11 11 11 THE YANKEE WAY

There have been a handful of Yankee players that have worn #11 in their career, but today I'm going to only highlight 3 on this day, 11-11-11. Why? Because I can.

Chuck Knoblauch: CK was a superstar before he ever put on pinstripes and he already had a ring with the Twins, so he had a swagger walking into the Yankee Clubhouse. I was a fan of Knoblauch because, he may have been smaller than the other Yankees, but it never stopped him, he still had the talent and the power and guts to be a great Yankee. He was successful and a very talented hitter. Luckily for Bleeding Yankee Blue, we got to interview him and talk about his life as a ballplayer and now and it was personally exciting for me because I was always a fan. Chuck got involved very rapidly in the Twitter world is has connected with fans which is pretty cool. There is no doubt that CK was a huge part of the Yankees 1998, 1999 and 2000 championships and a staple in that clubhouse. Now we just need him to get invited to Old Timer’s Day. Why he hasn’t yet I will never know. Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CHUCK KNOBLAUCH if you want to hear from Chuck in his own words. It was a great interview we did with him. Knobby was a great #11.

Dwight Gooden: Doc has a great New York Yankee story, because he overcame so much, but yet is still struggling to this day. He was an incredible talent with the Mets and I thought for sure, once he had his no-hitter with the New York Yankees on May 14, 1996, he was past all the rough times. Drugs can devour an individual and addiction is the hardest thing to kick, but the one thing I remember most about Dwight Gooden in 1996 was he looked happy, he felt wanted and he was part of a terrific team. The Yankees gave Doc a chance when no one would and he in return, got clean and pitched his heart out, or at least, pitched everything he had left in the tank. Seeing Doc on the shoulders of his teammates after his no-hitter was awesome and a moment that I will never forget because it was very special. This man, who had fallen from grace had risen up again to prove to the fans, his family and himself and the world that change could happen. And it did for Doc Gooden at that very moment.

Lefty Gomez: Gomez was with the Yankees for a long time and was by far the best Yankee player to wear #11. That’s not a slap any any of the other players, but you have to realize that pitchers at that point in baseball, pitched longer, on shorter rest and usually didn’t get the hook for a closer. Gomez played on the Yankees from 1930 to 1942. He was a 7 time All-star and not only that, he was apart of 5 championships. Gomez was also a 20 game winner 4 times in his career, how many pitchers can say they’ve done that in this day and age. Look at someone like Mike Mussina, a great pitcher for the Yankees, but a 20 game pitcher once… in 2008. Gomez is among one of the best pitchers for the Yankees and played just about his entire career with New York, on leaving after the 1942 season and signing with the Washington Senators for 1943, then retired. To me, Gomez was a great #11.

This post was fun and gave me a chance to highlight some terrific Yankees that wore #11.

(In Photo: Herb Pennock)

There are others that wore the number, Joe Page (1945-1950), Gary Sheffield, Doug Mientkiewicz,Johnny Sain, Brett Gardner, Waite Hoyt, and Herb Pennock who was the first to wear #11 in 1929.

It's 11/11/11 Ladies and Gentlemen... I'm not sure what that means, but be sure to see a new piece like this on 12/12/12, that's for sure.

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