First Base Quotes

When the ball was hit, my first reaction as a shortstop was always go in the direction of the ball. You can't do that at first base. You go too far in that direction, and it's hard to scurry back and be ready to pick the throw.

It doesn't matter what the scoreboard says. I'm always having fun, talking to other guys. They even come to first base and ask me about hitting. I try to help them out as much as I can in the 30 seconds before the pitcher throws the next pitch. That's me. I don't think I will ever change that.

As more speed afoot was constantly demanded for big league ball, I noticed the many infield bounders which the runner beat to first only by the thinnest fractions of a second.

I've always loved the infield, because I came up as an infielder.

One day, the infielders were having a pretty bad time and were making some bad throws to me at first base. After digging a few out of the dirt, Joe Orengo called over to me, 'Atta boy, John, you look like a big cat.' Some of the writers overheard the remark and asked Joe about it later. The nickname has stuck with me ever since.

Well, I mean, I like to be pretty athletic off the mound in terms of taking care of my job, which is covering first base, fielding bunts in certain situations, fielding slow rollers to the first base and having to communicate and direct traffic.

I think of going back to the sports field again, and let's take a baseball game. Well, you have cracked out a grounder and you put in your last ounce of energy and you just happen to make first base. But you don't stop there. First base is the beginning. Now you call on all your alertness, your skill, your energy - and you count on your teammates, you count on the people that are working with you. And the purpose of that getting on first base was to get you around to count a run.

I'm beginning to see Brooks [Robinson] in my sleep. If I dropped a paper plate, he'd pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.

I still feel like I can play defense at first base at a very high level.

Even the slowest guy can go from first to third and help win a ballgame.

A successful pitcher keeps the leadoff hitter from reaching first base and puts the first pitch over for a strike - the two most important rules of pitching.

Darren Erstad was special to watch when he moved from center field from first base.

As I was in the air, the ball took a bad hop and caromed behind me, but I was able to catch it with my bare hand. I hit the ground, bounced back up, and threw Burroughs out at first.

If someone from Germany or somewhere, who had no idea what baseball was, saw Kruk play, he'd wonder what the beer truck driver was doing playing first base.

Marvelous Marv was holding down first base. This is like saying Willie Sutton works at your bank.

If somebody on this team actually gets to first base, I'll stand there naked.

Just getting to first base seems to be a problem for you two," Cam couldn't resist saying.

I grew up playing in the outfield and junior year of high school I went over to first base and got some tidbits from my dad, but it kind of came naturally to me.

When you're playing first base, you help the infielders a lot. They appreciate you when you pick their ball. It's fun to help that.

I'm proud to be here as a man that has played first base more than anybody in the game of baseball.

When I am king, I will revise the sexual bases system so that getting to first base will include oral sex and sodomy!

Certain guys, they can see a guy do a certain thing with their glove and know what pitch is coming. I couldn't do that. But I can get on first base and I can tell you by his move if that pitcher is going to first base or home plate every time.

I have a very round mound of rebound thing going on. I was a surprisingly good shooter, too. If I could have any job in sports, though, I'd want to be playing first base for the Yankees.

There was Shawon Dunston and Mark Grace, and together we were a double play combination for ten years.