Meeting the Legend's Wives

Meeting the Widows of the Legends

It was the House That Ruth Built; a magnificent sight on 161st Street and River in the Bronx.

I arrived at the stadium quite early and was able to take in the view from the pitcher’s mound; the famous right-field façade where the Mick came within feet of clearing and putting the home run out on the street and the short right-field line, where 5 years earlier I “accidentally” hit one into the seats during a tryout.

I walked around, as I did once before, standing where my heroes stood and walking on the hallowed ground where the Yankee Legends had practiced their craft.

This was a special event in many ways. The stadium in which The Bambino, The Iron Horse, The Moose, and the Yankee Clipper played would be updated to reflect a more modern look with a longer right-field line and shorter centerfield. There would be a new picnic area behind the center-field fence that would house the monuments that were once in play, honoring heroes of long ago.

The ceremony was taking place one day after the last game of the season’s finale and was attended by many celebrities of the day; including New York Mayor Lindsay, Elston Howard, the Yankees catcher, and “Sudden” Sam McDowell a fireball pitcher who looked dapper as usual in his houndstooth jacket. There were more Yankee executives than I knew existed including YankeeGM Lee McPhail. I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from a Yankee Exec who had befriended me 5 years earlier when I was a prospect.

But there were no guests more prominent than the two elderly ladies who were the widows of the Iron Horse and the Bambino. I also remember a gentleman whose name escapes me. This man started work at Yankee Stadium on the first day it opened and 50 years later he was still there. Just imagine what he saw.

As the time for the ceremony drew near, the Yankee execs brought out a home plate and a base. They told me that they were the home plate and first base used in the last game and they would be given to Mrs. Ruth and Mrs. Gehrig.

With the speeches and presentations over there was some time for mingling. Mrs. Ruth was out toward second base and I was near the Yankee dugout with Mrs. Gehrig close by.

Not being too sure on her feet Mrs. Gehrig asked me to escort her out to the second base area so she could talk with the Babe’s wife. I obliged. There I was walking arm in arm with the wife of one of baseball’s greatest players of all time. The slow walk turned into a stroll and then Mrs. Gehrig stopped and said she wanted to show me something. She held up her hand and showed me a gold charm bracelet on her wrist. “The Charms”, she said proudly,” were cut from Lou’s World Series and All-Star rings.”; a gift from her husband. She insisted that I look at each and every “charm” on the bracelet before we continued our stroll out to second base.

I stood by as the ladies chatted and then escorted both ladies to home plate where Mayor Lindsay was “holding court”. I just couldn’t believe it, here I was, again, walking arm in arm with the wives of baseball’s most recognizable figures.

I couldn’t help notice that the ladies seemed to take on the personalities of the men they were married to. Mrs. Ruth was fiery even in her frail and elderly state and Mrs. Gehrig was a more demure and calm gentle lady.

Mrs. Ruth showed how fiery she could be as she proceeded to “chew out” Mayor Lindsay because no one had arranged to take the two ladies to lunch. The mayor was lost for words and all I could do was smile as this frail, fiery lady continued to give the most powerful man in NY a piece of her mind. And yes, the mayor did take the ladies to lunch after that.

I kindly asked Mrs. Ruth and Mrs. Gehrig to sign something for me and they both happily signed their names with the year 1973. As the mayor asked the ladies to come with him, Mrs. Gehrig gently grabbed my hand, looked at me, and said, “Thank You for being such a gentleman." As they disappeared into the tunnel to get in the mayor’s limo I felt the goosebumps rise on my arms at what I had just experienced.

In 1976 the “new” Yankee Stadium opened with a lot of hype and fanfare. But nothing will ever match that day in the fall of 1973 when I met the wives of the Bambino and the Iron Horse.

That’s a day I will cherish forever.