"After fifteen years of facing them (pitchers) you don't really get over them. They're devious. They're the only players in the game allowed to cheat. They throw illegal pitches and they sneak foreign substances on the ball. They can inflict pain whenever they wish. And, they're the only ones on the diamond who have high ground. That's symbolic. You know what they tell you in a war - 'take the high ground first.'" Source: Los Angeles Times (June 16, 1975)

"I had a good look at the first pitch I ever saw from Drysdale. If I had not ducked, it would have hit my right between the eyes." Source: The Sporting News (July 1983)

"I'm flattered that so many baseball people think I'm a Hall of Famer. But what's hard to believe is how one-hundred and fifty plus people have changed their minds about me since I became eligible, because I haven't had a base hit since then." Source: AP Wire

"I wish I'd known early what I had to learn late." Source: Late Innings by Roger Angell (1992)

"MVP on the worst team ever? I wonder what exactly they meant by that?" Source: McFarland Baseball Dictionary (David Nathan, 2000)

"The kid doesn't chew tobacco, smoke, drink, curse or chase broads. I don't see how he can possible make it." Source: Widely Attributed

"They (Phillies equipment guy fixing Dave Kingman's glove) should have called a welder." Source: Sports Illustrated (October 11, 1982)

"This is the only town (Houston) where woman wear insect repellent instead of perfume." Source: Widely Attributed

"To cure a batting slump, I took my bat to bed with me. I wanted to know my bat a little better." Source: Widely Attributed

"Ashburn never really held the respect of most fans outside Philadelphia. The majors had three other centerfielders who were that talk of the town at that time, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, and Mickey Mantle. But Richie was a great player. A natural lead-off hitter, and the best gloveman of the bunch. When the 50’s came to an end, Ashburn had more hits than any other man who played during the era. That’s right, more than Musial, more than Williams, more than Mantle, or Mays or Snider." - Writer Erick Emert in A Tribute to Ashburn (link)

Hall of Fame Plaque at National Baseball Hall of Fame (link):

          DON RICHARD ASHBURN
          (RICHIE)
          PHILADELPHIA, N.L., 1948-1959
          CHICAGO, N.L., 1960-1961
          NEW YORK, N.L., 1962
          DURABLE, HUSTLING LEAD-OFF HITTER AND CLUTCH
          PERFORMER WITH SUPERB KNOWLEDGE OF STRIKE ZONE.
          BATTED .308 LIFETIME WITH NINE .300 SEASONS AND
          2,574 HITS IN 2,189 GAMES, WINNING BATTING
          CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1955 AND 1958. AS A CENTER
          FIELDER, ESTABLISHED MAJOR LEAGUE RECORDS FOR
          MOST YEARS LEADING LEAGUE IN CHANCES (9), MOST
          YEARS 500 OR MORE PUTOUTS (4) AND MOST SEASONS
          400 OR MORE PUTOUTS (9).

"Regarded by many as the finest defensive fielder this side of Tris Speaker, Richie Ashburn was a gritty competitor who threw out the Dodgers' Cal Abrams at home plate in the final game of the 1950 season to help the Phillies win the pennant. He twice won the batting title and was an All-Star in his final season, as a member of the 1962 Mets. After his playing career he was a popular announcer for the Phillies, becoming a legend to a new generation of fans." - The Baseball page (link)

Quotes From & About Richie Ashburn