Yankee 21
01-30-2002, 07:00 PM
Awards keep Munson's memory alive
Thurman Munson Awards take place Thursday in NY
By Ian Browne
MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Not too long after her husband was tragically killed in a plane crash, Diana Munson was approached about holding a benefit dinner in her late husband's name.
After some deliberation, she decided that it was a good idea. After all, her husband Thurman -- the great Yankees catcher -- would have loved the cause.
The proceeds of the gala go to the Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC). And much to Diana Munson's delight and surprise, it is still going strong more than two decades later.
"It's raised millions of dollars, I don't even know the count anymore," said Diana Munson. "It's gotten so big. Knowing the good that it does, it's such a wonderful way to remember Thurman. And it's such a wonderful way for our family to give back for all we've been given."
The 22nd annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner takes place Thursday night at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. Among those who will receive "Thurman Munson Awards" at this year's event are Yankees manager Joe Torre and former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.
The award is given to people who exemplified "outstanding success on the field and philanthropic contributions or community efforts off of it". The AHRC serves 8,000 children and adults who have mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other developmental disabilities.
"We're just so proud of (the dinner). They told me it was built on sentiment, it would probably die out after three or four years," said Munson, who still lives in the house that Thurman built in Ohio a year before his death. "I said, 'As long as we can do something nice and it's a good way to remember Thurman, let's do it'. Here it is, 22 years later, and it's amazing, it's still going strong. I think Thurman would be amazed at how New York has never forgotten him."
Munson passed away on Aug. 2, 1979. But his legacy -- kept alive by his wife and three children -- is still ingrained in New Yorkers and baseball fans in general.
One well-kept secret about Munson was that he had a rather large soft spot for children. This is why his widow is convinced that he would be thrilled about the success of this dinner.
"Thurman's children were his priority in life," said Diana Munson. "And he did stuff behind the scenes for other children. After he died, I got letters from children he visited. I didn't know about any of it until I saw those letters. That's what makes him special to me. A lot of athletes give back, but lots of times it's publicized. Thurman was interesting because he didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted to do it, it was heartfelt."
Given Munson's notoriously gruff and fierce persona on the field, it may surprise some that he was so caring and gentle off of it.
"Thurman was not at all what he seemed," Diana Munson said. "The odd thing about him is he had such a sentimental side, such a soft side. That's the side that many New Yorkers saw and understood. That's what New York is like. They seem hard core, but deep down they are sentimental. We've seen that based on what has happened since Sept. 11.
"Even when Thurman won the (1976) MVP, the first thing he said was 'Obviously I didn't win this thing on politics'. If you really did know him, you knew that side of him. Thurman did a disservice to himself by always having gruff exterior. He was a complex person. We were childhood sweethearts, so I know the little boy part of him. I watched him with children, I saw him cry when his children were born or when they took their first step. They say the word 'enigma' and I didn't understand word for a while, but Thurman truly was an enigma."
This year's dinner will hold special meaning to the Munson family because of the presence of Torre and Mattingly.
"People just adore Joe Torre because he's real," Mrs. Munson said. "That stands out. It's a thrill for me to see him get an award with Thurman's name. He's a quiet kind of strong man, much like Thurman. He does his job, doesn't expect a lot of hoopla, but has the heart the way Thurman did. He's such a good person. When I threw out a baseball in 1999 for the 20-year anniversary of Thurman's death, I sat in dugout and for the first time got to know a lot of players. Joe was so kind, he was sort of taking care of me."
In Munson's last three years with the Yankees, Torre was managing the Mets. They developed a bond.
"We seemed to frequent certain places together," said Torre. "The dog track in spring, or having dinner in the same restaurant. We used the same jeweler. I always admired the way he played. It wasn't always pretty but it was effective. He was a blue-collar guy who just threw himself into the game. He was a big game player. Those guys you can't make, they have to be born that way. He was a very honest guy. He'd always shoot from the hip."
Torre felt as if he had been shot somewhere else when he looked up at the Shea Stadium scoreboard on that fateful day of Aug. 2, 1979 and learned that Munson was dead.
"I'll never forget it," said Torre. "If I'm not mistaken, Lee Mazzilli was on deck and when it flashed on the scoreboard, he looked at me in the dugout, and we were both so stunned. It was such an empty feeling, so emotional. But it means so much to get an award with his name on it."
As for Mattingly, Diana Munson always had an eerie feeling when she saw him play.
"Mattingly reminds me the most of Thurman the way he played," she said. "I just admired that he was a no-nonsense 'I do my job' type of player. Thurman would have respected that so much."
