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Post by rudiger on Feb 5, 2018 23:51:51 GMT
I'm going to guess The Yankee Clipper would have belted Kramer in Dinky Donuts, as well.
From Billy's book Still Foolin' 'Em:
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I got a call from George Steinbrenner on behalf of Mickey [Mantle's] family. They wanted me to speak at the unveiling of Mickey's monument in Yankee stadium. Moved and honored, I agreed to fly to New York.
It was a somber occasion as the Yankees and fifty-seven thousand fans gathered to remember the legend. many former Yankees teammates were there, and after a few spoke, Bobby Murcer, a former Yankee and now an announcer, introduced me. He told the crowd that I was a great Yankee fan and a dear friend of Mickey's and that the family wanted me to speak.
I almost tripped on my way out of the dugout, but I made my way to the microphone. At the home plate I always dreamed of stepping on after my World Series-winning home run, I spoke of my dad taking me to my first game in 1956 and asked the last row of the upper deck to stand up to show how far Mickey had hit the ball that day.
I told them I was there representing all fathers in the stands who were bringing their sons to their first game. I then introduced a film package of Mickey moments. As it was playing, Murcer came over and said, "When it's over, introduce Joe DiMaggio."
Oh man, okay, I thought. In the dugout, Joe was pacing. I had never met him, but he'd been my dad's favorite player. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Joe DiMaggio," I said.
Joe bounded out onto the field and got to me quickly as the crowd roared. "I'm not speaking - what do I do?" he asked gruffly. "Wave and stand next to Whitey Ford," I replied......
Joe Torre, in his first year as manager of the Yankees, invited me to work out with the team. I spent some time with Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. I greeted Mickey's widow, Merlyn, and their sons David and Danny. We were standing just out side the Yankee Clubhouse when the door opened and Joe DiMaggio came out. He stepped toward me and without warning, punched me in the stomach. Hard. I wasn't ready for it, and it knocked the wind out of me. He put his face inches from mine. "Greatest living player!" he hissed, and then stormed off.
I didn't know what to do. Totally confused, I was escorted up to Mr. Steinbrenner's box, and when I arrived, George was laughing. "Well, you pissed Joe off - he insists on being introduced as the greatest living player."
"I didn't know. Can I apologize to him?" George laughed some more. "Joe was so angry that he left the stadium, and not just because of that. He was jealous of Mickey and couldn't stand the fact that it was Mickey's day, even though Mickey's gone. I'll take care of it," he assured me. "Don't worry." But this would not be my last encounter with Mr. DiMaggio......
Spring came, and there was no other place I'd rather be than opening day at Yankee Stadium. I was sitting with Janice in the Steinbrenner box. She left for a short period of time, and when she returned to her seat, I could see that she was upset.
"What's up?" I asked. "Nothing," she said, but I know her too well. Finally, after much prodding, she told me that she had smuggled into the ball-park one of my prized possessions - a Joe DiMaggio uniform top - knowing that DiMaggio would be there that day.
She'd just asked him to sign it, and he'd refused. He claimed he had an exclusive deal for his signature with a baseball bat company and that if they found out he'd signed the jersey, they might cancel it. It was a foolish argument.
I left Janice at our seats, swearing to her that I was going to the bathroom, but I went to talk to DiMaggio. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but the sight of Janice so upset made me angry, and given that the first time I'd met him he'd punched me, things couldn't get much worse. Honestly, I thought I could take him. But when I found him, DiMaggio was disarmingly apologetic and told me about his concerns about the deal he'd made with the company.
"Joe," I said, "I'm not going to sell it. This jersey is very rare and important to my collection. Do you really think if they found you did this for me, they'd drop you?"
"I'm sorry," he countered and handed me a ball with this inscription: "To a great Yankee fan, from your fan, Joe DiMaggio." It was a very nice inscription, but honestly it didn't matter what he had written, twice he had shown me who he was.
And by the way, I thought Willie Mays was the greatest living player.
