THE WILLIE RANDOLPH YOU HAVEN'T SEEN YET!

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the "CenterStage" taping of Michael Kay interviewing Willie Randolph. Willie Randolph was one of my childhood heroes, so this should not be considered an impartial reporting of the interview. Willie was one of the "original" Yankees from my earliest memories, and we got to hear about his life history, both personal and as a player.

This is an interview definitely worth watching. You'll hear about how Willie grew up in Brooklyn, in an area filled with gang violence, and how baseball was his way out. It's amazing how a kid who grew up surrounded by such violence has become such a positive, funny, likeable person like Willie. Willie shared about growing up as a Mets fan in New York (I know - we were all surprised), and about his admiration of the legacy of the Yankees and what it meant to be part of the Yankees organization.

Willie talked a lot about his interactions with fellow players and managers, people who mentored him like Roy White, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra, and others. You'll hear about his sadness regarding the loss of Thurman Munson, and his disappointment about being let go by the Yankees after the 1988 season.

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)
You'll watch him play it cool about how he was fired as the Mets manager in the 2008 season, and you'll even watch Michael Kay play it not-so-cool as he expressed his disgust on the way the Mets organization fired him.

All in all, this was a great episode of "CenterStage", and you should make it a point to watch. It is set to premier on August 14th, after the Yankees post-game. If you're too young to remember him playing, or you weren't watching during his playing days, you'll become a fan after watching this.

Thanks to the YES Network for the access, we appreciate it!

 

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row



 
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