I've been fortunate to see perhaps 200 games from Mickey Mantle day in '69 to the opening of the "new" Yankee Stadium in '76 to all the playoff & World Series games in NY in 1981.
My favorite game was in 1981 on a cold dreary day in Sept when the Yanks faced Cleveland. John Denny was pitching and through tight at Reggie and the struck him out. Words were exchanged, nothing else. Reggie's next at bat he hits a titantic homer off of Denny and stood and watched it and slowly jogged around the bases where Denny was just about following him from 2nd to home yelling at him. Reggie stepped on home plate and went up to Denny and a fight ensued, both benchs emptied. Reggie had to be retrained and carried off the field, he was laughing the whole time.
While the fight was slowing down, Lou Piniella came charging out of the dugout towards the Indians. We assumed he was on the can when it first happened.
|