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Post by pizzabagel on Feb 6, 2018 0:32:15 GMT
Crystal, at DiMaggio's funeral: I just want to say how sorry I am about Joe D's introduction at the Mantle ceremony.
Steinbrenner: Oh, no no no. He forgot all about that. He was much more upset about the potato salad.
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Post by rhs6358 on Feb 6, 2018 8:48:54 GMT
These posts are getting way too long. I don't come here to read.
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Post by rudiger on Feb 6, 2018 16:47:03 GMT
These posts are getting way too long. I don't come here to read. If you'd like, you can call my Panasonic answering machine that uses cassettes and listen to the outgoing message: "The person you called is unavailable. Please leave your message at the tone. But, first, here's the long version of In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly...<music plays>." |
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Post by rhs6358 on Feb 6, 2018 17:18:00 GMT
These posts are getting way too long. I don't come here to read. If you'd like, you can call my Panasonic answering machine that uses cassettes and listen to the outgoing message: "The person you called is unavailable. Please leave your message at the tone. But, first, here's the long version of In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly...<music plays>." Do you use the regular cassette or the micro? I want to switch yours to the one that says "Believe it or not, rudiger isn't at home. Please leave a message at the beep. I must be posting or I'd pick up the phone. Where could I be? Believe it or not I'm not home" |
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Post by rudiger on Feb 6, 2018 19:22:09 GMT
If you'd like, you can call my Panasonic answering machine that uses cassettes and listen to the outgoing message: "The person you called is unavailable. Please leave your message at the tone. But, first, here's the long version of In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly...<music plays>." Do you use the regular cassette or the micro? I want to switch yours to the one that says "Believe it or not, rudiger isn't at home. Please leave a message at the beep. I must be posting or I'd pick up the phone. Where could I be? Believe it or not I'm not home" Regular; they were cheaper. It's worth noting that if someone actually waited to leave a message, the machine had to rewind the outgoing message for the next caller, so there was a time lag if there was an immediate second caller. Of course, that never seemed to be much of a problem. Eventually, due to complaints, I switched to a much shorter outgoing message: <in a high-pitched voice> "Whatchyouwant?" |
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Post by nutsberryfarm ⛑ on Sept 21, 2018 6:18:19 GMT
I'm going to guess The Yankee Clipper would have belted Kramer in Dinky Donuts, as well. From Billy's book Still Foolin' 'Em: --------------------------- I got a call from George Steinbrenner on behalf of Mickey [Mantle's] family. They wanted me to speak at the unveiling of Mickey's monument in Yankee stadium. Moved and honored, I agreed to fly to New York. It was a somber occasion as the Yankees and fifty-seven thousand fans gathered to remember the legend. many former Yankees teammates were there, and after a few spoke, Bobby Murcer, a former Yankee and now an announcer, introduced me. He told the crowd that I was a great Yankee fan and a dear friend of Mickey's and that the family wanted me to speak. I almost tripped on my way out of the dugout, but I made my way to the microphone. At the home plate I always dreamed of stepping on after my World Series-winning home run, I spoke of my dad taking me to my first game in 1956 and asked the last row of the upper deck to stand up to show how far Mickey had hit the ball that day. I told them I was there representing all fathers in the stands who were bringing their sons to their first game. I then introduced a film package of Mickey moments. As it was playing, Murcer came over and said, "When it's over, introduce Joe DiMaggio." Oh man, okay, I thought. In the dugout, Joe was pacing. I had never met him, but he'd been my dad's favorite player. