Yankees History: Former OF shares heartwarming Old-Timers' Day Whitey Ford story

While Jesse Barfield may not be an all-time Yankee at the forefront of any diehard's memory, he carved out enough of a niche for himself in pinstripes to qualify as a long-time participant in the team's most heartwarming tradition. While many teams have gotten stingier about large-scale celebrations of their greats, the Yankees still welcome a wide swath from the 1950s to today back for their annual Old-Timers' Day festivities.

And, while we still miss when they played actual games (not to mention once upon a time when they used to invite old-timers from rival teams), the players' knees likely do not.

This annual summer afternoon helps bridge the generational gap, allowing the current Yankees to hobnob with legends of old in the dugout (though now many of those "legends of old" were on the '90s teams, which is ... crazy). The event also allows faces from different waves of history to mingle, which has become especially important as generations past begin to recede. How else would Barfield, a Yankee from 1989-1992, and a Toronto Blue Jays All-Star in 1986, forge such a strong connection with both Whitey and Joan Ford?

The Chairman of the Board passed away in 2020, while the Yankees hauntingly played home ALDS games in an empty stadium in San Diego. His widow passed away at the age of 92 in 2023. Both will now be confined to memorial video montages as the summers pass, but consider Barfield ready to give both Yankees icons their traditional flowers.

Seemingly unprompted, Barfield shared a wonderful memory of his time with Joan Ford to begin the new year, and it deserves to be surfaced for a larger audience.

Jesse Barfield bonded with Hall of Famer Whitey Ford (and his widow) at Yankees' Old-Timers' Day

Whether you're the face of the Yankees or merely a cameo in their rich history, on Old-Timers' Day, you belong in Monument Park.

As the Yankees progress into a new era where championships don't come quite so routinely and lessons can still be learned from the way the franchise used to carry themselves, this moment serves as a heartwarming reminder that we don't have to let the past go, even as the people themselves fade away. The Yankees will always be the Yankees. The summer will always be theirs.