"I have no trouble with the twelve inches between my elbow and my palm. It's the seven inches between my ears that's bent"

This quote by Tug McGraw is a humorous way of stating that he is not silly, but he is not the smartest individual either. He is implying that he has the physical capability to do things, but his mental capacity is lacking. He is stating that he has no issue with the physical range between his elbow and his palm, however the mental distance between his ears is not as simple to bridge. This quote is an easy going way of stating that he is not the sharpest tool in the shed, however he is still capable of doing things. It is a suggestion that intelligence is not the only procedure of a person's worth, and that physical capability can be just as important.