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Joe DiMaggio," I said. Joe bounded out onto the field and got to me quickly as the crowd roared. "I'm not speaking - what do I do?" he asked gruffly. "Wave and stand next to Whitey Ford," I replied...... Joe Torre, in his first year as manager of the Yankees, invited me to work out with the team. I spent some time with Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford. I greeted Mickey's widow, Merlyn, and their sons David and Danny. We were standing just out side the Yankee Clubhouse when the door opened and Joe DiMaggio came out. He stepped toward me and without warning, punched me in the stomach. Hard. I wasn't ready for it, and it knocked the wind out of me. He put his face inches from mine. "Greatest living player!" he hissed, and then stormed off. I didn't know what to do. Totally confused, I was escorted up to Mr. Steinbrenner's box, and when I arrived, George was laughing. "Well, you pissed Joe off - he insists on being introduced as the greatest living player." "I didn't know. Can I apologize to him?" George laughed some more. "Joe was so angry that he left the stadium, and not just because of that. He was jealous of Mickey and couldn't stand the fact that it was Mickey's day, even though Mickey's gone. I'll take care of it," he assured me. "Don't worry." But this would not be my last encounter with Mr. DiMaggio...... Spring came, and there was no other place I'd rather be than opening day at Yankee Stadium. I was sitting with Janice in the Steinbrenner box. She left for a short period of time, and when she returned to her seat, I could see that she was upset. "What's up?" I asked. "Nothing," she said, but I know her too well. Finally, after much prodding, she told me that she had smuggled into the ball-park one of my prized possessions - a Joe DiMaggio uniform top - knowing that DiMaggio would be there that day. She'd just asked him to sign it, and he'd refused. He claimed he had an exclusive deal for his signature with a baseball bat company and that if they found out he'd signed the jersey, they might cancel it. It was a foolish argument. I left Janice at our seats, swearing to her that I was going to the bathroom, but I went to talk to DiMaggio. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but the sight of Janice so upset made me angry, and given that the first time I'd met him he'd punched me, things couldn't get much worse. Honestly, I thought I could take him. But when I found him, DiMaggio was disarmingly apologetic and told me about his concerns about the deal he'd made with the company. "Joe," I said, "I'm not going to sell it. This jersey is very rare and important to my collection. Do you really think if they found you did this for me, they'd drop you?" "I'm sorry," he countered and handed me a ball with this inscription: "To a great Yankee fan, from your fan, Joe DiMaggio." It was a very nice inscription, but honestly it didn't matter what he had written, twice he had shown me who he was. And by the way, I thought Willie Mays was the greatest living player. Italians--whattta ya gunna do? Probably missed his daily calzone |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 12:37:11 GMT
Italians--whattta ya gunna do? Probably missed his daily calzone Is that what the Yankees gave him on Joe DiMaggio Day, a calzone a day for life from Paisano's? Sweet! |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 21, 2018 14:21:55 GMT
Italians--whattta ya gunna do? Probably missed his daily calzone Is that what the Yankees gave him on Joe DiMaggio Day, a calzone a day for life from Paisano's? Sweet! And a free comb. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 16:17:37 GMT
Is that what the Yankees gave him on Joe DiMaggio Day, a calzone a day for life from Paisano's? Sweet! And a free comb. Me: He was over the moon about that gift. You don't know how many times the equipment manager charged him for combs he either lost in center field or broke. rhs: Broke? Me: Yeah, he used to carry one in the back pocket of his uniform. Each time he got hit by a pitch in his fanny ... crack! Unbreakable plastic? I think not. |
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Post by rudiger on Sept 21, 2018 16:33:51 GMT
Me: He was over the moon about that gift. You don't know how many times the equipment manager charged him for combs he either lost in center field or broke. rhs: Broke? Me: Yeah, he used to carry one in the back pocket of his uniform. Each time he got hit by a pitch in his fanny ... crack! Unbreakable plastic? I think not. Whattya want for nuthin? It didn't help that it was spelled "Unbrakeable" on the comb. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 21, 2018 16:48:47 GMT
Me: He was over the moon about that gift. You don't know how many times the equipment manager charged him for combs he either lost in center field or broke. rhs: Broke? Me: Yeah, he used to carry one in the back pocket of his uniform. Each time he got hit by a pitch in his fanny ... crack! Unbreakable plastic? I think not. Only thing Joe liked better than good hair grooming was a steaming cup of.....Joe. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 17:14:20 GMT
Joe D. needed a good reason to slug Billy Crystal in the gut? Did he need any reason?
