Appel: The underappreciated Earle Combs
From SABR member Marty Appel at The National Pastime Museum on September 8, 2016:
What does a guy have to do in front of Yankees fans to get a little respect? Hit .325 lifetime?
During the 16 years that Bernie Williams patrolled center field for the New York Yankees (and before him Bobby Murcer, among others), there was frequent talk of that piece of real estate being “sacred” in the annals of Yankee Stadium history—hallowed ground, as it were, for its having been manned by Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, almost continuously from 1936 to 1966.
The point was embraced by Yankee fans. It added to the team’s cultural importance as well as to the reputations of Williams and Murcer, et al.
But mysteriously, it left off Joe DiMaggio’s predecessor, who was himself a Hall of Famer.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/earle-combs
Originally published: September 8, 2016. Last Updated: September 8, 2016.