Yankees icon Paul O'Neill finally has his own local beer
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In a stunning upset, Paul O'Neill has launched his own beer before either David Cone or David Wells. Truly, this is an historic day for the 1998 Yankees.
On an otherwise sleepy Wednesday, an out-of-nowhere O'Neill tweet lit a fire among crossover Yankees/craft beer fans. At 4:15 EST, the right-fielder-turned-announcer fired off a photo of a beer can with his swing and number emblazoned on it, with the short message, "First batch Friday! Northeast IPA. Stay tuned."
We'd love to! But, unfortunately, impatience rules everything around me. Seconds after seeing this can, I required a full swath of information.
Luckily, White Plains' Wolf & Warrior Brewing Co. came to the rescue, launching a more comprehensive message on their Instagram that detailed an official partnership with the Yankees' iconic No. 21.
The beer wasn't just a tribute, but rather a partnership, a "smooth and juicy" IPA collaboration emblazoned with O'Neill's likeness, number and signature. The Yankees sanctioned their pinstripes for this?! Hal must be a hazy guy.
Since Wolf & Warrior Brewing Company in White Plains is a personal favorite of mine, here's something that #Yankees fans and craft beer lovers may find interesting... pic.twitter.com/xq0bEzMb4J
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) May 24, 2023
Yankees legend Paul O'Neill announces Warrior 21 beer
Friday night, it's been a long week. You slip into your relaxation clothes (XXL El Duque t-shirt), put on a little Bernie Williams acoustic, and crack open a cold Warrior IPA. Yeah. Life could get worse.
The first batch of O'Neill's booze dropped Friday, but this thing will be in heavy demand at one of Westchester County's best independent breweries. If you want to get your hands on it, you should probably hurry.
Might O'Neill be a trailblazer? Do any of his '90s teammates want to explore the craft beer game? Wade Boggs is already deep in the trenches with PBR, but a Headless Horseman Boggs pumpkin beer might be a fun fall treat. Andy Pettitte's Pickoff IPA? Mariano Rivera's SingleCutter? Jorge Posada's Bock, Bock, Gone? A 10.5 ABV Shane Spencer beer that's only available for 12 days in September?
The possibilities are endless. We're just glad that, much like in his famous kicking incident in Cincinnati, O'Neill got the ball rolling.