YCN: Remembering Moose Skowron

My latest piece for the Yahoo Contributor Network is about the loss of Yankees great Bill "Moose" Skowron. Though I never saw him play, I have fond memories of many an Old Timer's Day with Moose, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and more.

Please click here to read the article.

And the Moron of the Year Goes To...

... A.J. Burnett...

Yes ladies and gentleman it was never a contest. A.J. channeled his inner Kevin Brown and Doyle Alexander and decided to take out his frustrations on some lineup holders inside the Yankees clubhouse.

It wasn't bad enough that he had put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole early, but then he put holes in each of his palms. Bravo on a job well done.

Hey wait a minute. It gets even better. Not only did A.J. hurt his hands and his team, but he lied about it too, telling trainer Steve Donahue that he had fallen on the steps. Oops. A(ss)J(ack) later confessed and apologized to his manager, Joe Girardi, and GM Brian Cashman. He'll also apologize to the team tomorrow. He should also apologize to his banker for the withdrawal he'll have to make to pay for the hefty fine the team should hit him with. No pie for you!

It turned a nice day - Old Timer's Day - into a rotten day. Burnett, Dustin Moseley, and Chad Gaudin got pounded in a 10-4 defeat. Reid Brignac had two home runs all year, but managed to hit a pair and drove in 5 runs. While good for my fantasy team, it was not so good for the large crowd sitting in sweltering heat.

On another note, let's hope this is the last we will see of Gaudin. Seriously, enough already. Boone Logan returned yet again today, but it was in place of Damaso Marte, who landed on the DL with shoulder inflammation.

The few bright spots for the Yankees today? Home runs by Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada. That really was about it. Oh, and Joe Buck was working the other Fox game though Tim McCarver manage to rile Yankees fans when he compared the Yankees organization to Nazi Germany.

Here's hoping Andy Pettitte's "Journey to Comfort" includes taking the series with a win on Sunday.

Yogi Misses OT Day

A bad week in Yankeeland continued today when it was announced Yogi Berra would miss Old Timer's Day after falling near his home.

Here's the official release from the Yankees:

The Yankees' Old-Timers Day festivities on Saturday will certainly carry a reverent tone, following the loss of owner George Steinbrenner. Unfortunately, one former Yankees great, Yogi Berra, will miss the festivities.

Berra suffered a fall near his Montclair, NJ., home on Friday night, according to a statement from his family issued on Saturday afternoon. Multiple media reports suggested that Berra hadn't broken any bones, but remained quite sore following the fall. Berra suffered some bruising and is now recovering at home.

From the statement, Berra's attention still seemed to be on the event at Yankee Stadium that he will be forced to skip.

"He is extremely disappointed he is unable to participate in today's Old-Timers ceremonies and see so many of his friends," the statement said. "He appreciates all the well-wishes and hopes to be up and about very soon."

The Iron Horse is Remembered

July 4th, 2009

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Babe Ruth • Famous Speeches • Lou Gehrig • Lou Gehrig Day • Luckiest man on the face of the Earth • Old Timer's Day • Yankee Stadium

70 years ago today- July 4, 1939- one of the most memorable days in New York Yankees history, and for that matter in all of baseball, occurred. It was Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium, the day that the Iron Horse said goodbye to the fans, his teammates, the opposition, and his baseball way of life. (It was also the Yankees first official Old Timers Day).

In commemoration of one of the most significant speeches of all time, Lou Gehrig’s words from that day 70 years ago, will be read aloud in every major league park today.

photo courtesy of lougehrig.com

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

“Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.

“When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that’s the finest I know.

“So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”

Gehrig’s words live on long after his death (he lost his life to the disease, that would later bare his name, in 1941). They’ve been referenced in other speeches since and epitomize the courage of the man.

There is still no cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. To volunteer your time, make a donation, or to learn more, go to ALS.org. To learn more about Lou Gehrig and hear audio clips of the speech, visit the official Lou Gehrig Website.