Pete Rose

“When people think of me, they think about me knocking catchers down and knocking second basemen down and yelling at pitchers. But when I took the spikes off after the game, I was a nice guy when I went home.”

“Willie Mays could throw better, and Hank Aaron could hit more home runs. But I've got enthusiasm. I've got desire. I've got hustle. Those are God-given talents, too.”

“Some players you pat their butts, some players you kick their butts, some players you leave alone.”

“Sparky Anderson taught me this a long time ago: 'There's three ways you can treat a person. You can pat 'em on the butt, you can kick 'em in the butt, or you can leave 'em alone.'”

“Never bet on baseball.”

“I know everything about Ty Cobb except the size of his hat.”

“I always liked the defensive part of baseball.”

“I admitted I bet on baseball, but I wasn't suspended from baseball for betting on baseball.”

“I get accused of talking about records. But it's the guys who interview me who ask about them.”