The Tuesday Discussion: Who Would You Choose (All-Time)?
This week we asked our writers,
In this day of staying home and social distancing, if you could choose one all-time Yankee to be quarantined with, who would it be and why?
The writers responded:
Lincoln Mitchell – A lot of players would never come to mind. Babe Ruth would probably drive me crazy and never stop talking, drinking and wanting to go out. Lou Gehrig would be friendly but too quiet. Reggie would be fun for a while. I came up with three top choices. My third choice would be Bernie Williams. He always seemed like a good guy, but I would insist he bring his guitar and maybe teach me a few things as we would have a lot of time. My second choice would be Yogi Berra. Yogi, by all accounts, was a very decent man who probably wouldn’t say much, but would say a few funny things a day. He was also a war hero so I figure he would be a good roommate in a crisis. However, my first choice would be Jim Bouton. He was funny, irreverent and somebody who might help me become a better writer.
Patrick Gunn – I would quarantine with Mariano Rivera, because he’d help me stay in shape from home and he would be a kind, interesting person to talk with. (Honorable mentions: Didi Gregorius because he can do everything and anything, Bobby Murcer because he was so calm and collective but also fun, and Phil Rizzuto because he would make sure that we had cannoli and he would have hilarious stories to tell).
Derek McAdam – If I had to choose one player to quarantine with, I have no doubts that it would be Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez seems like a guy that could tell you hours and hours of stories and never repeat a single story once. He is very knowledgeable about the game of baseball, and could possibly teach me a few of his tricks. As much as I love to talk about baseball, especially the Yankees, Alex is that equal who shows his love and passion for the game. If you need a player to take a few hours of your time to discuss baseball, I do not believe there is anyone else more willingly to do it than Alex.
Paul Semendinger – This is such a tough question without an easy answer…at all. Two of the classiest Yankees of my childhood were Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry. These two very decent men would be great to spend time with. I’d probably enjoy being with Bernie Williams too. He seems like such a good man, and I’d enjoy listening to him playing the guitar. It would be a bad thing to be with Bobby Richardson, another of the most honorable Yankees and someone who has a close connection with God. I’d bet Bobby Richardson would make a time of great angst be a time of peace. These’s also the argument that in the time of crisis, it might be nice to have a war hero with you. Hank Bauer, Ralph Houk, and Jerry Coleman all come to mind in that regard. He didn’t play, of course, but I’d love to have unlimited time for Brian Cashman to tell all of the stories of the Yankees of the last 25-years. But, I guess, in the end, if I had to choose just one guy, I’d spend my time with Bobby Richardson.
Andy Singer – There are so many characters in Yankee history from which I can choose…is it really possible to choose between the Mick, Yogi, or more recent personalities like David Wells, David Cone, or Didi Gregorius?
Each of those guys are very close also-rans in this context (although Didi and Wells were awfully close on my list). How do you not go with the Yankee who did the most to break the stiff, corporate feel of the late-2000s Yankees: Nick Swisher. This video is all I need as my explanation: https://youtu.be/wCY59R4jnI0
If I have to be stranded in a house with one Yankee, Swish would definitely keep things light and fun.
Mike Whiteman – I’d choose two – Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry. Just read the book Driving Mr. Yogi and you’ll see how enjoyable it would be to spend time with these two gentlemen.
