Jimmy Sez

Last year I embarked on a journey to definitively rank the plaques that adorn the walls of Monument Park, lurking behind centerfield in Yankee Stadium. After a long pause, we're ready to bring you the thrilling conclusion and reveal the top eight pieces of bronze that thousands of Yankee fans flock to go see each year. I know the suspense has been killing you... One thing I learned in doing this project is that there is no perfect plaque in Monument Park. Much like the plaques in the Baseball Hall of Fame, even the best ones have their flaws. Regardless, if you have the time to stroll through them during your next trip to Yankee Stadium, these are the can't-miss plaques you should tell your friends about. A view inside Monument Park in New Yankee Stadium. Most of the plaques covered in this series sit behind the wall of retired numbers in the foreground. PVSBond/Wikimedia Commons As was the case previously, I won't share a picture of every plaque because they tend to run...

This post is the first in a series that includes material originally written for  The New York Yankees All-Time All-Stars  but had to hit the cutting room floor prior to publication. For other posts in the series you can search for the label "Author's Cut" on this site. “He had incredible motivational skills and he could get players on a team to rally around each other like it was us against the world. Billy was so aggressive, he made us feel as if we were all in a bunker together and that baseball was all about war.” – Willie Randolph Baseball is often referred to as a thinking man’s game, but to Billy Martin it was visceral. Whether he was playing or managing, the typical game involving Martin would have his fingerprints, or fists, all over it. To him, baseball was about forced action and reaction, heart and will, and proving to the opposition with every move that he had a stronger desire to win than they did. As effective as his approach could be, it didn’t come...