Tino Day at Yankee Stadium

Today, the New York Yankees will honor Tino Martinez, my all-time favorite player, with a plaque in Monument Park. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance. I would love to be, but it's hard to give up a whole Saturday with a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old. I choose family-time.

When I first heard Tino was getting honored, I was like "Huh? Why?" But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He's not getting his numbered retired. He's not getting a big monument like Mickey Mantle. He's getting a plaque to honor his role as the starting 1B on four World Series championship teams. He hit two of the most dramatic HRs in Yankees World Series history, notably the Grand Slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series. That deserves a small mention in Monument Park, in my opinion.

Congrats, Tino! Enjoy your day today.