RC94
Footballguy
I was very young, but I still remember it vividly. This tribute was probably one of my first baseball memories. RIP, Thurman.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...sons_death.html
Jerry Narron recalls night he replaced Thurman Munson for Yankees
By Sean Brennan
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, August 2nd 2009, 4:00 AM
In the summer of 1979, Jerry Narron was thrust into the darkest moment in Yankee history.
It was Aug. 3, one day after Yankee captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in Canton, Ohio.
"I caught the night before his accident and I caught the night after it," Narron said. "It was very tough for everybody. It was like losing somebody in your family. It was a very difficult time for everybody. It was difficult for the players, but even more so for his family. Everyone's thoughts and prayers were with his family during that time. That was more important than anyone worrying about the ballclub."
Munson was killed 30 years ago today while practicing a series of touch-and-go landings in his private plane, a $1.4 million Cessna Citation he had bought three weeks earlier. Munson, who had been flying for about 18 months and falling in love with his new skill, had bought the plane so he could spend more time with his family. But the worst happened that Thursday afternoon, sending shockwaves through baseball. The next night, Billy Martin penciled in Narron to replace the fallen Yankee catcher.
And as the Yankees were preparing to play the Orioles in their first game without their captain, the starters took their place on the field as Robert Merrill sang the national anthem. All the starters, except for Narron. The catcher's spot remained empty. At the conclusion of the song, the crowd of 51,151 was asked for a moment of silence as a tribute to Munson as Narron waited near the dugout. That moment quickly morphed into a loud and sustained outpouring of love for Munson.
"It was supposed to be a couple of minutes of silence and it turned into a loud standing ovation that lasted what seemed like 20 minutes," Narron said. (In reality, it was about 9-10 minutes). "It was so difficult to go out and play that night, but everyone was a professional and we knew we had to go out and do our jobs."
Narron eventually took his position behind the plate and went 0-for-2 in the game, a 1-0 loss to the first-place Orioles, as Scott McGregor defeated Luis Tiant.
Narron, who also played for the Mariners and Angels and had managerial stints with the Rangers and Reds, is currently out of baseball for the first time in 35 years. But his love of the game continues in his home state of North Carolina.
Narron returned to the Bronx last month for Old-Timers' Day.
"This is the first time since 1974 that I've been home during the baseball season," Narron said. "I have a son who is a senior in high school so I'm working with his team a little. I'm having a good time. I've had a great time in baseball."
Narron's first day with the Yankees was in 1976. He was a 20-year-old catching prospect in the Bombers chain. He had just received his first invitation to spring training. It's a day he will never forget.
"My first day of spring training of 1976 I walk in the door and Mickey Mantle is standing there," Narron said. "So I introduced myself and he introduced himself and he said, ‘It's a pleasure to meet you.' Well, I just started laughing and said, ‘No, it's my pleasure, not yours.' He was such a great guy. He was an outstanding ballplayer but also an outstanding person."
Thirty years have passed since that night of sadness in the Bronx, a night that will forever link Narron to Thurman Munson. A night Jerry Narron will never forget.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...sons_death.html
Jerry Narron recalls night he replaced Thurman Munson for Yankees
By Sean Brennan
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, August 2nd 2009, 4:00 AM
In the summer of 1979, Jerry Narron was thrust into the darkest moment in Yankee history.
It was Aug. 3, one day after Yankee captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in Canton, Ohio.
"I caught the night before his accident and I caught the night after it," Narron said. "It was very tough for everybody. It was like losing somebody in your family. It was a very difficult time for everybody. It was difficult for the players, but even more so for his family. Everyone's thoughts and prayers were with his family during that time. That was more important than anyone worrying about the ballclub."
Munson was killed 30 years ago today while practicing a series of touch-and-go landings in his private plane, a $1.4 million Cessna Citation he had bought three weeks earlier. Munson, who had been flying for about 18 months and falling in love with his new skill, had bought the plane so he could spend more time with his family. But the worst happened that Thursday afternoon, sending shockwaves through baseball. The next night, Billy Martin penciled in Narron to replace the fallen Yankee catcher.
And as the Yankees were preparing to play the Orioles in their first game without their captain, the starters took their place on the field as Robert Merrill sang the national anthem. All the starters, except for Narron. The catcher's spot remained empty. At the conclusion of the song, the crowd of 51,151 was asked for a moment of silence as a tribute to Munson as Narron waited near the dugout. That moment quickly morphed into a loud and sustained outpouring of love for Munson.
"It was supposed to be a couple of minutes of silence and it turned into a loud standing ovation that lasted what seemed like 20 minutes," Narron said. (In reality, it was about 9-10 minutes). "It was so difficult to go out and play that night, but everyone was a professional and we knew we had to go out and do our jobs."
Narron eventually took his position behind the plate and went 0-for-2 in the game, a 1-0 loss to the first-place Orioles, as Scott McGregor defeated Luis Tiant.
Narron, who also played for the Mariners and Angels and had managerial stints with the Rangers and Reds, is currently out of baseball for the first time in 35 years. But his love of the game continues in his home state of North Carolina.
Narron returned to the Bronx last month for Old-Timers' Day.
"This is the first time since 1974 that I've been home during the baseball season," Narron said. "I have a son who is a senior in high school so I'm working with his team a little. I'm having a good time. I've had a great time in baseball."
Narron's first day with the Yankees was in 1976. He was a 20-year-old catching prospect in the Bombers chain. He had just received his first invitation to spring training. It's a day he will never forget.
"My first day of spring training of 1976 I walk in the door and Mickey Mantle is standing there," Narron said. "So I introduced myself and he introduced himself and he said, ‘It's a pleasure to meet you.' Well, I just started laughing and said, ‘No, it's my pleasure, not yours.' He was such a great guy. He was an outstanding ballplayer but also an outstanding person."
Thirty years have passed since that night of sadness in the Bronx, a night that will forever link Narron to Thurman Munson. A night Jerry Narron will never forget.
