Catcher Thurman Munson, The Captain, was heart and soul of the NY Yankees...........30 Years

Star Ledger | The Star Ledger

[angcat]

The late-afternoon news coming from the car radio was stunning. The report was that Thurman Munson had been killed in Ohio, something about an airplane accident. Details were sketchy, but the words were chilling: Thurman Munson was dead at age 32

[angcat]

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2009/08/catcher_thurman_munson_the_cap.html

[angcat]

[stephenjohnbanker]

He wanted to spend more time with his family. Sad time.

Good tagline!

[angcat]

[Artemis Webb]

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[angcat]

Thank you

[rabidralph]

There’s a man who had no need for hair gel, nor a hair dryer. RIP, Thurman.

[Artemis Webb]

My pleasure. I wish I had more to add to this thread. I was 18 when Munson died but at that time in my life I had no interest in baseball (I thought it was too slow).

Still, I pulled this from Wikipedia:

" The day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the Yankees paid tribute to their deceased captain in a pre-game ceremony during which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty. At the conclusion of Robert Merrill's musical selection, the fans (announced attendance 51,151) burst into a 10-minute standing ovation."

[angcat]

I was at that game. I was 14.

[angcat]

PING

[Huck]

Old school....no helmet.

[Huck]

Thurm and Sparky

[Huck]

Thurm and Sparky

[angcat]

Love it.
Sparky was a pissa. Today's Yankees cannot compare to the team back then.

[angcat]

I never realized that they did not have helmet back then. Nice picture.

[Artemis Webb]

Well I don’t want to get too far afield but I am a fan of helmets and protective gear. A catcher is, among other things, a target. My wife’s grandfather was a catcher who spent his entire playing career in the minors. He refused to wear knee protection because at that time “real men” didn’t want it. Well he took so many hits to the knees and legs that he got blood poisoning (please don’t ask me for details, I never met the man and I’m not a doctor) and was wheelchair bound for most of his life.

[Le Chien Rouge]

Some friends and I were watching WPIX when they broke the news......all of us 12 year old yankee fans sat in stunned silence for an hour....RIP Thurman

[weef]

I remember this like it was yesterday. One of the Yankee greats. Thanks for all the great memories Thurman!

[SnakeDoctor]

... back when the Yankees had a heart and soul.

Sorry, the headline just asked for it. From what I understand, Munson was a good guy. He was certainly a great ballplayer.

SnakeDoc

[MNSlim]

I remember that day too. Munson was a great player, one of the few catchers who handled the leadoff duties well when tasked.