Joltin' Joe DiMaggio - The Yankee Clipper

Joltin' Joe was surely the most complete baseball player of his generation. But he was more than that. Baseball has produced many sports legends but it has produced only one DiMaggio. DiMaggio proved to be iconic as much off as on the field, an lasting emblem of baseball excellence, loved and esteemed by Americans fully, half century after his ultimate game in 1952. A man of class.

Born of Italian immigrants, Giuseppe (Joe) DiMaggio, the eighth of nine children, was born Nov. twenty five, 1914, in Martinez a fishing village north of San Fransisco where his dad was a fisherman. The five DiMaggio boys worked with their dad fishing for crab. Joe did not like the work and tried to avoid it. Baseball eventually did the trick.

A new Yankees dynasty began with DiMaggio's arrival on the scene in 1936 following three years in the minors. With Joe at center field they were once again world champions that year. DiMaggio and the Yankees won the World Series each of his first four years in the majors and over his full career Joe won nine of a potential thirteen World Series. that's like batting.690!

When Joe appeared on the field for the first time, on May 3, 1936, thousands of flag-waving Italian residents of New York showed up to cheer him on.

DiMaggio soon became known as "Joltin' Joe" for the power of his bat and "The Yankee Clipper" for the speedy clippers that crossed the Atlantic Ocean under sail. DiMaggio hit a league leading 46 homers in 1936. Over his 13 year career the total was 361.

In 1937 DiMaggio batted an impressive.346, driving in 167 runs. The next season, 1938, DiMaggio hit.324, followed in 1939 with a.381.

In the summer of 1941, a nation had turned its eyes to him. DiMaggio began a fifty-six-game batting streak starting on May fifteen, 1941. He got a hit in every game Joe played until July 17, 1941. Everyone it seemed was following the streak be it on radio or through the newspapers, wondering how far he could stretch it out.

"Joltin' Joe DiMaggio " was a big hit on radio in those same days, as recorded by Lees Brown and his orchestra.

As if to prove it was not a fluke, Joe followed the great streak with a second one that lasted sixteen strait games.

During the 1942 season DiMaggio batted.305 before being drafted into the army and the Second World War. After serving three years in the army and World War II Joe returned to the Yankees in 1946.

1948 saw him back in full form winning three individual titles, homers with 39, batting average with.320 and RBI's with 155. Joltin' Joe was back!

When Joe retired in 1951, he had a lifetime average of.325, down from the.339 it had been before Joe served three years in the military during World War II.

After baseball came Marilyn Monroe, whom he met and married. He was 39, she twenty seven when they married on Jan. fourteen, 1954. They divorced nine months later but remained good friends. Joe took charge of everything after her tragic death in 1964 and was often seen placing flowers on her grave for decades thereafter.

His fame was recorded in song. Simon and Garfunkel wanted to express a longing for another gentler time in their big hit "Mrs. Robinson" and wrote, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you."

After DiMaggio retired Joe hosted pre-game TV shows, game shows and made numerous television commercials that Americans loved to see. Joe was elected to the Baseball Hall of fame in 1955.

On March 8th, 1999 DiMaggio passed away at his home in Hollywood Florida at age 95.

Joe was always a modest man and always worked to play his best game even when faced with health problems. The Yankee Clipper is remembered with admiration not only by sports fans, but by all who know his story.

A New York commentator may have put it best, "DiMaggio remains a living symbol of excellence, power and to be sure, gentleness."

 

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New York Yankee Stadium

The Yankee Stadium is one the most popular places in New York. Yankee Stadium is located in 161st Street and River Avenue and Yankee baseball team had been using it since 1920s. Boxing and Football competitions are regularly hosted in the stadium. As it is situated in New York, so, State of New York administers it. The stadium is of great significance not just because of its historic presence but all over the time including Great Depression, World War II, and 9/11 incidents.

History

Yankee Stadium was built in 1923 through the help of Babe Ruth who was a famous baseball player and attracted millions of fans to come to the stadium and enjoy the games. The profit which came out of the sales of tickets was reinvested in the Stadium building which has three 2 floors (3 storey).Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the world. It hosts all major football leagues. All Star Game was hosted three times, and World Series thirty three times at Stadium. The stadium was renovated in between 1937 to 1967.
A new but similar stadium was built in 2006 near the Yankee Stadium the cost of which was $1.3 billion. The new stadium was opened in 2009 and the old Stadium was demolished.

Things to See in the Museum

The Big Bat

The first thing you will notice when you enter the Yankee Stadium is the big bat the length of which is 138 feet. Louisville Slugger created this big bat in the memory of the great baseball player Babe Ruth.

The Stadium Fa?ade

Another most noticeable thing in Stadium is the stadium fa?ade. You will see several white arches on the roof which are made of copper. They were painted in white in the 1960s. In 1970s, the stadium was renovated and the fa?ade was taken out for replication. The replica is put on the billboards and scoreboard of the stadium.

Monument Park

You will find a comprehensive collection of original baseball team plaques in the monument park at the stadium. This park helps in creating awareness of the public about the history of the baseball team. There are other monuments as well which include Monument Park dedicated to Miller Huggins and Jacob Huggins who were great players of their time.

Stadium Tours

Visitors can also go for a stadium tour to know more about the facilities. It is almost impossible to find out all facilities of the stadium however, with the help of a guide, one can learn about many of them. To know more about the Stadium tours, you can contact the tour organizers.

The Classic Tour

Up to 11 people can make a group for a tour in Stadium. The purpose of Classic tours in to generate the awareness and give public chance to know more about the functions of the facilities.
There are a lot of other things which one can enjoy at Stadium that includes, the Champion Tour, The Champion Plus Tour, Shopping and Dining, etc. Stadium is also used for different events like weddings, birthday parties and private affairs.

