THE YANKEE CLIPPER

“I’m just a ballplayer with only one ambition, to give all I’ve got to help my club win. I’ve never played any other way.” Joe DiMaggio

He was the best! As a New York Yankee from 1936-1951, Joe DiMaggio excelled in all phases of the game of baseball. He played in 1,736 games, had 2,214 hits, 361 home runs, 1,537 RBI’s, and a lifetime batting average of .325. His 56 consecutive game hitting streak in 1941 remains unmatched. He played on 10 pennant winning Yankee teams, 9 of which went on to victory in the World Series. Chosen American League MVP in 1939, 1941, and 1947, DiMaggio was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1955. Ted Williams, a Boston Red Sox immortal, said, “Joe was simply the best player I ever saw.”

Joe DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914 in San Francisco. His parents were immigrants from Sicily and raised a large, traditional Italian family. The sons helped their father succeed in the family’s fishing business. But Joe and his brothers also found plenty of time to play baseball. By the time he was in his late teens, Joe was a star for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. Signed by the New York Yankees in 1936 at age 21, he batted .323 in his rookie season. The Yankee Clipper had set sail on his historic voyage into baseball mythology.

Joe DiMaggio is one of my heroes. I greatly admire him because he used his God-given talent to transcend his humble background and succeed in a highly competitive sport. Although often injured, he performed with consistent excellence, especially in pennant and World Series games. He demonstrated team leadership by his attitude, integrity, and modesty. I most admire Joe DiMaggio because he transformed the game of baseball into a graceful work of art. He was the Michelangelo of the national pastime.

When my Dad died in 1989, I inherited a very special baseball. Autographed by Joe DiMaggio, it was hit by him in a game between the Yankees and Tigers at Yankee Stadium on June 4, 1938. It was my Dad’s twenty-first birthday. Now I am giving that prized baseball to my beloved nephew, Joey Herchuk. Joey, I hope you will always emulate Joe DiMaggio’s commitment to excellence, equanimity, and team spirit. If you do, I’m positive that you, like Joe, will be a winner in the game of life.


Essay #5
January 26, 1996
San Luis Obispo, California