Athletes - Joe DiMaggio

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	Athletes - Joe DiMaggio

Joseph "Paul" DiMaggio" (born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr. on November 25, 1914 in Martinez, California – died on March 8, 1999, in Hollywood, Florida), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an Italian American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career (1936 - 1951) for the New York Yankees.

A 3-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star who was widely hailed for his accomplishment on both offense and defense, as well as for the grace with which he played the game, he retired at age 36 with the 5th-most career home runs (361) and 6th-highest slugging percentage (.579) in history. In a 1969 poll conducted in New York to coincide with the centennial of professional baseball, he was voted the sport's greatest living player.

A "picture-perfect" player, many rate his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 - July 16, 1941) as the top baseball feat of all time. His older brother Vince and younger brother Dom DiMaggio were also major leaguer center fielders: Vince was a 2-time National League All-Star; Dom was a 7-time All-Star who played his entire 11-year career for the Boston Red Sox.

Early life

The eighth of ten children, DiMaggio was born in a two-room house to Sicilian immigrants, delivered by a midwife. His mother, Rosalia, named him "Giuseppe" for his father; "Paolo" was in honor of Saint Paul, Giuseppe's favorite saint. The family moved to San Francisco, California when Joe was one year old.

Giuseppe was a fisherman, as were generations of DiMaggios before him. It was his dream to have all five of his sons fish the Bay with him. Joe would do anything to get out of cleaning his father's boat, as the smell of dead fish made him sick to his stomach; this earned him Giuseppe's ire, who called him "lazy" and "good for nothing." It was only after Joe became the sensation of the Pacific Coast League that his father was finally won over.

Joe was playing semi-pro ball when Vince, then with the San Francisco Seals, talked his manager into letting his kid brother fill in at shortstop for the last three games of the 1932 season. Joe, making his debut on October 1, couldn't play shortstop, but he could hit.

From May 28 - July 25, 1933, he hit in 61 consecutive games. "Baseball didn't really get into my blood until I knocked off that hitting streak," DiMaggio said. "Getting a daily hit became more important to me than eating, drinking or sleeping."

However, in 1934, his career almost ended. Going to his sister's house for dinner, he tore the ligaments in his left knee when he stepped out of a jitney. The next day, he hit a homer, but had to walk around the bases. The Seals, hoping to sell Joe for as much as $100,000 – a staggering sum during the Great Depression – now couldn't give him away; the Chicago Cubs turned down a no-risk tryout. Fortunately, scout Bill Essick pestered the Yankees to give the 19-year-old another look.

After Joe passed a test on his knee, the Yankees bought his contract on November 21 for $25,000 and 5 players, with the Seals keeping him for one more season. He batted .398 with 154 RBIs and 34 HRs and led the Seals to the 1935 PCL title.

"The Yankee Clipper"

Touted by sportswriters as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson rolled into one, he made his major league debut on May 3, 1936, batting ahead of Lou Gehrig. The Yankees hadn't been to the World Series since 1932, but, thanks in large part to their sensational rookie, they won the next four. DiMaggio is the only athlete in North American pro sports history to be on four championship teams in his first 4 full seasons. In total, he led the Yankees to 9 titles in 13 years.

Teammate Hank Bauer lauded DiMaggio as a "red-ass," a man whose drive to win was all-consuming. This extended even to family: a 1948 TIME story reported that his mother told him Dom's wedding was to take place on October 7 unless the Red Sox won the pennant, then it would be delayed ten days. "Mama," DiMaggio replied. "I will personally see to it that Dom is free to marry on the 7th." The Yankees' efforts forced the Sox into a one-game playoff, which they lost to the Cleveland Indians.

On February 7, 1949, DiMaggio became the first baseball player to sign for $100,000 ($70,000 plus bonuses). He was still regarded as its best player, but injuries got to the point where he couldn't take a step without pain. A sub-par 1951 season and a brutal scouting report by the Brooklyn Dodgers that was turned over to the New York Giants and leaked to the press led him to announce his retirement on December 11.

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Athletes - Joe DiMaggio

Early life

"The Yankee Clipper"

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