Saturday, August 2, 2008

Yankee Old Timer's Day


As a baseball fan it does not get much better than Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium. I am not sure how many teams even still have these kind of festivities, but the Yankees do it year after year and it is just awesome.

Of course, no team has the history of the Yankees, and it is not the same as it used to be when they would trot a lineup of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Yogie Berra among others out there, but there are still enough legends left to make it a memorable day for all involved.

With this being the last at the current stadium, this one should be huge. Supposedly it is going to be the largest number of Yankees alumni in uniform for Old-Timers’ Day in the history of the event with at least one player from each of the last 16 Yankees World Championship teams since 1947.

And for those of you wondering...Yes Aaron Small will be in the building.

My favorite Old Timer's Day memory: The year after Mickey Mantle died, Bob Sheppard announced his name in his normal spot, right after Whitey Ford's and, of course, before Joe DiMaggio's.

You see, Dimaggio had to come out last, even though Mantle always received the biggest ovation.

Reggie Jackson has a little DiMaggio in him. He got all bent out of shape a few years back when Don Mattingly was announced last. Reggie felt that the Hall of Famers should be the final ones introduced. He may have a point, but if Mattingly is going to get the biggest ovation - and he always will as long as Derek Jeter is still active - it is kind of anticlimactic to bring out the Hall of Famers after that.

Aside from the politics, though, it really is a special day.

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