Earlier this week I went to Disneyland with my two adult kids for the very first time. For me, the mere presence of Mickey Mouse ignited the youth, passion and fun in me. For my kids, they saw Disneyland through a very different lens and perspective—transforming them instantly into Disney Adults who also turned back time to simple and fun despite the challenges they face post-pandemic.
On Saturday, the Yankees held the first Old Timers Day in three years and that same kind of nostalgic feeling rushed through me. As Jack Curry said, "that tingling sensation" you feel when you remember what that player meant for the Yankees at the moment in time in the team's history. In particular the ceremonial first pitch by Ron Guidry to Thurman Munson's son Michael, sparked so many memories of that 1977 team, who won a championship after a long drought, 45 years ago this season.
Source: Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
"The modified program had alumni mingle with current Yankees and coaches in Monument Park before their introductions to the crowd, performed by Michael Kay and John Sterling from behind home plate," reported MLB.com. There was no three inning game but the excitement of watching your Yankee heros make the great walk or trot from Monument Park onto the field can't be undervalued. “I remember coming here as a player and having the opportunity to see all these guys at Old-Timers’ Day,” Bernie Williams said. “I met Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford. We had an opportunity to meet them behind closed doors in the clubhouse. Now things have changed a little bit, but I think the sentiment remains the same," reported The Washington Post. The team elected to have a ceremony vs. a traditional three inning game given that players are recovering from injuries or recent operations.
“Unless they got an influx of younger players, I don’t know if the older guys can play anymore,” Ron Guidry joked. “But, if they have (the game), I’m sure the crowd would love it, so we’ll have to see what happens over the next couple of years,” reported The Washington Post.
A game is fun but it is the conversations and mentoring that can hold much more value for players. Research from multiple sources makes the case for committing OG mentors to foster relationships with your current employees or in this case players. They bring experience and wisdom and can share so many stories and tips from their vantage point, reflecting on their careers and the various challenges and successes they have had. Certainly having members of championship teams, even scrappy teams that somehow were able to overcome their obstacles to win can have a great impact on the Yankees of today. And it didn't hurt that the Yankees beat the Royals in grand style, with Aaron Judge hitting his 200th career home run and 42nd of the season.
The OGs of Disney and of the Yankees can ignite your fun, passion, nostalgia, and your good fortune. And the OGs on Saturday certainly ignited a new pride for the Yankees, which I hope permeates the Yankee core to stay strong, hungry and persistent through the next couple of months.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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