Berra Museum to remember Munson
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 27, 2009 
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On Sunday at 3 p.m., Yankees historian Marty Appel will discuss the life and legacy of former Yankees great Thurman Munson at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, followed by a signing of his acclaimed biography Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain.
The event will coincide with the 30th anniversary of Munson’s tragic death at the age of 32, when the private plane he was piloting crashed in Canton, Ohio.
Munson is the intimate biography of a complex and larger-than-life legend, written by Appel, the former Yankees public relations director who worked closely with Munson and the Yankees of the 1970s.
Books are available for purchase at the Museum, which is located on the campus of Montclair State University in New Jersey. To RSVP for the discussion or reserve a personalized copy, please call (973) 655-2378.
For more information on Yogi’s Museum, please go to their web site.
Just a personal aside, I read Marty’s book a few weeks ago and it’s terrific. If you want to learn more about him and that era in team history, pick up a copy.
kudos to Pete for being an Entourage fan! Love the show and have seen every season and this season is better than the last but still the show is starting to wind down…don’t think the show can really survive if all of them go their separate ways so I’m guessing maybe just 1 more season if this keeps up….Turtle could always go to 1 class and realize college ‘study’ part is not fun and drop out to return to his usual self. Big series starting tonight, Shields is usually tough at home and AJ went into the 7th w/ a no hitter last time at the Trop so hoping for another good performance
So Yogi won’t be there?
i wnet to wrigley this weekend. saw the saturday game about 20 rows behind home plate. stayed in wrigleyville. great historic park.. my impression of the fans is they are there for the party, not rabid, not that into the game.. all in cub gear, but appear to be there for a [arty. a lot more females then I see at other ballparks…
where the red sox rained out friday night? did not get the internet and paper and I am confused why the 1/2 a game between the sux and yanks. gardner’s injury hurts, he is a big part of the team, to much melky is not a good thing…
Stuart A – the Sox were off last Thursday (the Yanks won that day, hence the .5 game gain in the standings).
Why trade for Snell when we have that AAAA HOF’er, Kei Igawa?
Enough said.
repost from the end of the last thread…
the Snell debate has gone in circles every time he comes up so here’s a quick summary and we (at least I will) can move on.
Pros…
1. He has a good ERA in a few starts in AAA
2. You might “catch lightning in a bottle”
Cons…
1. He has a terrible ERA in a bad division in the majors
2. He got sent down by THE PIRATES..aka he’s not good enough for one of the worst teams in baseball
3. He’s reportedly a headcase = not good in NY
4. He’s not an improvement over anyone on the Yankees roster
5. He’s going to cost something (reportedly more than he’s worth)
Yanks had a make-up game on Thurs.
Can’t believe Munson’s death was 30 years ago.
Can’t believe I’m old enough to remember it pretty good.
Lot’s of people don’t know that the accident was survivable. A couple of passengers walked away. Munson himself was pinned and was overcome in the ensuing fire.
It was new plane for Munson and may have been a bit beyond his skill as a pilot. He was landing and did not have the flaps extended properly. The plane stalled short of the runway.
“stuart a July 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
i wnet to wrigley this weekend. saw the saturday game about 20 rows behind home plate. stayed in wrigleyville. great historic park.. my impression of the fans is they are there for the party, not rabid, not that into the game.. all in cub gear, but appear to be there for a [arty. a lot more females then I see at other ballparks…”
Yeah like some managers(maybe Ozzie) and writers have said, “Wrigley is a big frat house” plenty of pretty girls and just a big party….really fun for a summer weekend but not sure how the environment works for a regular season ticket holder, that has to get old and add the fear of a concrete slab falling one day
it appears that austin jackson will NOT be getting the call
as per chad jennings:
http://community.thetimes-trib.....ineup.aspx
Snell isn’t a head case. He’s been at odds with Pirate management over public comments the GM made about regretting signing him to a new deal.
He requested to be sent to the minors so he can pitch on a regular turn instead of being in and out of the Pirate rotation.
His “reputation” is built off his public spat with the GM over comments the GM has said were a “mistake” on his part.
Both sides believe a parting from Pittsburgh is best for both parties.
He’s got a good arm and with a better team may have better results.
At the major league level, the atmosphere in Pittsburgh is pretty bad and that makes it tough for anybody to perform in such a negative environment.
SJ – we know the situation in Pittsburgh is toxic (sad, actually, with a beautiful new ballpark) but by pure results I’d stay away from Snell – or get him for next to nothing.