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 21, 2018 18:01:47 GMT
You know, Joe DiMaggio and Peggy Cass died on the same day. Ya think they had something going on?
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 19:00:33 GMT
You know, Joe DiMaggio and Peggy Cass died on the same day. Ya think they had something going on? The Yankee Clipper and Miss Gooch? Handsome Hall of Famer and game show panel mainstay? I don't think so. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 21, 2018 20:36:54 GMT
You know, Joe DiMaggio and Peggy Cass died on the same day. Ya think they had something going on? The Yankee Clipper and Miss Gooch? Handsome Hall of Famer and game show panel mainstay? I don't think so. Gooch? Is that Dutch? |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 22:03:13 GMT
The Yankee Clipper and Miss Gooch? Handsome Hall of Famer and game show panel mainstay? I don't think so. Gooch? Is that Dutch? You know, it just might be. I think it was originally Van Guijch. Her ancestors Anglicized it when they came through Ellis Island. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 21, 2018 22:13:37 GMT
You know, it just might be. I think it was originally Van Guijch. Her ancestors Anglicized it when they came through Ellis Island. Similar to Peggy Cass herself. Her real name was Peggies Gas. She was bullied at school and changed it. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 21, 2018 23:00:07 GMT
You know, it just might be. I think it was originally Van Guijch. Her ancestors Anglicized it when they came through Ellis Island. Similar to Peggy Cass herself. Her real name was Peggies Gas. She was bullied at school and changed it. It always comes down to flatulence with you. Maybe there should be a fart museum. Would you like that? |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 22, 2018 10:02:20 GMT
Similar to Peggy Cass herself. Her real name was Peggies Gas. She was bullied at school and changed it. It always comes down to flatulence with you. Maybe there should be a fart museum. Would you like that? Only if, when you opened the front door, it went prrrrrrrp. |
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Post by snelling on Sept 23, 2018 21:46:47 GMT
These posts are getting way too long. I don't come here to read. If you'd like, you can call my Panasonic answering machine that uses cassettes and listen to the outgoing message: "The person you called is unavailable. Please leave your message at the tone. But, first, here's the long version of In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly...<music plays>." |
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Post by rudiger on Sept 23, 2018 21:55:46 GMT
Me: He was over the moon about that gift. You don't know how many times the equipment manager charged him for combs he either lost in center field or broke. rhs: Broke? Me: Yeah, he used to carry one in the back pocket of his uniform. Each time he got hit by a pitch in his fanny ... crack! Unbreakable plastic? I think not. Only thing Joe liked better than good hair grooming was a steaming cup of.....Joe. So, did the Yankee Clipper get a regular box of Dinky Donuts to go in order to dunk in the privacy of his own home? I don't like the sound of that. No, sir, not one bit. BTW, Joe didn't much like Paul Simon using his name in Mrs. Robinson and actually tried to sue since he received no compensation. Didn't work. What a guy. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 23, 2018 22:02:40 GMT
Only thing Joe liked better than good hair grooming was a steaming cup of.....Joe. So, did the Yankee Clipper get a regular box of Dinky Donuts to go in order to dunk in the privacy of his own home? I don't like the sound of that. No, sir, not one bit. BTW, Joe didn't much like Paul Simon using his name in <em>Mrs. Robinson</em> and actually tried to sue since he received no compensation. Didn't work. What a guy. And yet, if S&G had sung "Where have you gone, Dom DiMaggio?" Joe would have bawled that he was being overlooked. You couldn't win with him. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 23, 2018 22:10:36 GMT
Only thing Joe liked better than good hair grooming was a steaming cup of.....Joe. So, did the Yankee Clipper get a regular box of Dinky Donuts to go in order to dunk in the privacy of his own home? I don't like the sound of that. No, sir, not one bit. BTW, Joe didn't much like Paul Simon using his name in <em>Mrs. Robinson</em> and actually tried to sue since he received no compensation. Didn't work. What a guy. So how much did he get to do this egotistical piece of crap? |
