28 years ago today-remembering Munson

That morning, I was going to Nantasket Beach with my great uncle. I remember he said that the last time he went to Nantasket was the day Babe Ruth died.
When we got home and turned on the news, guess what happened...

 

I was playing in my side yard when my mom told me. First sports tragedy I have any recollection of.

 

Nantasket or Paragon Park? Nothing says summer like Hell, er, Hull.

 

We hit both. A little time in the water, a little time playing skee ball.
I haven't seen back there since that day. My great uncle died three years ago.

 

You haven't missed much, at least with the Nantasket part. Blah

 

My experience was pretty much the exact same. I remember being in the driveway and my mom telling me. I wasn't a Yankees fan, even at that young age (5, nearly 6), but I sat on the wall--I remember it sloped downward--and wrapped my arms around my knees and wanted to cry. An athlete? Dead? Didn't seem possible.

What I'll truly never forget, though, is watching the Yankees-O's game the night of the funeral. The camera panned to an Oriole player--I want to say Ken Singleton--and he was crying. I said "Dad, why is he crying?" and my Dad says "Because he's sad Thurman died."

That completely blew my mind.

And for the longest time, I thought the Yankees won the game 1-0 on a Bobby Murcer HR. Only over the last few years have I figured out that wasn't true (but that I was right about Murcer having all the RBI for the Yankees).

 

Who won the game? And what was the date of the funeral game?

 

August 3
Baltimore won 1-0, Scott McGregor outdueled Luis Tiant. Tiant gave up 2 hits over 8, but John Lowenstein hit a 2nd inning home run.
The funeral was August 6, Yankees won 5-4 on a Bobby Murcer 2-run single in the 9th. Murcer knocked in all 5. Guidry went the distance.
Baltimore won on the 4th, NY won on the 5th.
Retrosheet kicks ass.

 

i asked nettles about munson about five years ago. it was easy to tell it still influences his life.

 

Sorry, but Thurman Munson is like Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jim Valvano...a lot better person in death than he ever was in life.

 

True. A great guy to his family, a surly prick to everyone else.

 

if by family you're including his teammates, yup, little doubt.