Hal of a greeting
Yanks' fans shower Steinbrenner with boos during Paul O'Neill Day festivities
Even as they were reliving the glory days and honoring a fan favorite, Yankees fans didn’t forget about their animosity for the franchise’s leaders. On Paul O’Neill Day, Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman heard from the large and angry crowd about the team’s current funk before their 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. Steinnbrenner was booed upon stepping onto the field to present O’Neill with a framed replica of his Monument Park plaque and pinstriped number, and those boos only grew in volume as he walked off. Cashman wasn’t seen during the ceremony, but when he was mentioned by O’Neill during his speech, the fans let the general manager hear it, too. It was otherwise a festive 40-minute ceremony honoring O’Neill that saw former Yankees Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez and Andy Pettitte in attendance. David Cone, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly and Joe Torre congratulated O’Neill with video messages as his No. 21 was retired next to a plaque of his in Monument Park. Due to a scheduling conflict, Jeter was unable to be there in person, the Yankees said, as O’Neill became the 23rd Yankees player or manager to have his number retired. Among the gifts O’Neill received was a Gatorade cooler, in case he wanted to get in a few swings for old times’ sake, co-master of ceremonies John Sterling joked. “There’s so many dreams in life that don’t always come true. That’s why I’m really celebrating this day, because this is the biggest dream that I’ve ever had in my life,” said O’Neill, a four-time World Series champion with the Yankees who threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Posada.
The ceremony was filled with “Paul O’Neill” chants, the sellout crowd of 46,958 showering “The Warrior” — the nickname given to him by late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner — with love, chanting his name before, during and after his speech. There were even a few of them during the game.
“You guys are still in tune, just like you were in 2001 during the World Series,” O’Neill joked, recalling his memorable final game as a Yankee prior to his retirement. He added: “The fans remember the teams that win and we won. And we won a lot.”
The current Yankees players took in the ceremony from the dugout, due to the 59-year-old O’Neill’s unvaccinated status. Unvaccinated personnel are not allowed to interact with any players in the dugout and clubhouse. That has kept him from returning to the booth to call games on the YES Network. Instead, he has worked remotely from his home in Ohio.
Mattingly said in his video message that the 1992 trade that brought O’Neill to The Bronx remained the most pivotal deal the Yankees have ever made aside from acquiring Babe Ruth from the Red Sox. He became an integral part of the great Yankees teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, a two-way standout who treated every pitch like his career depended on it.
O’Neill spent nine of the last 17 years of his career as a Yankee, reaching four All-Star games, winning the 1994 AL batting title and hitting .303 with 304 doubles, 185 home runs, 858 runs batted in, a .377 on-base percentage and an .869 OPS.
“To join these greats and to know that the No. 21 will never be worn by a New York Yankee again,” he said, “it’s by far the biggest personal honor that I’ve ever achieved.”