Which players have been THE face of the Yankees

[matfanofold]

Bernie > Jeter in the 90's for sure!

Oh, and Guidry deserves consideration for the 70's.

 

[JoshHamilton]

Reggie is a great player, but there's a lot of people, myself included, who don't view him as a "true Yankee."

And what, exactly, constitutes a "true Yankee"?

 

[Guest]

Reggie is a great player, but there's a lot of people, myself included, who don't view him as a "true Yankee."

And what, exactly, constitutes a "true Yankee"?

Well, it is hard to clearly define, but as someone born and raised in New York it's just something that is understood. Being a "true Yankee" has to do with someone who embodies what it means to wear the pinstripes, both on and off the field. Reggie was a hired gun and left town under a cloud. Yes he had two world series titles and an amazing world series performance, but fans in the 1970s viewed Reggie similar to the way today's fans view A-Rod. Now, would anyone argue that A-Rod is the face of the franchise? No. And that is because A-Rod is not a "true Yankee" either.

The Yankee franchise is unique in all of sports and its franchise players have included some of the true gentleman of the game. Look at the way Derek Jeter carries himself ... that's a "true Yankee." Look at Gehrig's "luckiest man" speech. Look at any of DiMaggio's quotes about what it means to be a Yankee, or how he felt he always had to look his best just in case it was the first time someone saw him.

Reggie in the 1970s was an arrogant showboat. Look no further than "the straw that stirs the drink." He was not the face of the franchise. You could argue that in that same era Bobby Murcer, Willie Randolph, and Ron Guidry were in higher regard with the pinstripe fans.

 

[G $MONEY$]

Reggie is a great player, but there's a lot of people, myself included, who don't view him as a "true Yankee."

And what, exactly, constitutes a "true Yankee"?

It could be a number of things like being drafted by the team and coming up through the minors into the Yankees (like Jeter, Mantle, Munson and Mo etc.) . But the biggest thing is that the player either played more years on the Yankees then any other team or even spent the majority of his career with just the Yankees. fans of many teams believe this guideline as well. Reggie Jackson for example, played 21 years in the majors, but only 5 as a Yankee. He spent 9 years in Oakland (1 season with the KC franchie) and another 5 with the California Angels (and 1 other year in Baltimore), so i can see why certain fans might not consider Reggie a "true" Yankee.

 

[JoshHamilton]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

 

[Guest]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

Yes. I'd agree. Though, in some cases, acquired players become true Yankees. Examples would be Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. A player has to buy into the lifestyle that goes beyond the field of what it means to wear the pinstripes. It starts with the clean shaven rule, but goes a whole lot further than that.

 

[sportscardtheory]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

Yes. I'd agree. Though, in some cases, acquired players become true Yankees. Examples would be Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. A player has to buy into the lifestyle that goes beyond the field of what it means to wear the pinstripes. It starts with the clean shaven rule, but goes a whole lot further than that.

What if the team embraces the player? The Yankees organization and the fans seem to love Reggie Jackson more now than ever.

 

[JoshHamilton]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

Yes. I'd agree. Though, in some cases, acquired players become true Yankees. Examples would be Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. A player has to buy into the lifestyle that goes beyond the field of what it means to wear the pinstripes. It starts with the clean shaven rule, but goes a whole lot further than that.

Was Giambi ever embraced as a true Yankee? He was my favorite player and the A's were my favorite team from '99-'01. That's one of the main reasons I started to dislike the Yanks.

He went from Harley riding, goatee wearing badboy to a clean shaven bitch who said he'd never sign with the Yanks and he'd stay in Oakland his entire career. I hate Giambi

 

[BunchOBull]

Frank Thomas

 

[Guest]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

Yes. I'd agree. Though, in some cases, acquired players become true Yankees. Examples would be Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. A player has to buy into the lifestyle that goes beyond the field of what it means to wear the pinstripes. It starts with the clean shaven rule, but goes a whole lot further than that.

What if the team embraces the player? The Yankees organization and the fans seem to love Reggie Jackson more now than ever.

They love the Reggie Jackson that sold his HOF plaque to Steinbrenner, and appears at every Yankee event as a "paid consultant" to the team. The middle-aged man whose swagger has calmed what. Read "The Bronx is Burning." He was very much despised in the 70s, and no one cried when he left.

 

[Guest]

Makes sense. Using that logic 75% of the team aren't "true Yankees" and are merely hired guns.

Oh wait, that's exactly what the Yankees team is

Yes. I'd agree. Though, in some cases, acquired players become true Yankees. Examples would be Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. A player has to buy into the lifestyle that goes beyond the field of what it means to wear the pinstripes. It starts with the clean shaven rule, but goes a whole lot further than that.

Was Giambi ever embraced as a true Yankee? He was my favorite player and the A's were my favorite team from '99-'01. That's one of the main reasons I started to dislike the Yanks.

He went from Harley riding, goatee wearing badboy to a clean shaven bitch who said he'd never sign with the Yanks and he'd stay in Oakland his entire career. I hate Giambi

Nope. The gold lumet thong did him in.

 

[coltsnsox07]

George Steinbrenner! Then Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig and Joe D.

 

[WoundedDuck]

Perhaps I need to do more thinking on whether Reggie deserves a slot in this project. Having been a kid in the 80s and living no where close to NY, I'm probably too far removed to judge. Whenever I think of Reggie Jackson though, I think of the Yankees. However, perhaps when Yankee fans think of their team, they don't think of Jackson...

 

[Bornagaincollector]

C'Mon people,where is George Constanza?????? :lol: :lol:

 

[Guest]

C'Mon people,where is George Constanza?????? :lol: :lol:

He's out trying to find Steinbrenner a calzone.