The wisdom of athletes

[Swoop]

1. Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson on being a role model: "I wan' all dem kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I wan' all the kids to copulate me."

2. New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season: "I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."

3. And, upon hearing Joe Jacobi of the 'Skins say: "I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl," Matt Millen of the Raiders said: "To win, I'd run over Joe's Mom, too."

4. Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins: "He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings."

5. Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann, 1996: "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

6. Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh : "I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes." (now that is beautiful)

7. Bill Peterson, a Florida State footb all coach: "You guys line up alphabetically by height."And, "You guys pair up in groups of three, and then line up in a circle."

8. Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson going to prison: "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton ."

9. Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he keeps a color photo of himself above is locker: "That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my clothes."

10. Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Golota: "He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning, regardless of what time it is."

11. Chuck Nevitt , North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice: "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt." (I wonder if his IQ ever hit room temperature in January)

12. Frank Layden , Utah Jazz president, on a former pl ayer: "I told him, 'Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'"

13. Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D: "Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."

14 Amarillo High School and Oiler coach Bum Phillips when asked by Bob Costas why he takes his wife on all the road trips, Phillips responded: "Because she is too damn ugly to kiss good-bye."

[ridley1]

There are times when I'm sure that athletes have their own language.

It's called 'cement'

[Saxman]

Ok, how can there not be ONE quote from Yogi Berra in that list?

[Swoop]

feel free to add.....

[Hajo]

Dave Parker on the Baseball Players strike in the 80s'

" We get paid to much???  People don't know we sometimes spend 8 hours at the Ball Park!"

[maddafinga]

Ok, how can there not be ONE quote from Yogi Berra in that list?

Well, Yogi is a smart man, he just says things in an unusual way.  Many of the rediculous things attributed to him didn't come from him at all.  His long time friend and co-hall of famer Joe Garagiola said that if you read a quote attributed to Yogi and it's just dumb, he probably didn't say it, but if you have to think about it for a few seconds, it most likely was.  He didn't say dumb things he just says things in an unusual manner. 

I grew up near Houston and Yogi was a coach with the Astros for some of that time.  I always really loved seeing interviews with him, he was great and funny. 

I know I'm not really adding anything to the discussion here, I just felt like I needed to clarify the Yogisims a little bit. 

[Masherbrum]

Yogi didn't "flaunt" Ebonics.    I cringe when I hear Ebonics from "High Profile" people.   There is no excuse for it. 

[texasmom]

Nice LOL

Aside from their poor grammar... I do love one thing tremendously about pro athletes (and entertainers of every sort as well).

You don't "make it" if you suck. You don't make it if you're good, but there's someone else in line who's great.  There's true competition; losers go home to practice more.  It's just about one of the finest examples of practice, practice, practice until you're the best.

So even though those guys sounded like dorks when they were speaking ~ I respect very much that they worked hard enough to get to the top of their own game... beating out lesser athletes (even if the lesser athletes had better grammar).

[john9001]

this is deja vu all over again.

[crazyivan]

8. Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson going to prison: "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton ."

[eagl]

I don't remember who said it, but there was this football player who got some sort of award and at the end, he said...

"I want to thank the league because if it wasn't for football, I wouldn't be playing football, today".

Wow. 

[ebfd11]

Boy.....


Whew....


 Seeing these high dollar athletes talk the way they do make me fell innntellla....intalage..... intellagant .... aww they make me feel SMART!!! lol

[xbrit]

Here are some from English sports.
From Bill Shankly the Manager at Liverpool Football club back in the early 70's. "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.”
From Terry Venables ex-footballer then TV pundit."If history is going to repeat itself I should think we can expect the same thing again."
From Gerry Francis ex player then football commentator."What I said to them at half time would be unprintable on the radio"
From John Motson, football commentator on BBC. "For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip"
From Ray French a Sky TV Rugby commentator. "And he's got the icepack on his groin there, so possibly not the old shoulder injury"
Unknown comentator on BBC prior to the Oxford-Cambridge boat race."Ah! isn't that nice, the wife of the Cambridge president is kissing the cox of the Oxford crew"
From Ted Walsh a horse racing commentator."This is really a lovely horse, I once rode her mother"
From Kevin Keegan ex England player and manager."Chile have three options - they could win or they could lose."
Unknown commentator talking about footballer Julian Dicks."Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."
From commentator Rob Mcaffrey."What do you think of Manchester United's three Rs - Rooney, Ronaldo and van Nistelrooy?"
From Graham Taylor ex football manager."If it stays as it is I can't see it altering."
From David Beckham."Maths is totally done differently to what I was teached when I was at school."
From the founder member of stupid comments David Coleman."If that had gone in, it would have been a goal."
From player Clinton Morrison after a bad game."I’d been ill and hadn’t trained for a week and I’d been out of the team for three weeks before that, so I wasn’t sharp. I got cramp before half-time as well. But I’m not one to make excuses."

[Serenity]

lol. Gotta love athletes...