08 September 2014

a yankee black armband for clubhouse man pete sheehy

in 1927, the yankees' equipment manager asked a kid named pete sheehy to help him with some gear.  sheehy returned to help the next day, and come 1985, he still held the position of clubhouse attendant when he passed away on august 13 of a heart attack.  there aren't too many cards from 1986 (or in 1985 traded/update sets) that show the black armband that the yankees wore for sheehy during the remainder of the season (except perhaps for this 1986 fleer don mattingly in action card), 
so the card that i have in my memorials binder is this 2004 upper deck legends timeless teams card of ken griffey sr.
the photo used comes from a game played just a few days after sheehy's passing.  it was against the rival red sox, and griffey robbed boston's marty barrett of a game-tying ninth inning home run.

sheehy's career with the yankees spanned from ruth and gehrig to dimaggio, mantle, munson, and mattingly.  one can only imagine the stories that he could have told, but by all accounts he respected the sanctity of the clubhouse, a clubhouse that had been renamed in his honor in 1976 following the renovations of the original house that ruth built.  he was 75 when he died.

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