Almost Three Decade Since Munson was Killed in Plane Crash

Almost three decades have passed since that awful day but it still seems like it happened only yesterday. The day was August 2, 1979, a Friday.

I remember getting a phone call from my friend, who told me he heard New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash. I didn't believe him, or maybe I didn't want to believe him. I figured it was some kind of joke. But then again, who jokes about something like that? I had to find out, so I turned on the radio and within minutes the tragic news was confirmed.

Munson, the Yankees' first captain since Lou Gehrig, was killed when his Cessna plane burst into flames after crashing on an attempted landing at Akron-Canton Airport near his home in Canton, Ohio. It was devastating news and left all baseball fans shocked and depressed, not just fans of the Yankees.

Munson, 32 years old when he was killed, had developed a passion for flying and used to fly home on off days to spend time with his family. Last week marked the 27th anniversary of Munson's passing. Every year at this time it is a sad memory.

Even after all these years, Munson's presence is felt at Yankee Stadium. In the clubhouse, his locker remains empty and no one is allowed to use it as a trubute to the man.

The American League rookie of the year in 1970 and most valuable player in 1976, Munson was recognized as the heart and soul on a team filled with egos as big as Yankee Stadium itself. Those were the days of the "Bronx Zoo" and the love triangle between Munson, Reggie Jackson and manager Billy Martin.

One of baseball's first big free agents, Jackson signed with the Yankees for the 1977 season and was quoted in an infamous story in Sport Magazine "as the straw that stirred the drink." Munson resented Jackson for the comment and took an instant disliking to Reggie. Martin sided with Munson and so did the fans.

Munson had a pudgy, unathletic body, perfect for catching. He showed a gruff exterior and displayed an ornery disposition with the media whom he also despied. But the fans loved him for his work ethic and the way he pushed his battered body through one injury after another.

In the 1970s, the always-intense Yankees-Red Sox rivalry often reached a boiling point because the players genuinely disliked each other, unlike today when most of the animosity is reserved for the fans of the teams. The battles between Munson and Carlton Fisk - his counterpart in Boston - symbolized the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in the 70s. Fisk was everything Munson wasn't - better looking, more erudite and a better overall player (Fisk eventually was inducted into the Hall of Fame while Munson, even if played five more years, probably would not have made it to Cooperstown). And Munson resented Fisk for it, but the Yankees catcher won two championship rings and Fisk didn't win any.

On the day the Yankees were supposed to host the finale of a four-game series against Baltimore, they flew to Canton for Munson's funeral on Monday. They asked if the game could be postponed but the request was denied by then-baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The Yankees were willing to forfeit but Munson's wife, Diane, told them they needed to play. Emotionally exhausted, the Yankees hurried back to New York and what ensued that evening was one of the most memorable games in the team's storied history.

The Yankees had fallen out of the race in the A.L. East and their two-year reign as World Series champions was coming to an end, but that hardly mattered on this night. The Orioles, who would go on to win the division easily, opened a 4-0 lead as they looked to sweep the four-game series. Then, Bobby Murcer, one of Munson's closest friends on the team, talk matters into his own hands. Murcer hit a three-run home run to pull the Yankees within a run, then came to bat in the ninth inning with two outs and runners on second and third. Murcer blooped a double just inside the left-field foul line, giving the Yankees a 5-4 win.

It was as if Munson's spirit had carried them to victory. Murcer gave the bat to Diane Munson and to this day it remains in her possession.