to encourage kids to take part and try to grow the sport.

I think the sport needs the help to continue to motivate athletes.