BILL SPAR : THURMAN MUNSON, BILLY MARTIN, GRAIG NETLES, LOU PINIELLA ALL BELONG IN THE HALL OF FAME

like all right okay we here with Bill Bill I saw you and we're in the Hall of Fame the induction of the Hall of Fame in 2024 and I saw you probably with a number 15 is Thurman mons in a Hall of Famer yeah yeah he is and for several reasons I mean obviously it was unfortunate he passed away so young but the real issue was this guy really brought the Yankees back to where they had been for the 40 odd years of the original Dynasty I me what happened was is he was able to rebuild help rebuild the culture that they had you know with Casey Sangle and the early days of Ralph H Joel McCarthy whatever and what he was able to do is he was able to lead by example and bring that team back to where it was any recollection of mson I will tell you I saw his very first game on WPIX TV August 8th 1969 it was a Friday night second game of a double header he got two two hits off Catfish Hunter of all people he caught a shut out by Al Downing who had been struggling and Hal saw something with thur mson and he put him with Al Downing the rest of the year and I'm I'm going to tell you something Al Downing had had some had good years after that and he those years could have been with the Yankees had he stayed with the Yanks and had mson catching them Monson made the one thing you always talk about with Hall of Famers and Superstars is does he make the people around him better okay he was the epitome of that in baseball you know you talk about Mark Messier in hockey and how he made you know the Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup 30 years ago better Thurman mson made his teammates better Ron gri a lot about Ed figuro won 55 games with him catching him for three straight years dick tiro gosage wild I mean Sparky L always talks about the times where mson would tell him don't worry bounce that slider in the dirt I got this he made his teammates better he the Willie randols the Mickey Rivers the guys who came over in 76 he took them under their wing and he made him better players now your thoughts you know at 76 uh World Series there was a big debate on mson on bench and let me tell you something uh mson to me mson out shine bench in that World Series although the Reds won so there's no way you're going to put bench and you can't put mson in no yeah well yeah you can't put mson in without bench you can't put mson in without Simmons is in and I can go on and on and on and I can bring up the Hal Baines argument uh and pain is a great player but you know he's no Thurman Munson no well that's exactly it I mean the point being is is what mson brought to the game was much more than just the numbers okay he brought with him just a style of play an ability to lead it was an intangible that frankly I watch the Yankees today and I tell my son here all the time about it that's what this yankee team is missing in Spades they are missing that okay and it's that I know tell what it's but the word is he has it he had that yeah now where were you when that tragic day in August happened he and I Thomas and I were just talking about that at lunchtime today because we heard the song that was playing on the radio in the restaurant we were at and I was on Long Island I lived Long Island okay and I was driving home from work and I was near and for the people who live on Long Island they know what I'm talking about the Smith Haven mall and it was on Route 347 wiconsin highway right near the Smith Haven mall when the news came over the radio in heavy rush hour traffic I almost drove off the road it was at 22 years old I was 22 years old and that's the day I always said I became an adult and not the way you want to become an adult okay you become an adult when something like that something that important to you as a child hits you and and I've I've said that for the last 45 years I said that day was the day I became an adult and the reason why that happened that that that that's what so tragic as you get older you understand man he did it all for his family and he was you know it it would have been something I probably if I if I would have done I mean I'm 32 years old I was you know he was 32 years old I'm 68 years old now and it sits with me like yesterday and it always will that matter of fact the song that was on the radio when we're in I can't when it comes on my radio in the car boom go I can't I can't listen to it a little off track go ahead we they they hav Jim Leeland manager as uh in Hall of Fame we we had a guy number one that I think belongs in a of Fame your thoughts on that who uh dude who is my favorite manager of all time I will talk about Billy Martin all day all night I was lucky enough to to encounter a couple of people who had personal interaction with him and they said he was just a really nice gracious man okay he was yeah he had his moments so what who doesn't who doesn't okay you look at his background you look at his life you look at his whole thing I get it and but the thing was with him he there was something about it it was something about him matter of fact would have been managing today every year that he managed he would have been in the playoffs because of the of the Wild Card serman mson and Billy Martin were a match made in heaven if so to speak uh Billy Martin was the best manager I ever saw period all right have they been good managers since then yes matter of fact Buck Showalter okay buck buck shalter was Billy Martin without the baggage okay and that's not a knock on Billy it's just the way it was well ju just look at all the players that that have become managers because of Billy Martin Willie Rand well one of the things one of the things that hit me was Billy Martin before he died said the to George said to George steerer he said about Buck shter he says don't let that kid away don't let that kid get away and George F allowed it to happen and it was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made and Joe Tor God bless his heart great manager fine but you know Billy mtin well he's no Billy Martin and he's an auto and Billy well yes that's another that's another one so you tell me yeah well yeah