Bill OBoyle: Set a good example, pay Judge
Jun. 26—WILKES-BARRE — Where have you gone Derek Jeter?
The answer is easy — Jeter has been adequately replaced by Aaron Judge — a true Yankee leader.
And the Yankees ownership and leadership better realize that real quick and sign the big guy to a long-term contract at a very big and deserving salary.
Judge is the guy that has returned Yankee pride to the Bronx. He leads by example. And he's a damn good baseball player.
This is not the time to nickel and dime Judge — it's time to give him a record contract.
The 2022 season has been, so far, a season of remarkable Yankee performances. Judge has been the leader of this team and, again, so far, there is no reason to think that this season will not end with the Yankees' 28th World Series title.
Unless.
Unless the Yankees fail to sign Judge and give him what he has earned, thereby allowing him to continue on his Jeter-like career.
As a life-long Yankee fan, there have been many great times and too many not so great times.
For instance, in 1964, my dad and I were sitting down the left field line in the original Yankee Stadium. Al Downing was on the mound for the Yanks against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the top of the sixth and the Yanks were coasting with a 3-0 lead. The Cards loaded the bases and Ken Boyer pulled a Downing pitch down the left field line — right past me and my dad — and into the stands for a grand slam.
The Cardinals won the game, 4-3 and eventually won the Series.
That game and Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series winning homer for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Yankees are two of the worst memories of my childhood.
So where have you gone Hector Lopez? Or Johnny Blanchard? Or Horace Clark for that matter? I miss the blood and guts of Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer and the fierce competitiveness of Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris and Elston Howard.
I really do long for the Yankees of old — at least in the way they handled themselves. Yeah, I know about the carousing that went on, but when they hit the field, they played real baseball.
In 2015 at PNC Field in Moosic, a group of Yankee legends showed up to the delight of fans.
One was Joe Pepitone, who was surprised when I told him that we had met before.
It was 1962 or 1963. My mom, dad and I were staying at the Stadium Motor Lodge just over the George Washington bridge. We were attending a Yankees series — Friday, Saturday, Sunday — like we did so often back then.
The motel was also where the Yankee players stayed — most of them — as well as coaches, announcers and other personnel.
On this Saturday or Sunday morning, my mom and I went to the small restaurant in the lodge for breakfast. When we got to our table, I noticed that Pepitone was seated at the counter. My mother wanted to meet Pepitone, who was a darling of Yankee fans, especially my mom.
So I approached Pepitone to ask him for his autograph. When I related this story to Pepitone, who was 74 years old in 2015, he seemed to be concerned.
"Was I sober?" he asked. I assured him he was and that he gladly gave me his autograph. "What did I say?" he then asked. I told him it wasn't what he said; it was what he did.
I told Pepitone my mom would like to meet him and he got up, walked over to our table and sat down. He ate his breakfast with us. We talked and talked. He put his arm on my mother's shoulders. He told me to keep playing hard and someday he hoped to see me playing in Yankee Stadium.
Pepitone thanked me for the story. He seemed a bit relieved that he acted so well toward us — that he didn't say or do anything to upset us. I told him we were always Yankee fans and we followed Pepitone throughout his career.
If this sounds like a little kid babbling on about meeting one of his childhood heroes, well, it is just that.
I also stood with Don Larsen and talked about that iconic pitching performance against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series — a perfect game. Never done before or since.
Larsen had an average career, but on that day, he did what no other has ever done. We all can still see that famous video of Yogi Berra running out and jumping into Larsen's arms at the end of the game.
So as Larsen puffed on a Tiparillo and player after player stopped to shake his hand and ask how "Donnie" was doing, I thanked him for his time.
"No problem," he said. "You're not supposed to ever get tired of doing good things."
That's why Aaron Judge should be a Yankee forever — because he will always set that same example for all other Yankees.
And good things will always happen.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
