March 11th

On this day in Yankee history... 

1945: Dock Ellis of the 1976 pennant winners is born. He died in 2008. 

                                                  


1956: At Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg there are no maybes about it as Mickey Mantle hits a Grapefruit League pitch from Larry Jackson over the left field wall into the bay. The Yankees top the Cardinals, 4 - 3. Stan Musial contends that "no home run has ever cleared my head by as much as long as I can remember." Mantle will hit another at Al Lang on March 20th off Bob Mabe that also lands in the water, and will clock a 500-foot shot in Miami four days later against the Dodgers. 

                    



1960: Mickey Mantle signs a one-year contract worth $65,000. The new deal represents a $7,000 cut in pay for the star, who batted .285 with 31 home runs and 75 RBI for the Yankees in 1959.  


1974: Bobby Abreu is born. 

                                



2001: The Yankees formally announce the signing of Cuban defector Andy Morales, a third baseman, to a four-year contract. Morales will wash out and be waived from his minor league team by July. The Yankees will try and sidestep his contract with proof that his listed age of 26 years is really 29.

                               
                               



2002: The Yankees release outfielder Ruben Rivera for stealing Derek Jeter's mitt out of his locker and selling it on the black market for $2,500. There are rumours that Rivera also took other memorabilia items, such as things belonging to Roger Clemens, but Clemens denies it. Rivera had been signed to a one-year contract for $1 million.