Repost re: Snell:
Hokiehill, no guarantee that Mitre and Igawa are better than Snell, and as it stands right now that is starter #5 and #6. If acquiring him meant slotting him in as starter #6 I think it makes sense. Also, the “headcase” reports all seem to center on his hatred of pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He and the organization are completely at odds and his quotes seemed to indicate he was having a mental breakdown pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball.
That said, if he costs anything in prospects it is a no-go. The Pirates have no leverage in dealing him so if they are trying to ask for anything talent-wise, he will stay on the Pirates’ AAA team. His biggest “pro” would be his relatively low cost, and his ability to be slotted in to Scranton’s rotation first and then potentially summoned to the Bronx if deemed necessary/ready.
Gotta split. See ya.
we know the situation in Pittsburgh is toxic (sad, actually, with a beautiful new ballpark) but by pure results I’d stay away from Snell – or get him for next to nothing.
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what do they do with the cash they get from the Yankees?
I think we are all missing the major point . We need a middle of the rotation guy -
1- Wang is Gone
2- Joba is reaching his innings cap .
3- Mitre and Pettite are inconstitent
Someone like Snell or Arroyo is a waste of time and money. If we are thinking along the lines of Snell or Arroyo . we are just better off bringing up some kid from tripple A.
What about Chan Ho Park? He is in the Phillies bullpen now but could be stretched back out into a starter.
You can’t judge things just by “pure results”.
Have you ever seen him pitch? Do you know what he throws? Do you know if his stuff would translate in the AL?
Anybody can read a pitching line. There is more to evaluating pitchers, and players in general, than just reading stat lines. Its what just about every person who lives and dies by stats fail to do and it often leads to quoting stats without context. A big problem for many in the stathead crowd.
There is a human element to playing the game. If you discount it, you often miss on a player.
I’m not saying Snell is a world beater. I’m saying, he has a good arm, was in a bad situation in Pittsburgh not all of his own making, and is throwing the ball very well right now.
He wouldn’t cost anything of significance to acquire.
This is time of the year you look to stockpile as many good arms as possible and see which guys can help you down the stretch.
If the Yankees did get Snell, that would fall under that catagory.
munson broke his neck in the crash, appel said if he would have survived he would have been a parapalegic.
i remember the day like it happened yesterday, thurman is my favorite player ever.. jeter 2nd….munson cared about 2 things his family and winning and was not into image and I love that.
snell is worth getting in my opinion.. i assume the price would be very minimal…..who is coming up for the outfield?? can melancon get into a game, please….
“no.27-I want to keep Pudge out of the HOF because I doubt highly w/o steroids that he’d be in the HOF.
Of course thre are degrees of guilt. You wouldn’t execute a jaywalker, would you? And you need someone to decide what those degrees are. I consider doing things that would be impossible for humans to do w/o steroids a high degree of guilt. Perhpas you need someone to decide that officially. But come on, you’d have to live under a rock to believe they could produce those numbers w/o PED’s.”
You’re completely missing the point. I am NOT arguing that I think these players did what they did without performance enhancing drugs.
What I’m saying is that it is impossible to fairly punish steroid users individually and that it is wrong to create a penalty AFTER the crime has been committed.
“I consider doing things that would be impossible for humans to do w/o steroids a high degree of guilt.”
How are you going to decide what is impossible for humans to do w/o steroids? Could Ichiro get 262 hits in one season? Could Ryan Howard be able to hit 200 home runs faster than any other player, ever? Is what Pujols does humanly possible w/o steroids? What about that catch that Wise made to save the perfect game? What about Mariano?
What this idea would end up doing is punish the greatest players of this era who didn’t use steroids.
There is nobody currently starting in Scranton as good as Ian Snell. That’s why they are scouting him.
If they had somebody they felt was good enough to plug into the rotation they wouldn’t be looking at Snell or a number of other pitchers.
mike RI the problem is the yanks are out of kids to bring up. kennedy is hurt, hughes and aceves are up… they really have no kids who are legitimatley reayd for the majors presently.
also on wrigley, the neighborhoood is very nice and fun, but if they did not sell alcohol that place would be much different. I am not 80 or against having a good time but people get drunk at 10 AM all over the place…..
not having a jumbotron and video replay also makes watching the game different….
the Snell debate has gone in circles every time he comes up so here’s a quick summary and we (at least I will) can move on.
