Thurm,
Yankee fans are rather fond of that name.
Close, and on the right track. Since it's been so long, here is the answer:
In the pic, you can just make out the three monuments in centerfield, that were always in play in the original ballpark. The first monument was erected in 1929 for Miller Huggins, the great Yankee manager who died unexpectedly that year. Huggins had been a deadball era player, but never for the Yankees. In 1941, Lou Gehrig passed away from ALS. In 1948 Babe Ruth passed away. Those three monuments stayed in play, about 460 feet from the plate, until the original stadium was completely renovated in 1973-75. Monument Park was opened in 1976 in the remodeled stadium. All the monuments, plaques, and retired numbers went there. Mickey Mantle (95) and Joe DiMaggio (99) were the last two. There are no sports franchises that have anything near to the way the Yankees celebrate their great players. One wonders about Yogi, who won more WS, 10, than any player in ML history. Whitey Ford is still living.
Another aside about Joe D. After Mickey died and his monument was erected, Joe complained (as always) to George Steinbrenner that he deserved one. George reportedly replied, "Hey, Joe. You gotta be dead to get a monument."
Hope you railroaders enjoyed this brief historical respite from the trials and tribulations expressed here, about our hobby.
Jerry
