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July 21, 2006

It's A Long Way From Long Branch To Aruba

The other night, watching Sidney Ponson pitch for the first time in the pinstripes, his number caught my eye. And, I wondered, who was the last Yankees pitcher to wear #24?

I guessed "Mike Torrez in 1977." But, after checking with "Now Batting, Number... The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers," I found that there was someone after Torrez and before Ponson:

John "The Count" Montefusco wore #24 for the Yankees from 1983 through 1984. (He switched to # 26 for 1985 and 1986.)

There's an Applebee's in Tinton Falls (NJ) that has pictures of Montefusco up on the wall - showing him back when he was playing at Brookdale Community College.

There's probably a few eating joints out there with Ponson's picture on the wall too.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at July 21, 2006 04:57 PM

Comments

Don't you mean drinking joints?

Posted by: hopbitters [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 21, 2006 06:09 PM

Long time reader, first time commenter. Great job with the blog, I'm always educated and entertained.

This post excited me because Montefusco minus the 'monte' makes 'Fusco', which is my last name. You've got to love the obscure Yankees connections.

Posted by: Asher [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 21, 2006 07:44 PM

Hey, a first-time, long-timer! Thanks for the post. Always good to hear from you guys!

Posted by: Steve Lombardi [TypeKey Profile Page] at July 21, 2006 10:35 PM