As usual I am reading about four books this week. One is the latest from Eric Flint and the 1631 universe "The Cardinal Virtues." Another is a scifi book about an alternative universe with World War One era troops in another dimension called "The Grasslands." The new biography of Ty Cobb which posits that he wasn't the monster that he is portrayed in most other accounts. And a great new book about the Yankees: Strangers in the Bronx: DiMaggio, Mantle, and the Changing of the Yankee Guard.
It is about the 1951 season which is the only one that the two Yankee Icons played together. DiMaggio was at the end of the string although he was still pretty close to the top of his game. He retired before he became a pitiful joke like Willie Mays in his last years with the Mets. It is tough for athletes. Very few retire on top like Jeter and DiMaggio. Their skills might not be at the top of their game but they were still very good players. It is a very interesting book.
There is a changing of the guard right now with the Yankees. The problem is that we do not have any home grown talent that the fans can latch on to as True Yankees. Bret Gardner just does not cut it. Robbie Cano had a chance to be that guy but he sold out for top dollar and is having a miserable season out in Seattle. So we are going to have to wait a while for the next great Yankee.
I was privildeged to see several All Time Yankee greats play in person. Yogi in his last year. Mickey and Roger. Thurman. Posada. Pettite. Bernie. Jeter. It will be a long time to someone of that caliber comes up in our system. But I can still revel in our history and remember the good times.
I just wish that I could afford a ticket.
3 comments:
Aroid, don't forget the Yankee great.
The Mantle stuff in this book is terrific. Also the Casey Stengel stuff.
I was a seven-yr old in E. Cent Ill in 1951 when Mantle came up. I was mesmerized. I immediately became a life-long Yankee fan (in my neck of the woods it was: Yanks-10%, Cards 50%, Cubs, 35% White Sox 5%.)
PS: IMHO, Yogi was the best "bad ball" hitter of all time...would lunge way across the plate to punch in a hit way outside the strike-zone..tough to pitch him carefully even if everything was outside the strike zone.
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