Munson's ego driven death day

[CaliCuse]

I got the news returning home from a birthday lunch with my friends in NJ. OI'm watching a tribute to Munson with a lot of video showing him batting. His swing was made for success. level and powerful. Line drives flying off his bat. Thurmon had power for surest never really went for home runs. Munson Pinella and Mattingly all had that great swing that gave them the ability to hit to to ALL fields. The Yankees should make their videos required watching with their hitting coach pointing out why these payers were so good. Plate awareness and confidence in your mechanics are huge in hitting. Thefts example of this today is Didi . He now approaches his plate appearances with confidence as he has completely changed his early season at bats. Drew unfortunately can't or is too stubborn to try this approach.:bat:

 

[Flacusian]

I got the news returning home from a birthday lunch with my friends in NJ. OI'm watching a tribute to Munson with a lot of video showing him batting. His swing was made for success. level and powerful. Line drives flying off his bat. Thurmon had power for surest never really went for home runs. Munson Pinella and Mattingly all had that great swing that gave them the ability to hit to to ALL fields. The Yankees should make their videos required watching with their hitting coach pointing out why these payers were so good. Plate awareness and confidence in your mechanics are huge in hitting. Thefts example of this today is Didi . He now approaches his plate appearances with confidence as he has completely changed his early season at bats. Drew unfortunately can't or is too stubborn to try this approach.:bat:

Drew has been coming around. The final book on him is still a work in progress.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Was looking for something the other day in a box of old pictures and accumulations of assorted whatnots and came across this 42-year-old blast from my past, a piece I wrote as a young sports scribe in Akron about a young Yankee I covered several years earlier for the college newspaper. This guy had mad game, Cooperstown-worthy, sad to re-read the quotes about his dreams for his future, both as a big-league player and beyond.

 

[CaliCuse]

Was looking for something the other day in a box of old pictures and accumulations of assorted whatnots and came across this 42-year-old blast from my past, a piece I wrote as a young sports scribe in Akron about a young Yankee I covered several years earlier for the college newspaper. This guy had mad game, Cooperstown-worthy, sad to re-read the quotes about his dreams for his future, both as a big-league player and beyond.
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On his memorial on August 2, this year one of the Yankee spokesmen or women revealed that Thurmond wanted to become a pilot so he could get to be with his family more. The progression to buying a jet was motivated by this desire.At least it wasn't solely driven by his ego macho thinking to fly and ultimately up grade to a jet. The fact that August 2nd is my birthday is just a sad co-inky dink.Diane Munson has done very well in raising her children. I'm surprised she hasn't remarried.

 

[sabach]

One of the saddest days of my life growing up. As a little league catcher who loved the Yankees, Thurman was my hero.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

On his memorial on August 2, this year one of the Yankee spokesmen or women revealed that Thurmond wanted to become a pilot so he could get to be with his family more. The progression to buying a jet was motivated by this desire.At least it wasn't solely driven by his ego macho thinking to fly and ultimately up grade to a jet. The fact that August 2nd is my birthday is just a sad co-inky dink.Diane Munson has done very well in raising her children. I'm surprised she hasn't remarried.

Thurm was flying home a lot, wouldn't have minded playing out his days back home in Cleveland.

Makes me smile looking at some of Thurm's quotes in this article I did on him and Diane in '73:
"I haven't changed since I was 12. I was cocky then and I'm cocky now."
"People around here follow the Indians, but they should follow me. But things eventually fall into place and in two or three years people will realize I'll be the catcher with the highest career batting average. It just takes longer for some guys to get noticed."

I can still see Thurm, in a turtleneck (I mighta had one, too, it was February), layin' all this good stuff on me, Diane breaking in every once in a while with a few pearls. Good couple, good teammates, Diane was no shrinking violet, either.
I knew them both since college, which, in 1973, was just several years earlier.

I'm biased as all get-out, but I think he's Cooperstown-worthy all day and twice on Sunday. I know his numbers were not as high as they would've been if he hadn't crashed his plane and died when he was 32, but his body of work and key role in making those Yankee teams so special merits serious consideration for a plaque. What the hell, give him Pete Rose's!

 

[Toga]

An eight minute standing ovation. Chills.

 

[CaliCuse]

One of the saddest days of my life growing up. As a little league catcher who loved the Yankees, Thurman was my hero.

I loved Thurmond's attitude on the field much like I loved Devo on our basketball team It irritated some people but mostly the opposition players and fans. Whats not to like with that?