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TBobor anyone else for that matter. Dosn't matter if he is Hispanic, White, Black, Yellow, Red, Green or Purple, I want to see the record stand. I had the opportunity to meet Joe DiMaggio in the early 1980's and he and my daughter's picture appeared on the front page of the Kansas City Star. Joe D. was gracious, polite and totally opposite the way he has now been depicted in all the tell-all books. Sure he had his failings, don't we all, and yes he got cranky and was a little paranoid in his later years, but he was a complex man who grew up in a different era.
I hated to see Gehrig's record broken by Ripken and I will hate to see Joe's broken also. The record is now THE record, not Cy Young's, not Barry Bonds', not Hank Aaron's, not Nolan Ryan's, not Cal Ripken's, not Ty Cobb's. Those are all outstanding records set by great players. But the streak is a special record, set in a special time by a special player. DiMaggio was once asked at the close of his career, after legging a single in to a double in a lost game, why he did it, why he tried so hard. Joe said, "because there might be one fan here today who has never seen Joe DiMaggio play." He he was vain, and cocky, but he was special, and so is the streak.