12/30/24
February 15, 2008
After almost 30 years, Thurman Munson still has a place in Yankee history.: His widow, Diane Munson, wonders what will happen to his locker when the Yankees move to a new stadium. His locker is kept empty in his honor.
posted by steelergirl to baseball at 04:01 PM - 17 comments
I'm sure the Yankees will have a locker for Thurman in their locker room when they move, if not they should honor him with a plaque or statue
posted by Awwgood at 10:59 PM on February 15, 2008
I took the tour of Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago while on vacation. By far the best part of the tour is being able to go in the clubhouse. (when the team is on the road, which they were on the day I visited) There are no photographs allowed on that part of the tour, and you really feel like you're on hallowed ground. As incredible as it is to see the lockers of all the current Yankees, and then be told which of the same lockers belonged to all the legendary Yankees of the past, the most emotional moment for me was when the guide explained that the empty locker in the clubhouse was Munson's. A great tribute. I'm sure they won't forget him at the new ballpark.
posted by eccsport78 at 04:58 AM on February 16, 2008
...and a place in Red Sox history as well. Any of us who were fans of either team in the '70s will never forget the Munson vs Fisk rivalry. Had Munson lived to play for another 5 years, he might have gone into the Hall of Fame as one of the 2 best catchers ever to wear pinstripes. As it is, he may be so anyway. He was not a loss only to the Yankees, but to all of baseball.
posted by Howard_T at 12:59 PM on February 16, 2008
Well said, Howard_T.
posted by dyams at 03:16 PM on February 16, 2008
Yankees had better continue their tribute to Munson......if not, I will lose a lot of respect for the organization that I have rooted for over the past 50 years.........
posted by Bxboy at 07:01 PM on February 16, 2008
I can't stand the Yankees, but their traditions concerning former players is most commendable. I always liked Munson in spite of his playing for the evil empire.
posted by whitedog65 at 10:27 AM on February 17, 2008
My only tie with Munson is he is from my "home" town of Canton. It was a really BIG deal when he crashed at Akron-Canton Airport. My boyfriend at the time was taking flying lessons and had talked to him shortly before Thurman got in his plane. His son Mike has opened a resturant here. I think it is pretty cool that the Yankees still honor his memory after all these years. Canton has is a street and a baseball stadium (that sits empty) named after him.
posted by steelergirl at 02:38 PM on February 17, 2008
I remember when Munson died, and I think it's great that the Yankees honored him, but a permanent empty locker after 30 years is waaaaaayyyy over the top. Steinbrenner has a tendency to go overboard honoring players, like Elston Howard, Ron Guidry, and Roger Maris. It cheapens the accomplishments of the true immortals on any team, when good players retired numbers are hung alongside the truly great ones.
posted by Sonny830 at 10:37 PM on February 17, 2008
Watch out Sonny, you will offend a lot of people around here like that. Your statement doesn't make much sense really though. When Munson died he was the team captain, and their first one of those since Lou Gehrig! He died too early to only be classified as just a good player, you may want to brush up on what he did while he was here.
posted by jojomfd1 at 11:06 PM on February 17, 2008
I remember when Munson died, and I think it's great that the Yankees honored him, but a permanent empty locker after 30 years is waaaaaayyyy over the top. I think your sense of "waaaaaaayyy over the top" could use some adjusting. It's a locker, not Mount Rushmore.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:12 AM on February 18, 2008
I remember when Munson died, and I think it's great that the Yankees honored him, but a permanent empty locker after 30 years is waaaaaayyyy over the top. Don't you think that dying while still playing and being the Captain is waaaaaaay rare enough to warrant some special treatment? Even baseball occassionally isn't solely about accumulation statistics.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:16 PM on February 22, 2008
Don't you think that dying while still playing and being the Captain is waaaaaaay rare enough to warrant some special treatment? Agreed. I'm not sure that the empty locker will have the same impact on today's lineup that it did 30 years ago. Maybe the new building would allow a dedication in a different way. Statue in a concourse, maybe? Maybe an eternal flame? I'm a thinkin that it should be visible for all the fans to see, unless there are game-day tours through the Yankee locker room.
posted by BoKnows at 03:28 PM on February 22, 2008
Statue in a concourse, maybe? Maybe an eternal flame? If it were me, I'd want to be memorialized with a golden trough in Fenway. Ladies room.
posted by yerfatma at 03:43 PM on February 22, 2008
I'm not sure that the empty locker will have the same impact on today's lineup that it did 30 years ago. I disagree. Veterans make sure that the younger guys know what locker means to the team and the organization. Plus there are always guys around that played with Munson, so I don't think they will let the impact get lost. I'm a thinkin that it should be visible for all the fans to see, unless there are game-day tours through the Yankee locker room. There are Stadium tours that take you through the club house when the team is out of town. But the way I see it, that locker really isn't for the fans. Most fans know about the locker, but I don't think it's something that needs to be on public display. That's what Monument Park is for. And I believe there will some sort of museum area in the new stadium as well.
posted by goddam at 01:33 PM on February 23, 2008
There are Stadium tours that take you through the club house when the team is out of town. I did not know that. That's what Monument Park is for. I did not know that either. I guess my chances of seeing Yankee Stadium are getting less and less. Maybe I'll see the new one.
posted by BoKnows at 02:35 PM on February 23, 2008
I guess my chances of seeing Yankee Stadium are getting less and less. Well, any SpoFite that finds themself in New York this summer can email me. I may be able to hook them up with bleacher seats depending on the game.
posted by goddam at 02:30 PM on February 24, 2008
Hopefully they find a way to put the original locker on display at the new stadium. It would be nice if they could put it in a place where everyone could see it. I just watched the game following Munson's funeral on Yankee Classics on the YES Network a few days ago. Incredible game to watch, knowing all the emotion at the time all around the Stadium. A lot of memories will go along with the old Stadium when the Yanks move into their new home.