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Post by rudiger on Sept 23, 2018 22:15:53 GMT
So, did the Yankee Clipper get a regular box of Dinky Donuts to go in order to dunk in the privacy of his own home? I don't like the sound of that. No, sir, not one bit. BTW, Joe didn't much like Paul Simon using his name in Mrs. Robinson and actually tried to sue since he received no compensation. Didn't work. What a guy. So how much did he get to do this egotistical piece of crap? To be fair, Joe had the foresight to see how sports memorabilia would eventually be taken over by speculators who have no real interest, whatsoever, in sports, other than to make some quick, easy cash. In effect, when a sports celebrity signs something today, it's much more likely for someone wanting to make a buck than someone who would really cherish the item. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 23, 2018 22:18:34 GMT
So, did the Yankee Clipper get a regular box of Dinky Donuts to go in order to dunk in the privacy of his own home? I don't like the sound of that. No, sir, not one bit. BTW, Joe didn't much like Paul Simon using his name in <em>Mrs. Robinson</em> and actually tried to sue since he received no compensation. Didn't work. What a guy. So how much did he get to do this egotistical piece of crap? This little ditty (snicker!) didn't contribute to Les Brown's band's renown. |
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Post by pizzabagel on Sept 23, 2018 22:24:02 GMT
So how much did he get to do this egotistical piece of crap? To be fair, Joe had the foresight to see how sports memorabilia would eventually be taken over by speculators who have no real interest, whatsoever, in sports, other than to make some quick, easy cash. In effect, when a sports celebrity signs something today, it's much more likely for someone wanting to make a buck than someone who would really cherish the item. Cherish, shmerish! I ain't takin' less than 50 bucks for the Dave Schneck signed jersey. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 23, 2018 22:32:09 GMT
To be fair, Joe had the foresight to see how sports memorabilia would eventually be taken over by speculators who have no real interest, whatsoever, in sports, other than to make some quick, easy cash. In effect, when a sports celebrity signs something today, it's much more likely for someone wanting to make a buck than someone who would really cherish the item. Cherish, shmerish! I ain't takin' less than 50 bucks for the Dave Schneck signed jersey. What's this? A "Sorry for the loss of your pet" card. Signed by the entire 1976 Yankee team? This could be worth something. Oh, wait....it isn't signed by Kerry Dineen. Get it the hell out of here. |
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Post by rudiger on Sept 23, 2018 22:56:51 GMT
Cherish, shmerish! I ain't takin' less than 50 bucks for the Dave Schneck signed jersey. What's this? A "Sorry for the loss of your pet" card. Signed by the entire 1976 Yankee team? This could be worth something. Oh, wait....it isn't signed by Kerry Dineen. Get it the hell out of here. Yeah, but Dineen had a good reason for not signing. The pet that had died was a ferret. Dineen had once passed-out drunk at his girlfriend's place. She had a pet ferret who subsequently chewed-off the pinky toe of the completely out-of-it, barefooted Dineen. Ever since, Dineen had a rabid fear and loathing of ferrets. Not to mention that, from that point foreward, he always slept wearing footie pajamas. |
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Post by rhs6358 on Sept 24, 2018 8:27:18 GMT
What's this? A "Sorry for the loss of your pet" card. Signed by the entire 1976 Yankee team? This could be worth something. Oh, wait....it isn't signed by Kerry Dineen. Get it the hell out of here. Yeah, but Dineen had a good reason for not signing. The pet that had died was a ferret. Dineen had once passed-out drunk at his girlfriend's place. She had a pet ferret who subsequently chewed-off the pinky toe of the completely out-of-it, barefooted Dineen. Ever since, Dineen had a rabid fear and loathing of ferrets. Not to mention that, from that point foreward, he always slept wearing footie pajamas. The card's a fake, anyways. Willy Randolph? Herman Munson? This thing is worthless. |
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