and the thing is is B was Billy's Protege that dynasty that Joe Tori went yo oversaw as bucks that was bucks Dy and he never getes credit Phil rudo made a statement years and years ago about Bucky Harris Bucky Harris led the Yankees to the World Series in 47 won the World Series they almost pulled it off in 48 and they fired him because he was a little he wasn't the disciplinarian they wanted and Phil rosuto always said that Sangle Dynasty and stingle was great don't get me wrong but Phil rard always said that stingle dynasty could have been Bucky Harris's and and and just like the Yankee Dynasty from 96 forward could have been buck showalter's and Buck Showalter was an absolute disciple of prod Billy adored now I'm taking you a little off track but take me where you want to go there's another guy that I think that belongs in a Hall of Fame and he is number nine Third Base you tell me who it is oh nles are you go pleaseed I watch nles from the day one when he showed up in 19 that that trade I was ecstatic when I made that trade because is he a Hall of Fame yeah I I can't see people put Ryan sber you got to put him in but the thing with Nettles was he was a winner he had power if you look at him in the context of the players today you know what happens is is people look at numbers and they don't look at the right numbers they don't look at the right numbers nles was a winner n was a power threat nles was as good a third baseman as Brooks Robinson M fact you probably had a better arm than Brooks Robinson and without him they don't win the World Series um 1978 1978 I mean he was absolutely spectacular in 78 and if he hadn't gotten hit in 81 he might have won that one too the Pine Tar incident if it wasn't because of nettles I don't think it would have ever happened I was in the ballpark I was in the ballpark section 19 behind first base and you got people saying what is he doing what's he doing and as soon as I saw Nettles and I saw what they doing pointing at the bat and he were looking at the bat I said bat because ironically enough who had a hit stolen from him because of that rule Thurman mson in 1975 which we were just listening to the broadcast tape at the at the him and Phil rzo was going on about how mson had a hit stolen from him and the thing was is they would have protested but they won the game so would have been a m protest just just to get thing back in the day the the radio guys used to turn over into the TV guy it was Phil rudo Bill white and Frank mess and then they used to do three Innings of baseball they go turn over to the radio it wasn't like what is now yeah catch catch you know we got a relief picture for one inning left-handed guy so that's what they do in the radio uh I grew up I grew up my first experience when I was seven eight years old was red Barber Phil rzo Mel Allen that will always be my favorite broadcasting white mess and Ruto were fabulous no question about it but listening to Mel Allen who was clearly a Yankee no favorite the Yankees but listening to Red Barber who was like listening to so you go to school with with a teacher like red Barber red Barber was the best it was red Barber Mel Allen and I I wasn't around to to bar I was around for Bill white they were great and then later on to CU which is pretty good well the MSG broadcast I mean Dwayne stats who's still doing a great job down in Florida God bless him and he's almost 80 years old that bless his heart Bill let me ask you real quick youngsung hero for from the Yankees who would you think is from That 70s ER from the an unsung hero I I'll give you a little hint that I think a guy the guy number six he left I was that's where I was going Roy white I tell you another one L panel that's right now think about L penel and this is where we're talking about culture change with the Yankees back in the 70s when Bill Veron came here in 74 all right there had been a country club atmosphere very similar to what you're seeing right now okay where players aren't held to account okay and what verton did is he said hey you guys are going to work you that when they showed up in Camp in 74 you had guys throwing up because of the the routine he put him through bill verton made L penella A competent reliable outfielder when Panella came to the Yankees he was a butcher he was a terrible outfielder in Kansas City he came here and all of a sudden he became a good reliable outfielder and the highlight of that and you know another thing about pel is a lot of people don't give him credit for that play that he did in that uh I was growing there that's right in the ninth inning he never saw the ball and he made a save that a goal tender a hockey goalie would have been proud of loving that ball and the throw because if Burson goes to third he's out by 20 feet and and but that's what I'm talking about verden made him that outfielder there was you know panelo there was a vote for p to being the Hall of Fame and again I'm going to I I hate comp cuz Jim Le is a good manager but you know pela missed the Hall of Fame by one vote and you know it's like I always say it's either you're a Hall of Famer or you're not you know there's no way if but about it so to me Panella should go in Hall of Fame as a manager I wouldn't have any problem with that I was a huge penella guy so we got number 14 going in the Hall of Fame we got number 15 going into the Hall of Fame which there were buddy buddies and yeah they were very close and Number Nine without a doubt going into the Hall of Fame and don't forget number one that's right Bill listen you should I should give you an application bro for the baseball Riders Association cuz you have a clue those guys they they they can't get it I don't I see the thing is is I go from a frame of reference and and I read what I read today and he'll tell you my son will tell you how I would just you know like really you what are they saying I mean I saw it I was there I LIF it am I professional Ladi and gentlemen I wish I could be you know what gets me what's amazing if you hit 20 home runs they say you're a home run hitter welc to the well hey exactly that's what it is thank you for your time and courtesy my absolute pleasure