Let's All Remember Thurman Munson Today

[kkkkandp]

I remember it vividly.

I saw the crawl on the bottom of the TV screen behind the bar at O'Leary's Pub in Northvale, NJ where we had just come in from a Thursday softball game. Though he was from Ohio, Thurman was a bit of a local hero since during a few seasons he lived nearby (for a while in Norwood, NJ - the town between Closter, where I lived, and the pub), so people would occasionally see him around. I rooted for him since his rookie season because of his blue-collar, no-nonsense style of play.

At the time, my cousin was trying to start his own baseball-related business and became friendly with a couple of the younger Yankees including Munson. While Thurman was often seen as surly by the press, my cousin said he was just a regular guy who didn't really relish all the attention.

It was a pretty sad day for all Yankee fans, but especially so for the towns around where I lived.