On Old-Timers’ Day, the Yankees recognized a pair of No. 30s with plaques in hallowed Monument Park. Willie Randolph was honored, calling it a dream he didn’t want to wake up from. But Mel Stottlemyre never would have dreamt of such an honor, one that left him stunned.
Ex-Yankees captain and coach Randolph led off the Old-Timers’ Day festivities, receiving a plaque and a standing ovation from the fans. But then, after all the former Bombers were introduced to cheers, the team brought Stottlemyre’s family onto the field and gave the ex-pitching coach — battling bone marrow cancer for the past 15 years — a plaque of his own.
“My family’s very secretive. I can’t believe they were able to keep a secret like that. ‘Thrill’ isn’t the word to use. It was beyond that,’’ Stottlemyre said. “I had no clue what was going on. Just tickled pink to be here, one, and to have an honor like that is really something special.’’
Special but unexpected — unlike the one for Randolph, who won two World Series as a Yankees player and four more as a coach. The Brownsville-bred Randolph got showered with love by the Bronx fans, and opened an emotional, funny 10-minute speech by telling the fans, “I love you, too!”
He thanked ex-teammates and managers, the Steinbrenner family and his own, from wife Gretchen to mother Minnie to late father Randy, pointing skyward and saying: “Pops, Daddy-o, I know you’re up there looking down. You taught me the meaning of hard work, work ethic. He couldn’t hit a fastball or turn a double play, but he taught me to get up and work hard every day.’’
He even threw some shade at the Mets who fired him in 2008, saying when he walks the streets, “Cabbies yell at me, ‘Willie, you got a raw deal with the Mets! They gave you a raw deal!’
“It was like a dream come true. I feel like I’ve been living a dream all this time anyway, four decades of it with the Yankees and other clubs. Then you get honored with a plaque in Monument Park? Really? … You feel like you’re still dreaming, but hopefully the dream continues.
About Stottlemyre’s surprise, Randolph said: “When [they] mentioned what they were going to do, I was like, Oh, man, this is awesome. This is great. If it was David Wells, it might not have been, but Mel, I was OK with it,’’ he laughed, adding he might have worn No. 30 because of Dave Cash but loved watching Stottlemyre and Roy White.
Even Stottlemyre admitted those Yankees teams weren’t very good, and the club probably would prefer to forget that era. But he said just putting on the pinstripes made him feel unbeatable.
“The pinstripes, to me they mean everything. It’s my ballclub. This is my second home,’’ Stottlemyre said. “It’s been a thrill over the years to wear this uniform. I can honestly say every time I put this uniform on — even though we weren’t — I felt unbeatable.’’