Hank Bauer - Quotes

Quotes

• Hank crawled on top of the Yankee dugout and searched the stands, looking for a fan who was shouting racial slurs at Elston Howard. When asked about the incident, Bauer explained simply, "Ellie's my friend". -- Excerpt of the book "Clubhouse Lawyer," by Art Ditmar, former major league pitcher

• Hank lost four prime years from his playing career due to his Marine service. This is heavy duty when you figure such a career is usually over when a player reaches his mid-thirties. This is something that does not bother Hank. "I guess I knew too many great young guys who lost everything out there to worry about my losing part of a baseball career," he says. -- From the book Semper FI, MAC, by Henry Berry

• Tommy Lasorda on Bauer: "This guy's tough. He had a face that looked like it'd hold two days of rain."

Bauer was a no-nonsense leader and could be unforgiving if he felt his teammates' off-the-field activities were hurting the Yankees' on-the-field performance. Pitcher Whitey Ford remembered how Bauer reacted when he thought players like Ford and Mantle were overindulging themselves after hours: He pinned me to the wall of the dugout one day and said, 'Don't mess with my money.' New York Times, obituary,February 10, 2007.