Meeting More All-Time All-Stars - A Family Affair

Over the past couple of years I've had the privilege of meeting some of the former Yankee players that I included in The New Yor Yankees All-Time All-Stars and secured their signature in a copy of it. Earlier this month I was able to keep that going at the latest Pinstripe Pride show near Giants Stadium. This time around I went squad deep with my son Seamus, my brother Sean, and my nephew Tommy. Not only was it nice to have non-strangers to talk to while waiting on the lines, but they seemed to enjoy themselves as well.

There was only one All-Time All-Star signing during the day we attended, but the lineup included three players that are in the book as Honorable Mentions, so we met them as well. As in the past, I gave each player we met a personalized, signed copy of the book before they signed what I'll now call the Master copy. In that book I now have autographs from eight of the 17 living All-Time All-Stars and three of the nine living Honorable Mentions. Sadly, I won't be meeting Rickey Henderson as part of this quest which is a major bummer.

Without further ado, here are the latest additions...

Willie Randolph

As children of the 80's, my brother and I adored Willie Randolph when he played. While he falls just short of Don Mattingly as my favorite player ever, Sean has never wavered. It's Willie, then everyody else. Last summer he brought his kids to Yankee Stadium for the first time on Willie Randolph bobblehead day. The love for Willie must be hereditary because now Tommy is now all-in as a big fan and was starstruck as we inched closer in line ("It's really him!").

Sean had Willie sign a picture of his plaque in Monument Park that was taken during that visit last summer and chatted a bit with his idol. I then handed him his copy of my book and tried telling him about how he was one of my favorite chapters to write, but he was way more interested in Tommy and Seamus, naturally. He asked them about their budding baseball careers and wished them well. When he asked Seamus what position he plays, he didn't really have an answer because six-year olds move all over the place. I chimed in saying he's a natural-born DH, which got about a three out of ten. I'll take it. After some fist bumps, hand shakes, and thank-yous, our visit with the greatest Yankee second baseman of all time was complete.

That was it for All-Time All-Stars this time around, but the next group that we met weren't exactly lightweights.

Dave Winfield

It was no surprise that Dave Winfield is massive in person, but what I've never fully appreciated is the even bigger smile that's perpetually on his face.

I gave him the usual story about my book and how I was giving him his own copy. He was very appreciative and noted that he now had something to read on his long flight back to California later that day. It probably put him to sleep within minutes, but again, I'll take it! As he signed, I thanked him for being one of the biggest reasons that I became a Yankee fan at such a young age. We wrapped it up with some fist bumps and smiles - the best saved for Tommy and Seamus, of course - and I walked away with no doubt in my mind that Mr. Winfield is an absolute gem, and George Steinbrenner was the opposite of a gem for what he did to him.

Tino Martinez

The BamTino was practically perfect in every way. He was appreciative when I gave him the book. He painstakingly made sure he was using the right pen (the blue Sharpie that he's carefully holding the picture above) before signing. He politely stood up and posed for a picture when asked. When I thanked him for the great memories of those magical runs in the late 1990's he smiled and nodded. During the entire encounter I think he said "thank you" about a half dozen times and very little else. Constantino Martinez is a very nice man.

Sparky Lyle

The most pleasant surprise of the day was Sparky. I never saw him play and with so much else going on with the Bronx Zoo Yankees, I've never taken the time to really dig into the man behind the moustache. At 80 years old now, I kind of assumed he would be a "get off my lawn" curmudgeon a la Goose Gossage. Boy was I wrong.

Before we even spoke to him, I could tell that he was energetic, engaged, and ready to yuck it up with some baseball superfans. Right away, he started shooting the breeze with Tommy and Seamus. He asked them about the sports they play, what they like to do for fun, what grade they're in, etc. When I handed him the book he opened right up to his Honorable Mention and read it. We talked briefly about the Somerset Patriots - a formerly independent minor league team that is now the Double-A affiliate of the Yankees - and what a great job he did as their inaugural manager. He then put the best autograph in my book to date. A big, vibrant signature with a nod to his '77 Cy Young Award (see below).

Sparky wished us well, Seamus was very happy to have met the inspiration for the mascot at the Somerset Patriots' home stadium, and I realized I'm way overdue for reading one of Sparky's biographies.

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All in all, Pinstripe Pride 2025 was a great success. While standing and waiting we had other brushes with greatness, saying hello, or at least yelling an acknowledgment to the likes of Wade Boggs, Dwight Gooden, Jim Leyritz, and the incomparable Rick Cerone as they walked by. I'm already looking forward to next year.