Pros…
1. He has a good ERA in a few starts in AAA
2. You might “catch lightning in a bottle”
Cons…
1. He has a terrible ERA in a bad division in the majors
2. He got sent down by THE PIRATES..aka he’s not good enough for one of the worst teams in baseball
3. He’s reportedly a headcase = not good in NY
4. He’s not an improvement over anyone on the Yankees roster
5. He’s going to cost something (reportedly more than he’s worth)
——————————————————–
One more con:
6. He’s got a horrible contract that commits his team until 2012.
Snell isn’t a head case. He’s been at odds with Pirate management over public comments the GM made about regretting signing him to a new deal.
He requested to be sent to the minors so he can pitch on a regular turn instead of being in and out of the Pirate rotation.
His “reputation” is built off his public spat with the GM over comments the GM has said were a “mistake” on his part.
Both sides believe a parting from Pittsburgh is best for both parties.
He’s got a good arm and with a better team may have better results.
At the major league level, the atmosphere in Pittsburgh is pretty bad and that makes it tough for anybody to perform in such a negative environment.
—————————————————–
Thats all fine but we don’t want someone who went public aqainst his GM on our team during a pennant. Let him try to resurrect his career somewhere else.
If the Yanks need to pick up a pitcher and don’t want to give up much they should go after Doug davis of the D’Backs. He’s making $8.7 million this year but its the last year of his contract, so they wouldn’t be committed to him after this year.
Davis’ win/loss record isn’t much (5-10) but his ERA isn’t that bad (3.76), plus he’s a lefthand pitcher. If we are looking for a spot starter who can give us 5-6 innings, he’s one we should consider.
what is the Snell horrible contract???
igawa horrible???
“6. He’s got a horrible contract that commits his team until 2012.”
It may be a bad contract but it doesn’t run until 2012.
Snell’s owed $3M this year and $4.25M next year. That’s the guaranteed money.
2011 and 2012 are club options.
No pitcher the yankees acquire at this time will come without risk.
It’s a just a matter of how the yankees want to distribute that risk.
Snell would be a risk on upside with downside being the money he’s owed (they won’t give up any substantial talent for him – it’ll be purely a salary dump).
I agree . .I don’t think taking someone like Snell and thrusting him into a pennant race is a good thing
It may be a bad contract but it doesn’t run until 2012.
Snell’s owed $3M this year and $4.25M next year. That’s the guaranteed money.
2011 and 2012 are club options.
——————————————————
Isn’t there a buyout connected to those options?
“Davis’ win/loss record isn’t much (5-10) but his ERA isn’t that bad (3.76), plus he’s a lefthand pitcher. If we are looking for a spot starter who can give us 5-6 innings, he’s one we should consider.”
2008 Matt Cain feels his pain.
You don’t want a player who went public in a spat with a GM? How’s Eric Hinske working out for you? He did the same thing, to the same GM, as Snell. Seems like Hinske worked out well so far in NY.
Snell went “public” with his spat with the GM AFTER the GM went public FIRST running him down. I don’t know of many players who get criticized in public by their GM that will just say, “Ok, all is well”.
This is always the worst week for the blog. Everybody who can’t understand baseball beyond misquoting stats, along with folks carrying various levels of Red Sox paranoia with them, post on and on about how the Yankees can get Star Player X, without surrendering anything of value.
Any rumor of a Red Sox deal brings sheer panic. Any discussion of any player not a multiple time all star the Yankees may be looking at also brings panic.
As presently constructed, this team does not have enough pitching to hold up for the rest of the year. One injury to a starter brings Kei Igawa into this rotation.
That’s something the Yankees will avoid at all costs.
They are most likely going to get at least one pitcher at the deadline. It may or may not be a star.
Whomever that guy is, will be called upon to pitch in some important spots in August and September.
That being the case, if the Yankees were to acquire a guy like Snell, I could care less what happened in Pittsburgh.
Everybody starts with a clean slate when they come to a new team.
I take a bit of exception to your anti-”stathead” arguments SJ44. There are those of us out there that don’t just look at the stats as a basis for a player’s ability. Smart and informed analysis should be a mixture of stats and how the player looks, intangibles, etc.
Ian Snell is nothing special. He has a good fastball for a lefty but nothing else really pops out. He’s no better than Sergio Mitre whom the Yankees already have.
I’d take Snell if the Pirates give him away for nothing but I don’t want the Yanks to give up anything of value to get him.
Doug Davis is a soft tossing lefty who got hammered pretty well when he was pitching in Texas.
There is more risk, and a worst contract, attached to Davis than Snell.
The reds are out of it in the Central, would they be willing to deal Harang? That’s a guy I’d be interested in.
