Paul O'Neill Day

Today was one of those special days at Yankee Stadium.  Sure, the Yankees lost 3-0 to the Indians, but the game was the secondary thing on everybody's minds.  That's because a beloved Yankee finally got something that was well-deserved.  Paul O'Neill--the heart and soul of the 90s dynasty, the most entertaining of YES's cavalcade of analysts--got his plaque in Monument Park.  His No. 21 wasn't retired, but it unofficially has been since he last played, and I think that day is coming.

Anyway, when I found out they were going to have "Paul O'Neill Day," then when I found out when it was, I wasn't going to miss it.  And it didn't even dawn on me until I was entering the Stadium today that I paid $21 for my ticket...to sit in right field.

I also got to see the one actual Yankee highlight of the day...Derek Jeter passing Honus Wagner for sixth place on the all-time hit list (although, that was an error yesterday, so he actually tied Wagner today).  But today was about "The Warrior."  And it was great to see Mariano and Tino and David Cone and especially Joe Torre back in the Bronx for the event.  (The Hall of Famer Torre will get his own day later this month, when he'll get both a plaque and No. 6 put on the wall.)

For those of you that missed it, here are some of the day's highlights...

 

 

 

 

As he came out, we of course started the "Paul Oh-Neel" chant.

 

 

 

Jeter brought out a framed version of it for him.

 

He also got a pretty sweet personalized ring.

 

My favorite part of this one is Posada recording the whole thing
on his phone.

 

Cheating a little bit as he throws out the first pitch.

 

I took this one because I noticed from where I was sitting that
you can see all four championship pennants. (Look under
the Turkey Hill sign.)