I have been a Yankee fan 78 of my 80 years. I don't remember when Joltin' Joe was a rookie and a "goat" as the press cruelly knighted him back in his rookie year. However, Joe went on to an incredible career and it was my privilege to watch my hero in action in his later years prior to number 7, Mickey Mantle taking his place. Not only was Joe DiMaggio a baseball hall of fame legend, he and his brother Vince of the Boston Red Sox were taught the virtue of humility and class as they were brought up by a San Francisco immigrant family. Joe is currently playing center field in God's heavenly New York Yankee team.
Hi Tom, I think you mean Dominic DiMaggio, who played center field for the Boston Red Sox. The little professor was a pretty good player, just not as good as Joe. I believe Vince DiMaggio played in the National league. They all played around the same period. rayfromvillapark
ReplyDeleteDominick was the Brother who played at Boston as was a star in his own right; just not the super star his brother was. Vince was the third DiMaggio to play for several but never came close to equaling the feats of his brother.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting, among many aspects of this entry, is, even back then, how fast the media jumped on a rookie just starting out. That kind of "knee-jerk" journalism yet thrives today. To say how wrong this guy was is a major understatement as we all know. The problem is the retractions are a lot slower to come or completely non existent. Some things never change.
Tommy
ReplyDeleteNever was a Yankee fan. Loved the movie "Damned Yankees".Philies fan foe over 70 years.Vince played for the Phillies Watched Joe D break his leg trying to stretch a single into a double at Shibe park.
That night at the Broad theatre all of Joe's fans were in shock. Later in the early 50's saw him and Marilynn Monroe in Japan
andmet him in here in Santa Maria at the Elks club with Pete Rose. Joe drank diet coke.Classy guy. Lee
I had the pleasure of meeting Vince DiMaggio's grandson, also named Vince. This was 2005/2006, when he was embarking on a career as a real estate developer and was putting together a large project in Fresno, CA. He was honest, bright and personable. He never mentioned his famous grandfather and uncles until I happened to ask whether he was somehow related to Joe DiMaggio (he was from the Bay area and had that famous last name).
ReplyDeleteWell, the real estate market turned mean, and then hopeless; the Fresno project he was working on "went south," despite his best efforts. He didn't blame anybody, just faced it with fortitude. I was hoping he had a bushel basket of signed baseballs tucked away somewhere that he could sell to save his project... but, apparently not.)
Sandy Brock
Great comments from all, and sorry Ray for putting Vince on the wrong team. Went from memory without researching the subject.
ReplyDeleteTom