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98 years old
SAINT CLOUD, MN(online now)  |
The Yankees Strike Out
Well, I have been waxing nostalgic since watching the All-Star game on Tuesday-(aw hell who am I kidding, I'm always in a nostalgic mood when it comes to baseball) I thought I'd post my favorite Yastrzemski story.
The year-1957-Yaz is a senior at Bridghampton High School. He set records there in baseball, football and basketball. And he also came within an inch of signing with the Yankees! Back in those days, there was no draft. Different teams would talk to prospects and try them out. If they liked what they saw, they made a deal, even if they weren't allowed to be talking to you. They just changed the date of the contract to make it seem as if it was signed after high school graduation.
The Yanks had a scout named Ray Garland and he had been negotiating with Carl Sr. for some time after trying out Yaz at Yankee Stadium. Now keep in mind, this guy Garland, had picked up Whitey Ford and Phil Rizzuto for the Yanks, and, at the time , Yaz's Dad was a big Yankee fan.
The three of them met at the Yastrzemski home in Bridghampton, Long Island, NY and sat at the dining room table. Carl Sr. and Garland started throwing numbers around. In Yaz's own words, "My Dad, being a potato farmer, was coming up with dollar signs for more money than he had ever made or seen in his life." They passed papers with figures on it back and forth while Yaz sat there nervously. Garland wrote down $60,000, his Dad, wrote down $100,000.
"$100,000 ? Are you crazy? No one on the Yankees ever received $100,000. The Yankees will never pay that." Garland said. And then, Ray Garland took his pencil and threw it in the air. The pencil hit the ceiling. The next words are Yaz's own..."Uh-Oh. My Dad got red. He jumped out of his chair and shouted, "Nobody throws a pencil in my house. Get the hell out and never come back!" Yeah thats right, Yaz's Dad threw the Yankee scout out of his house. Carl Sr. would NEVER talk to the Yankees again! The head of the farm system and the owner Dan Topping tried to get Yaz and his Dad to come to NY but his Dad refused to speak to them . They'd call on the phone but he would never even speak to them on the phone!
Now, just think about this, its 1957, Yaz was a high school kid, his Dad was a potato farmer and HE THREW THE YANKEE SCOUT RIGHT OUTTA HIS HOUSE!!!! Maybe its me...but this story , (for lack of a better term) just blows my mind!!! And thank you Mr. Yastrzemski!!
-PEACE
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