This morning I got a call from ex batboy from the late 80s and early 90s Shawn DeRosa.
He asked me if I had heard the news about the Yanks hiring the new assistant hitting coach Hensley Meulens.
Shawn had a lot of joy in his voice because during his years as a batboy Hensley had treated him great. Always respectful to everyone and in turn treated the same way.
I was very happy to hear this news because I had always liked Hensley during his time in the minor leagues. We became friends during that time.
I remember one year when the minor league season ended I asked George Steinbrenner if I could bring Hensley to New York to hang out for a week before he went back to his home In Curaçao. Mr. Steinbrenner said that if he stayed with me and my parents that I could bring him to the Stadium and he could work out with the team.
From afar the Boss got to learn about this young man and the fact that he spoke several languages and was smarter than the average baseball player made the Boss like him even more. He once said that if he didn’t become a star on the field that he would probably become a terrific manager or coach.
Well, I guess the Boss was pretty much right because even though he has not been a manager yet, he has been one of the game’s best hitting coaches.
He did work for the San Francisco Giants and was a member of three World Championship teams and ironically his General Manager was Steinbrenner’s disciple Brian Sabean.
Of all the moves the Bronx Bombers make this off-season, it will not surprise me if this is the best move of all.
I think the fans of the Bronx and New York as a whole are in for a treat when they get to know about the new coach known as Bam Bam.
