Joe Torre was the right man in the right place at the right time.

 

Much deserved for the run of success he managed for the Yankees. 

 

I remember meeting him when I was a kid.  He did an autograph signing along with Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto at an optometrist's office that was next door to my grandfather's law practice.  My grandfather got us in for autographs.  It was the year Torre was player/manager for the Mets (1977).  My brothers, my cousins and I were allowed in before the signing.  Torre was the most generous of the three.  He took the time to talk to us, asked us questions about where we played ball, and what positions we played.   He actually signed my catchers mitt and gave me a few tips about playing the position.  He had a good laugh when I told him I was a Thurman Munson fan. 

 

I still have the autographed mitt, and the ball signed by all 3 hall of famers.  That was the 2nd greatest sports encounter for me, which interestingly enough came during the same vacation as my greatest sports encounter.

 

My grandfather had connections inside the Yankees organization.  He'd done some tax work for someone with the team.  He cooked up a deal to get me and my cousin into the stadium to meet the team.  We both went in with baseballs ready for autographing.  We ended up meeting almost all of the 77 Yankees.  I got autographs from most of the starters on the team.  The only one I wasn't able to get was Chris Chambliss.  He was off that day.

 

My cousin, a lifelong Mets fan, lost his autographed baseball in a move a few years back.  Every time I see him, he offers me progressively more money for the ball.  He's a huge collector now.

 

My grandfather was an old Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so when they moved, he naturally hated the Dodgers, and he couldn't root for the Yankees.  When the Mets arrived, he quickly became a fan and a season ticket holder.  A guy who rented an office in his building was a Yankees season ticket holder.  When we'd come up for 2 weeks during the summer, many a day was spent at Shea or Yankee Stadium.

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