Meanwhile, the respect for Thurman Munson will once again pour out at Thursday's event.
Thurman Munson Awards take place Thursday in NY
By Ian Browne
MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Not too long after her husband was tragically killed in a plane crash, Diana Munson was approached about holding a benefit dinner in her late husband's name.
After some deliberation, she decided that it was a good idea. After all, her husband Thurman -- the great Yankees catcher -- would have loved the cause.
The proceeds of the gala go to the Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC). And much to Diana Munson's delight and surprise, it is still going strong more than two decades later.
"It's raised millions of dollars, I don't even know the count anymore," said Diana Munson. "It's gotten so big. Knowing the good that it does, it's such a wonderful way to remember Thurman. And it's such a wonderful way for our family to give back for all we've been given."
The 22nd annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner takes place Thursday night at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. Among those who will receive "Thurman Munson Awards" at this year's event are Yankees manager Joe Torre and former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.
The award is given to people who exemplified "outstanding success on the field and philanthropic contributions or community efforts off of it". The AHRC serves 8,000 children and adults who have mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and other developmental disabilities.
"We're just so proud of (the dinner). They told me it was built on sentiment, it would probably die out after three or four years," said Munson, who still lives in the house that Thurman built in Ohio a year before his death. "I said, 'As long as we can do something nice and it's a good way to remember Thurman, let's do it'. Here it is, 22 years later, and it's amazing, it's still going strong. I think Thurman would be amazed at how New York has never forgotten him."
Munson passed away on Aug. 2, 1979. But his legacy -- kept alive by his wife and three children -- is still ingrained in New Yorkers and baseball fans in general.
One well-kept secret about Munson was that he had a rather large soft spot for children. This is why his widow is convinced that he would be thrilled about the success of this dinner.
"Thurman's children were his priority in life," said Diana Munson. "And he did stuff behind the scenes for other children. After he died, I got letters from children he visited. I didn't know about any of it until I saw those letters. That's what makes him special to me. A lot of athletes give back, but lots of times it's publicized. Thurman was interesting because he didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted to do it, it was heartfelt."
Given Munson's notoriously gruff and fierce persona on the field, it may surprise some that he was so caring and gentle off of it.
"Thurman was not at all what he seemed," Diana Munson said. "The odd thing about him is he had such a sentimental side, such a soft side. That's the side that many New Yorkers saw and understood. That's what New York is like. They seem hard core, but deep down they are sentimental. We've seen that based on what has happened since Sept. 11.
"Even when Thurman won the (1976) MVP, the first thing he said was 'Obviously I didn't win this thing on politics'. If you really did know him, you knew that side of him. Thurman did a disservice to himself by always having gruff exterior. He was a complex person. We were childhood sweethearts, so I know the little boy part of him. I watched him with children, I saw him cry when his children were born or when they took their first step. They say the word 'enigma' and I didn't understand word for a while, but Thurman truly was an enigma."
This year's dinner will hold special meaning to the Munson family because of the presence of Torre and Mattingly.
"People just adore Joe Torre because he's real," Mrs. Munson said. "That stands out. It's a thrill for me to see him get an award with Thurman's name. He's a quiet kind of strong man, much like Thurman. He does his job, doesn't expect a lot of hoopla, but has the heart the way Thurman did. He's such a good person. When I threw out a baseball in 1999 for the 20-year anniversary of Thurman's death, I sat in dugout and for the first time got to know a lot of players. Joe was so kind, he was sort of taking care of me."
In Munson's last three years with the Yankees, Torre was managing the Mets. They developed a bond.
"We seemed to frequent certain places together," said Torre. "The dog track in spring, or having dinner in the same restaurant. We used the same jeweler. I always admired the way he played. It wasn't always pretty but it was effective. He was a blue-collar guy who just threw himself into the game. He was a big game player. Those guys you can't make, they have to be born that way. He was a very honest guy. He'd always shoot from the hip."
Torre felt as if he had been shot somewhere else when he looked up at the Shea Stadium scoreboard on that fateful day of Aug. 2, 1979 and learned that Munson was dead.
"I'll never forget it," said Torre. "If I'm not mistaken, Lee Mazzilli was on deck and when it flashed on the scoreboard, he looked at me in the dugout, and we were both so stunned. It was such an empty feeling, so emotional. But it means so much to get an award with his name on it."
As for Mattingly, Diana Munson always had an eerie feeling when she saw him play.
"Mattingly reminds me the most of Thurman the way he played," she said. "I just admired that he was a no-nonsense 'I do my job' type of player. Thurman would have respected that so much."
Meanwhile, the respect for Thurman Munson will once again pour out at Thursday's event.