By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- More than any franchise in professional sports, the New York Yankees honors its heroes of the past and its greatest events of its lengthy and illustrious history. The fourth of five Yankees heroes, Jorge Posada, was saluted in the Bronx.
Saturday began a very special weekend of recent Yankees memories with the tribute to Jorge Posada. The popular catcher from the mid-1990’s through 2011 unveiled a copy of his plaque that will be displayed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. His uniform #20 was retired in the same ceremony. Posada’s mother and father, his sister, his wife and son and daughter were present to share the happy day with the former Yankees catcher.
In addition to the members of his immediate family, Posada was joined on the field with members of his Yankees family, general manager Gene Michael, trainer Gene Monahan, teammates Scott Brosius, David Cone, Hideki Matsui, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, manager Joe Torre, and
Posada also received gifts from the Yankees, a replica of his plaque by Joe Girardi and Diana Munson, a replica of his retired #20 by Hal and Christina Steinbrenner and a special ring by Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal.
Posada gave a short but emotional speech expressing his gratitude to the many who had given him support throughout his career, “Trying to put into words thoughts and feelings about today is definitely tough.” He said his years with the Yankees were “an honor and dream come true.”
On the following day, a plaque of Andy Pettitte will be unveiled before its placement in Monument Park and Pettitte’s #46 will be retired by the Yankees. Although both members of the Core Four will probably fall short of inclusion into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, they were of vital importance to the great success achieved by the Yankees during the past two decades.
Posada, a native of Santurce, Puerto Rico, celebrated his 44th birthday five days before his Yankee Stadium salute. Encouraged by his father and uncle, Posada was destined to be a star in baseball. After two years at Calhoun Community College in Alabama, Posada was drafted by the Yankees in 1991. Like his counterparts in the Core Four, Posada spent several years improving his craft in the minor league system of the Yanks.
His accomplishments as a Yankee rank him with the graets who preceded him at that position, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Bill Dickey and Thurman Munson.
#JorgePosada #Yankees #CoreFour
