On August 2nd

I wasn't going to write about Thurman Munson.

It's been 41 years to the day since he died in an airplane accident at the Canton-Akron Airport.

It was life-changing as a sports fan.

You know where you were when you heard it (my parent's living room). You remember those details, up until it ended with "The Bobby Murcer Game."

Just typing those words can still induce chills and a lump in the throat.

I wrote about Thurman last year on this date.

I'm sure there are other posts in the archive.

I mean, it's 41 years. Why are we still talking about him?

Because he mattered so much. Reggie put them over the edge, but those 70s Yankees were about the stunning pitching of Ron Guidry (perilously close to being a Hall of Famer) and Graig Nettles (if only he had a better batting average; his defensive exploits were every bit as good as Brooks Robinson) and Catfish Hunter and Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers and Chris Chambliss and Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage and Bucky Dent and Willie Randolph and Dick Tidrow and...Billy and Bob Lemon and Ellie Howard and Dick Howser and...and...

But it all centered around the recalcitrant Munson. The Tugboat. The reluctant captain.

With Ted Simmons getting elected to the Hall, the voices have begun to speak up for Munson again. Look, I'd love it, but he only played 11 seasons and that hurts him. Voters seem to have concluded that he was breaking down when he died at only 32.

Simmons tops Thurman in most of the traditional offensive numbers, in part because he played 21 years and had 3,300 more at bats. Munson had a better batting average but Simmons had a better WAR.

Munson played in seven All-Star Games, won the 1970 Rookie of the Year and the 1976 American League MVP. Munson was also a decidedly better postseason player.

Simmons played in eight All-Star Game and never had a top five MVP finish.

Look, I'm not here to tear down Ted Simmons. I was shocked when he got into the Hall of Fame, and I remain shocked because I'm a tough judge. But he was a key component of both the Cardinals of the 70s and "Harvey's Wallbangers" with the Brewers, especially making a run to the 1982 World Series.

But, in true "whataboutism" form, I can see where this would further reopen the conversation for Thurman Munson to be in the Hall of Fame.

It was generally accepted in the 70s that Johnny Bench was the "gold standard" for catchers. Then it was a dog fight between Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson.

Then came Simmons and Gary Carter and Gene Tenace and Bob Boone. The 70s were loaded.

So, it sure would be nice to see Thurman earn a spot.

I'm not holding my breath.

But, people of my generation are pausing once again on Aug 2 to remember Thurman Lee Munson. What would have happened if...?

Would he have left the Yankees for Cleveland? I'm not sold on this one.
Was he truly done as a catcher? He would have curtailed his catching to play either first base or DH.
Was his productivity truly declining? Yes but I'm not convinced he couldn't rebound with less catching in 1980.

Too many what-ifs to consider. Do the Yankees get Rick Cerone in 1980? Other moves? Are the 1980s that moribund? Probably because George Steinbrenner was hellbent on screwing it all up.

But, we know this: our captain (and funny, younger generations will think of Don Mattingly or Derek S. Jeter when talking about captains, while older ones think of Lou Gehrig) and leader has been gone for 41 years.

His death hung over the Yankees for a long time. They made the playoffs in 1980 and the World Seris in 1981 but it was a long highway to glory after that.

If the Stadium were open tonight, fans would pass by the Munson locker that was lovingly moved from the old Stadium to the museum in the new one.

It should always be a shrine; a place for fathers to tell their son about number 15.

Grown men will still choke hard every time they play a Thurman tribute video in the Stadium.

So, here I am, writing again about Thurman Munson on Aug 2nd.

As I should.