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February 13, 2007
Where You Least Expect It
I've probably passed the Moondance Diner close to 3,000 times in my lifetime and never went in to it. According to The New York Sun, it looks like I've missed my chance:
On the western frontier of SoHo, the Moondance Diner is dancing off into the sunset: Along with an adjacent two-story parking garage and a parking lot, it is going to be developed into luxury residential condominiums.
A representative of Hudson Island LLC, the owner of the property, told The New York Sun ground will be broken this year and the current buildings razed. He said plans for the property, which is about 11,330 square feet and may be as tall as nine stories, were still being finalized, and that the Board of Standards and Appeals had approved the plans to build a 66,734-square-foot residential building there.
What caught my eye in this story was the following:
"There are not going to be any more diners," the owner of Moondance Diner, Sunil "Sunny" Sharma, said. Inside the narrow restaurant, black-and-white photos of Yankees stars greet customers who come to enjoy milkshakes, handcut fries, homemade buttermilk onion rings, and burgers.
While I never went into the Moondance Diner, I never imagined that there were pictures of Yankees inside. This got me thinking about Yankees-stuff in strange places.
Back in the early 1970's, I used to frequent a hobby shop on (then) Richmond Ave in Port Richmond (S.I.). It's where I used to buy models and AFX slot cars and the like. (Hey, I was around 9-years old at the time.) After going there for a while, I found out that the owner had a back-room in the shop that he had built a shrine to Mickey Mantle - full of Mantle stuff. (My mom told him that I was a Yankees fan one day when we were there and that triggered him to show us the shrine.) It was not part of the store - just a room that he made for himself. At the time, I thought it was pretty cool. (Again, I was just a kid and never saw something like that before.)
So, here's a question for my fellow Yankees fan friends today: Where did you once see something Yankees-related, where you least expected to see it? Please share your stories in the comments section below. Thanks in advance.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at February 13, 2007 11:57 AM
Comments
Great stuff Steve, as always.
I went to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska in 2005, but since all the nearby hotels were sold out, we had to stay in a Super 8 in Des Moines, Iowa (hour plus away).
At the hotel, there was picture behind the check-in desk of some old guy posing with Yogi Berra, and it was a pretty recent pic. The kid at the counter didn't know anything about the picture though.
Still, Des Moines, Iowa. What is that, 1,700 miles from the Bronx?
Posted by: Mike A. ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 13, 2007 12:46 PM
Sorry for the digression, Steve, but it really is a sad state of affairs with how independently-owned businesses (many with rich histories) are getting snuffed out and then replaced by unsightly slabs of cement, in the form of parking structures, strip malls, and upscale condominium complexes. Few seem to care, but then we all proceed to bemoan the ever-increasing traffic congestion and ever-diminishing quality of life. Again, I apologize for the off-topic rant.
Oh, and my first "real" girlfriend (a "girly-girl" no less) had veritable a shrine in her room dedicated to Reggie Jackson.
Posted by: brockdc at February 13, 2007 12:46 PM
...had a vertiable shrine in her room...
Must...have...first...cup of coffee.
Posted by: brockdc at February 13, 2007 12:51 PM
I moved from Jersey the middle of nowhere: rural eastern North Carolina.
Clyde King, former Yankees' Pitching Coach, Manager (1982), & GM (1985-6) lives nearby. His "clubhouse" includes memorabilia from his 60-year affiliation (ongoing as Special Advisor to Big Stein) with MLB, which also included stints as Manager of the Giants (1969-70) & Braves (1974-5). I have photos of my sons wearing some of his five WS rings.
Last autumn, Clyde came over to watch the NLCS in my home theater. Notably, he had once managed both of the opposing managers: LaRussa (Braves minor league - 1972) & Randolph (NYY - 1982).
Oh, en route to the King's house, I pass the home of current Reds manager Jerry Narron....
Posted by: KevinK at February 13, 2007 01:18 PM
Speaking of King, I read Madden's "Damned Yankees" a while back. I remember reading about King's brief managerial stint back in '82. Seemed he had a game plan regarding some moves he was planning to make WRT player acquisition & whatnot.
I kinda wish he got a shot to see what he could do, but I understand why the Yanks went with Martin.
A guy like that, I'm sure you can sit and talk with him all day long.
Posted by: Raf at February 13, 2007 01:50 PM
I'm on vacation in Europe right now but I had to weigh in here...
While in college in St. Louis, Missouri, I saw some Yankee memorabilia in 2 random places:
1. An Italian pastry shop in the "Hill" section of town where Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up. Since the old Cards/Browns ballpark site was so close, I figured they'd all be Cards fans. It was cool to see Yogi and Mickey pictures from the 50's in that little store.
2. An older gentleman who bagged groceries near my college was wearing a Yankee jacket. Being a Yankee fan in the midwest, I had to ask him if he was a Yankee fan as well. He told me that he was Elston Howard's roommate in tryout camps for the Yanks. He never made the team but he said he and Howard became good friends and he stayed a Yankee fan even though he didn't get to play pro ball and lived in Cardinals country.
How's that?!
Posted by: MJ at February 14, 2007 12:25 AM
Hi Brockdc,
Are you near Raleigh? I met Josh Hamilton's parents when he signed in 1999 and remember them telling me of Josh's High School games. They said Catfish used to come and I remember them mentioning Narron.
thanks,
Dave
Posted by: DiamondDave at February 14, 2007 01:07 PM