The Yankee Clipper

What possibly could the late Joe DiMaggio have in common with me?  Bone Spurs! At the age of 33, the Yankee Clipper started 1947 off with a bone spur operation. DiMaggio had surgery to remove a 3-inch bone spur from his left heel. He recovers, returns to the Yankees, and ends up as MVP, batting .343 and making  just one error in 141 games.

He backs that up in 1948 with 39 home runs and 155 RBI despite recurring pain from another bone spur. I've been browsing the Internet to find something positive about my heel operation and I ran across this bit of history.

Now,  I understand Joe was 33 in 1947 and I'm pushing 67 (in 11 days), but there's hope that I'll play again. It's been 28 days since my operation and I'm dreaming off the day I can return to the ball field.

Thanks, Joe, you've lifted my spirits. DiMaggio died in 1999. He was 84 years old.