Baseball's New York Yankee Debate - Babe Ruth's 1927 Team Or Derek Jeter's 1998 Team?

The 1927 New York Yankees are baseballs greatest team ever produced. This is true, despite the efforts of the so-called experts to prove otherwise. Could "The Duke of Flatbush's" 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers beat them? What about the 1961 Yankees or the 1975 "Big Red Machine?" What about the experts pick of New York's own 1998 Yankees? None of these teams would have defeated Ruth, Gehrig and "Murderer's Row."

Up until 1920 baseball was considered to be a game played by vagrants and ex-cons. The sport paid the players next to nothing, and a big crowd was considered any attendance over 50 people. Around 1921 the sport began to take hold of the fans. Because of figures like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig the sport was viewed as a battle of gladiators in breathtaking coliseums. This was the beginning of "The golden age of sports." People began embracing baseball as the sport of titans, placing players on pedestals like Greek gods. Other athletes emerged like tennis star Bill Tilden, football player Red Grange, and golfer Bobby Jones. But, baseball became "Americas pastime." Colonel Jacob Ruppert bought the New York Yankees in 1915 and began building the club through a series of trades and purchases. In 1920 he purchased a young slugger from the Boston Red Sox, George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Ruth revolutionized baseball with his prodigious home run blasts. He re--wrote the record books and led the Yankees to American League pennants in 1921 and 1922.

In 1923 the Yanks reached the pinnacle of sports by winning the World Series in their new battlefield, Yankee Stadium. In 1927 Ruth was rewarded with a never before seen, $70,000, three year contract. The second highest contract on the Yankees was $17,500 per year. The 1927 version of the Yankees were very young, with inexperienced pitching. Most experts saw them as a long shot to win the title. The Philadelphia Athletics under Connie Mack's tutelage were considered the favorite. From the first pitch to the last, the Yankees were absolutely dominating. They remained in first place for every single day of the 155 game season!

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played home run derby with each other all season long. Ruth ended up with a record 60, while Gehrig tallied 54. The Yankees won 110 games with a .714 winning percentage (an ominous number if there were ever one), and a winning margin of 19 games over their closest rival. They hit 158 home runs and scored 908 runs in 155 games! They were simply, an offensive nightmare for opposing teams. Ruth and Gehrig literally broke every Yankee record in the book. They combined for 107 home runs, 339 runs batted in, 214 extra base hits, 397 runs scored, 867 total bases and a .769 slugging percentage. They were the greatest two combined hitters in baseball history. The "Bronx Bombers" pitching staff had dominating numbers too. The likes of Bob Shawkey, Urban Shocker, Waite Hoyt, Wiley Moore, Herb Pennock, and others dominated their opposition. They posted a team ERA of 3.20, won 110 games, 20 saves, 11 shutouts, 431 strikeouts and 82 complete games.

The 1927 World Series pitted the favorite Yankees against a formidable foe...the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates hit .305 as a team, with four starting players hitting .325 or better. Paul Waner hit .380, while brother Paul hit .355. Pie Traynor followed with a.342 batting average. The Buc's led the National League in hits (1,648), and runs scored (817). Their pitching staff was led by Ray Kremer (2.47 ERA) and Carmen Hill (22 wins). Even with solid offense and pitching, Ruth's Yankees sent the team from Pittsburgh packing in a four game sweep. This was the first time that an American League team swept a National League team in the "Fall Classic." The 1927 Yankees had earned the title of, The Greatest Team Ever.

Baseball teams of today have many advantages over teams of the past. Equipment advances have allowed for maple wood bats creating quicker bat speed. Livelier baseballs jump out of the park. Better-made gloves are position and player specific. Lighter rayon jerseys allow players to be faster and more comfortable. Batting helmets prevent injuries and keep players healthy. Batting gloves provide for better grip. Arm and leg guards prevent injury. Better fitting and gripping cleats create speed and cutting ability. These and a host of other technological innovations give today's players the advantage. Nutritional information has increased player physical and emotional wellness. The advent of artificial turf surfaces have allowed for more ball speed, leading to an increase in hits. Drugs and supplements (legal and illegal) have allowed players to fine tune their bodies into lean, muscle bound, quick machines. Advanced medical technology has kept players on the field more by avoiding injuries.

The greatest advantage is the watered down pitching of today compared to the past. The rosters are larger (40) compared to yesterday's (23), and the amount of teams in the league has grown. Here is your comparative analysis between the 1927 Yankees and the 1998 Yankeesyou can plainly see, the '27 team had the advantage in most categories. Home runs were higher for the 1998 Yanks because of the watered down pitching. In 1998 there were six more teams in the league with 36 more pitchers. Despite playing seven less games than the 1998 team, the 1927 Yankees were better in eight of the 11 categories listed above. Although they had all of the technological, medicinal, and nutritional advantages, the 1998 Yankees pale in comparison to the 1927 Yankees.

Since 1975 author Bill Philp has been involved in the sports industry. He began setting up at local venues, selling sports cards. This evolved into becoming a full time card dealer in his hometown of Farmington, MI.

He has worked as a sports writer for a city newspaper in Detroit, MI. He has been published in the USA Today's Baseball Weekly, and currently contributes to many sports websites as a columnist.

He was a Director for the largest sports memorabilia retailer in the country. He is credited for opening six company stores, and overseeing eleven stores stretching from Boston, MA to Los Angeles, CA.

He has played and won fantasy leagues involving baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf and college football for many years.

The long-time sports addict now presents this website to feed your sports appetite. This, in response to his many conversations with athletes, sportswriters, and fans.

http://www.magicmatchup.com