My Trip to Baseball Heaven (Part Three)
Joe DiMaggio Memoria
By Diane Stanley
June 2 2003
Our third day at Yankee Stadium was player picture taking day. I managed to get a few decent shots but there were too many people to get anything really great. Still I just watched batting practice and soaked up the atmosphere.
I knew this was our last day here. I wish it could have lasted longer, but I knew I had experienced something that many people will only ever get to dream of.
We took our seats, (thank heavens we were not in the back of the upper deck again!) Today I am thinking I will actually take note of the game and not check out what's all around me, or be too terrified to even think of watching the game.
Some grounds workers start to set up a microphone. For the anthems I'm thinking. They always play the National Anthem before every game.
Today there would be 2 anthems seeing as the Blue Jays were there from Canada. The Canadian one would be first followed by the American one. I think to myself, "I must not sing the Canadian one, and quickly go through the American one in my head." "Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light........................." Yep I remember it all!
Then something unexpected happens. A small group of men including Yankee pitcher, David Cone take the field in the area of the mike. There's to be a presentation today.
On July 18 1999, David Cone who just happens to be one of my favorite pitchers threw a perfect game for the Yankees against the Montreal Expos. David was the one who would be making the presentation. He was going to be handing over the jersey that he had worn the day he threw the no hitter to be placed in the Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown New York.
There were the customary speech's etc, and then came time for David to hand over the jersey. Everyone was on their feet, (including the "people in the sky" as I now refer to them.") Da-vid Co-ne they chanted, followed by hand clapping, foot stomping seat banging. Louder and lauder they become. Da-vid Co-ne. Everyone is on their feet. The noise is deafening. Da-vid Co-ne. No one really hears David's speech. Da-vid Co-ne. People all around me are crying. They love their Yankees. Da-vid Co-ne. David waves to the crowd. He knows he has to or the game might be over before they will stop. The roar from the crowd was out of this world. The loudest DA-VID CO-NE I had heard that afternoon penetrates every inch of the ball park. Man I'm sure they were heard in Lower Manhattan and Queen's that day.
I still did not really take in the game although at least I remember the Blue Jays won.
As we rode back to our hotel my ears were still ringing Da-vid Co-ne. Even the click-clack of the subway car wheels seemed to chant a faint Da-vid Co-ne.
Yes I took home a lot of great memories of my trip to Yankee Stadium, but the best memory of all was of David Cone, one of my favorite pitchers making that presentation to the Hall Of Fame.