Like I said, someone asked me.... I didn't pick DiMaggio because I heard more than closed (reserved) to the public... I heard he was more rude....
If it had been 5, it would have been Ruth, Mattingly, Jeter, Yogi, & Gehrig.... I excluded Gehrig & Yogi because my wife included them (cheating, I know, but....) So.... Ruth because he was not only the greatest ever, but also appears to have had a ton of fun.... Mattingly was & is my favorite Yankee & Jeter is someone I'd love to meet...
Some I would of loved to include, if I could of had more picks, would of course been Jeter, Ford, Posada, Bill Dickey too...
Like you said, Mattingly HAS to be a guest of honor. I'd love to pick his brain, and (I may get hell for this one), I'd love to sit and listen to Joe Torre all day and night long.
When Donnie BB was in his glory years, I was a Little League Coach. As much, I attended alot of Baseball Memorabilia Shows. On both Little Lg. fields, and Shows, I often was mistaken for Donnie BB, no shit...! See, when I became a LL Mgr. 1st thing I did, was change our Team name from the Angels, to the Yankees. I always wore an older model NY Starter Coat, Hat, had a Fu-Manchu a bit longer than Donnie's. Same color of hair, chin dimple, cheek bones, same color of eyes, same body height & build, et al. I liked to say Donnie stole my look, cuz I had my mustache & Yanx coat before he was drafted by the Yanx. But, in the end, you know the rest, people thought I was impersonating Him. An Honor in some ways, a pain in the ass in others.
Too many kids came running up to me asking for my Autograph, and to my dismay, no matter how hard I tried to tell kids,
even adults, I WAS NOT Donnie BB, too many Didn't believe me. I'd even hear people & kids talking when I went into a crowded public venue, even the Mall. It's one thing to be mistaken by a kid, another by several MLB Memorabilia Dealers....!!!
You get the picture- you wouldn't want to sign a autograph for a kid, thinking your someone else, then have them so proudly get their bubble burst years later, although I have had numerous Donnie Autographs of my own, and could easily duplicate a close signature, it just wasn't right...!!! I did sign a few only after insisting NOOOOO....(hope to hell they never entered the memorabilia market as forgeries).
I say all this humbly, with an Oath, one hand on the Bible....Yes, your Honor, I am guilty...of personifying my own idol too....!!!
