Where Were You 8-2-79?

Any Yankee fan of long standing can tell you where they were when the news was breaking that would change our Universe for years to come. At the small airport in Canton, Ohio, Thurman Munson was checking out his plane when it crashed killing the young husband, father of three, Yankee Captain. Shock and a feeling of deep loss flooded the Universe - everyone loved him. George Steinbrenner called many of the Yankee family personally and made his private jet along financial & legal counsel available to Diana. He told MLB headquarters the Yankees were attending the funeral enmasse - Bobby Murcer & Lou Pinella delivered eulogies - and should they not get back to NY in time they were willing to forfeit the game to Baltimore. That game is part of Yankee Classics - how appropriate that Bobby Murcer would be the hero. Until Jorge Posada arrived in 1995 no Yankee catcher who came up through the ranks made their mark in the hearts of Yankee fans as well as on the field. Hard to believe that 38 years have passed - oh where was I - fixing dinner when Stacey comes into the kitchen to tell me the news. At first I thought she was joking and then heard Walter Cronkite issuing those words. Stacey will tell I actually went into mourning - a friend at work had gone out and gave me his baseball card Monday 20-20 hindsight I really feel that the loss of the Captain had so much to do with the drought in championships between '78 - '96.