He paused as his voice echoed through Yankee Stadium , but he never looked up. The sad expression on his face never changed. " I have been in ball parks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans", he said.
"When you look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself with such fine-looking men as are standing in uniform in the ballpark today? Sure , I'm lucky . Who wouldn't consider it an honer to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also , the builder of baseball's greatest empire , Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with such a grand little fellow as Miller huggins? To have spent time the next nine years with that smart student of psycholgy, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Who would'nt feel honered to room with such a grand guy as bill Dickey? When the New York Giants , a team you would give your right arm to beat,and vice versa, sends you a gift-that's something. When the groundkeepers and office staff and writers and old timers and players and conessionaires all remember you with trophies- thats something.When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes squabbles againt her own daughter-that's something. When a father and mother who work all thier lives so that you can have an education and build your body-it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than dreamed existed-that's the finest I know".He swallowed hard . "So I close in saying that I might have a bad break , but I have an awful lot to live for. Thank You".