I get a kick out of watching a team defense me. A player moves two steps in one direction and I hit it two steps the other way. It goes right by his glove and I laugh.

In 1999 he ranked #61 on The Sporting News'' list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for Major League Baseball's All-Century Team. Carew was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 his first year of eligibility the 22nd player so elected. (Neil Diamond later compounded the error by mentioning the ballplayer in his version of "The Chanukah Song".

While Carew was never a home run threat (only 92 of his 3053 hits were home runs) he made a career out of being a consistent contact hitter. Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew (born October 1 1945) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman second baseman and coach of Panamanian descent.