Posted: 4:16 am
July 20, 2008
Giving back to Bobby
Special Murcer memorial on River Ave.
A very special service to honor their hero Bobby Murcer was held Monday in the lot next to the bowling alley on River Avenue. It was conducted by Ray Negron, special adviser to George Steinbrenner, and attended by ex-Yankees Roy White and Chris Chambliss, dressed in Yankee uniforms, who delivered warm words. The service, which lasted approximately 30 minutes and was attended by an estimated 200 people of all ages, was held at the same time (noon EDT) as the Murcer family service in Oklahoma City. A shirt bearing Murcer's No. 2 hung in the front for everyone to see. Murcer, who succumbed to brain cancer eight days ago, would sometimes venture into the neighborhood after games handing out baseballs and other goodies.
"This type of ceremony is as big as anything else that could be done for him," said Negron, who was a Yankees batboy in the days when Murcer kept hope alive during those lean, pinstriped years. "Whenever Bobby went into the neighborhood, it was totally unexpected. It was like, 'Here you go; here you go.' " The graffiti-filled Wall of Fame honoring Yankees greats on River Avenue will soon have a new member. "We're having a 'Murcer' put right next to [Thurman] Munson," Negron said. Negron will continue to raise funds for the DeWayne Murcer Foundation, which is Bobby's charity, named after his brother, also a cancer victim.
No closing time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Billy Wagner may never ever complain about a long day at the ballpark, an extra inning game or plane delays traveling to major league cities - not after what the Mets closer experienced at the White House this week after a special dinner with President Bush. Wagner received a special tour after dinner of the West Wing and the Oval Office, compliments of Josh Bolten, the President's Chief of Staff and a close friend of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. "Jeff sent Mr. Bolten a text message and told him I was coming," Wagner said. "He was so nice to us. We didn't finish the tour until almost 11 p.m., and he still had to go back and do a lot of work."
So how was his meeting with the President? "When he saw me, he said 'You're still throwing the ball hard, Wags' " said the fireballing All-Star southpaw. "That made me feel great."
LaDainian a fan in Darryl's midst
