New York Baseball’s Greatest: Where Are They Now?
December 21, 2011 · Bill Ford · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Last month, I attended a baseball awards dinner hosted by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The dinner is a fundraiser that they do each year after the season.
During the first two hours after the doors open, there is a meet-and-greet with many current, former and future baseball players. As I walked from table to table meeting players and getting autographs, I began to wonder about many of the players whom I watched and idolized as a child and into my teens. What do those retired players do these days? Where are they now?
Growing up in the Bronx, NY, I played little league for the SRBL—the South Riverdale Baseball League. Since I was a Bronx kid, I was a lifelong, devout NY Yankees fan. Even now, living in New Hampshire in Boston territory, I still live and breathe Yankees, except that I am forced to live a bit covertly for safety from Boston Red Sox fans.
While I thought about many players, I am biased toward the Yankees, although I threw a retired Mets player in there, too. Here are some old-time players that I searched for, and what they’re up to these days.
Whitey Ford, the Chairman of the Board, is now 83 years old. In 2002, he opened “Whitey Ford’s Café” in Garden City, NY. The restaurant was filled with all sorts of Yankees memorabilia and mementos. Unfortunately, the restaurant lasted less than a year and closed down.
He currently serves as a member of the advisory board for the Baseball Assistance Team, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping former professional baseball players through financial and medical difficulties.
Rick Cerone was a popular catcher for the Yankees from 1980 to 1984 until he was traded to the Braves. In 1998, he founded the Newark Bears, a minor league baseball team in the Independent Atlantic League. In 2003 he sold the team, and now has homes in Woodland Park, NJ and Long Branch, NJ.
Chris Chambliss was a powerful hitter for the Yankees. After his retirement, he became a hitting instructor for numerous teams, and then a manager for the Double-A minor league affiliate for the Tigers. He was named the Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News in 1990. Currently, he is the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.
Graig Nettles spent 22 years in baseball. He was known for some exciting and heated moments, but the most well-known moment was in 1976 against the Red Sox. He was on second base when a brawl erupted. He ran from second base and tackled Boston pitcher Bill Lee from behind.
The Yankees won the game, and Nettles’ antics added more fuel to the Yankees / Red Sox rivalry. He now lives in Lenoir City, TN with his wife, and does regular commercials for Audi in Mendham, NJ.
Dave Righetti was one of my favorite players on the Yankees when I was young. One of his greatest achievements was his no-hitter on July 4th, 1983 against the Boston Red Sox, the anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech. I remember him doing pasta commercials in the 1980s selling it as “Righetti spaghetti.”
He has been the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants since 2000. He lives in Los Altos with his wife and triplets, one of whom has a cochlear implant. For 10 years, he served on the Board of Directors for the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf.
Back in October of 1983, my little league had its awards ceremony. Ron Darling, a pitcher from the Mets, agreed to come to speak to the little league players and hand out awards. When I played in the league, I was a pitcher and did well.
During this awards ceremony, my name was called and I received the Cy Young Award. I had just turned 13 years old. When I walked up to Ron to get the award, he handed it to me and said, “Maybe you’ll pitch for the Mets someday!” Since I was too young to understand what I was saying, I responded with, “I’d rather pitch for the Yankees.” His head tilted to the side with a look of confusion, but he was gracious.
In the 1980s, he was one of the few pitchers to receive a Gold Glove Award. He’s now an MLB analyst and commentator on TBS.
Obviously, there are many other players that could be mentioned, but these were the standouts from my childhood. I may just have to begin Part II of Baseball’s Greatest: Where are They Now? There are so many.
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