You don’t want a player who went public in a spat with a GM? How’s Eric Hinske working out for you? He did the same thing, to the same GM, as Snell. Seems like Hinske worked out well so far in NY.
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Eric Hinske has a track record of success in American League East divisional races. Ian Snell has a track record of being a successful minor league pitcher after failing as a major league pitcher…just like Kei Igawa does.
Patrick,
You, CB, and very few others on here use statistical analysis the way its supposed to be used.
Most everybody else misstates and misuses stats on a daily basis. Some in laughable fashion.
For example, if Arod goes 1-10, these folks decide he is worthless.
There are very few people, especially when school is out, who use statistical analysis the way its supposed to be used for player evaluations. Most just blindly quote stats without any context.
Doug Davis is a soft tossing lefty who got hammered pretty well when he was pitching in Texas.
There is more risk, and a worst contract, attached to Davis than Snell.
—————————————————-
What sort of risk? Whoever owns Davis isn’t commited for next year. What’s the risk with that?
SJ did see Snell pitch a couple of times vs. the Mets – nothing special.
I discount the BS going on with the GM b/c it’s obviously a major problem in Pittsburgh (not just with him).
The results have to be looked at if you want to see how it compares/translates to the AL – especially AL East
Hinske is “working out for us” maybe b/c he has familiarity from playing w/Jays, Rays, RS – you think?
I’m just saying – given that – pay little or nothing for him. I agree with your point about acquiring in bulk – throwing something against the wall – hoping one of the pitchers pays off.
The issue wasn’t success record. It was not wanting a player who popped off to a GM on your team.
Don’t mix the two because your argument failed.
SJ44,
I think we can agree that CB is clearly the best at utilizing statistics to back up his arguments.
I sometimes fall into the pit of using stats in the wrong way, I’ll admit that. I do try to remember that not everything in baseball can be quantified by statistics.
Snell has terrible stats (outside of one season) but for a lefty he has good stuff.
Ian Snell has had much more success at the major league level than Kei Igawa has.
When Kei Igawa pitches to an under 4 ERA for one season in the majors, which Snell has done, and wins 14 games in a season in the majors, which Snell has done, get back to me.
The only way Kei Igawa shows up at the Stadium is if he buys a ticket. I think that’s abundantly clear.
The issue wasn’t success record. It was not wanting a player who popped off to a GM on your team.
Don’t mix the two because your argument failed.
———————————————–
Eric Hinske can “pop off” on my team because he has earned the right to “pop off”. Tell me exactly what Snell has done to earn the right to “pop off”?
SJ44,
I guess you missed my post, any thoughts on Aaron Harang? He’s nearing the end of his contract and the Reds are out of it, do you think they’d consider trading him? And if so would the Yankees be interested?
Snell is a righthander. When he’s right, he’s a 92-94 MPH fastball, good cutter and slider.
I saw him pitch earlier in the year against the Tigers in Pittsburgh and lost a tough 3-1 game. When 7 innings and was throwing in the Mid-90′s into the 7th inning.
He’s a guy that could help out if he’s right. Plus, he’s only 28 years old.
Basically, he’s Shawn Chacon with better stuff.
im not feeling Harrang .
Patrick,
Rumors out of Cincinnati are that he has had shoulder and elbow trouble. I think that’s why his results have been mixed.
If he is healthy, I like him. Just not sure if he is healthy.
What has Ian Snell done to “pop off”. Well, let’s see….
He was the Pirates #2 pitcher going into this year…..
He has taken the ball, even when hurt, just about every one of his starts the last 4 years without incident….
Nobody put a gun to the Pirates heads to sign Snell to a new deal…..
Snell has been no problem with his teammates, been solid in the community, and has pitched as well as he could for a bad team….
Despite the above, the GM goes public and rips him for signing that deal…..
I’d say he had every right to be mad, and go public on it.
Wow I’m a complete idiot.
I seriously thought Snell was a lefty, I was just looking at his fangraphs page. I’ve seen him pitch too, I just totally forgot that he wasn’t a lefty.
Haha oh well.
He’s young, has good enough stuff but I hope the Yanks don’t give up anything valuable for him.
RE: Harang,
Well he’s thrown over 120 innings this year and his fastball velocity is right around his career average.
Also, his ERA is a bit misleading. Looking at his FIP shows he’s actually been better than the results.
I am disappointed no one talked about Thurman Munson. My favorite Yankee. RIP Thurman. Pete Thanks for the book info.
teixeira is amazing.