Old Timers Day, Who Would You Like To See Play?

With the New York Yankees 67^th Old Timer’s Day, memories flash by for all New York Yankees fans. Let’s say, for just one year, you could choose the players, and you could even recruit anyone you desire from Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Who would you select to play in the game?

Choosing the all-time Yankee team is easy. Half of the positions are automatically set : Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and others. The question is, however, who would you like to see play? Who are your favorite Yankee old timers?

The following is my team by position and my reason for selecting each. In most cases, each player is selected because of a special thrill he has provided during my years as a Yankees fan. Others are chosen for something special they have done:

Pitcher:  Ron Guidry. Louisiana Lightning and Goose Gossage put the Boston Red Sox away in the one- game playoff. Everyone talks about the Bucky Dent home run. But without Guidry and Gossage, the Yankees would not have won that day.

Catcher: Thurman Munson. Thurman deserves to be in Cooperstown, plain and simple. Sometimes numbers don’t truly show the real value a player has to a team.

First base: Chris Chambliss. His home run to beat the Kansas City Royals in the American League championship allowed me to see the Yankees win the pennant for the first time.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Second base: Billy Martin. Billy represents all of the little guys who refused to let bullies push them around.

Shortstop:  Phil Rizzuto. I only got to hear him announce. He turned the double play and dropped down bunts as well as anyone.

Third base: Scott Brosius. He wasn’t with the Yankees long, but he was steady in the field and a clutch hitter.

Leftfield: Mickey Mantle. He is my all-time favorite player. He has to play left to make room for Joe DiMaggio in center.

Centerfield: Joe DiMaggio. Even with steroids, players still couldn’t beat his 56 game hitting streak.

Rightfield: Roy White. Whether it was stick ball or whiffle ball, I always pretended to be Roy. He was a complete professional.

Bullpen: Mariano Rivera. Who else? Okay, he’s not an old-timer yet. But how could anyone take his place?

That’s my team if I could choose who I would like to see play. So who would you choose for your team?