In 1995, Billy Crystal got the opportunity to meet one of his baseball idols: Legendary New York Yankees center fielder Joe DiMaggio. As Crystal explains in his 2013 book Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?, both he and DiMaggio were at Yankee Stadium on this particular occasion and were attending a ceremony honoring the late Mickey Mantle. Crystal was there as a representative of Mantle’s fans, and DiMaggio was there as…well, Joe DiMaggio. As a highlight reel of Mantle’s memorable moments was being shown on the scoreboard, Crystal was asked to introduce DiMaggio next.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Joe DiMaggio,” Crystal told the crowd, much to their delight. DiMaggio quickly approached Crystal, confused about what he should do since he wasn’t supposed to be speaking at the ceremony. Crystal told him just to wave and stand next to fellow Yankee Whitey Ford.
Nothing offensive about any of that, right? Yeah, turns out that’s not how DiMaggio felt.
Billy Crystal Once Met Joe DiMaggio, and the Baseball Legend Punched Him in the Stomach
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Crystal was greeted by the likes of Mark McGwire, Joe Torre, and Yogi Berra, and spoke with Mantle’s widow and sons. Then, while Crystal was standing near the Yankee clubhouse, out came DiMaggio. The baseball legend unexpectedly walked over to Crystal and proceeded to punch him really hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. So what was Crystal’s big crime? Apparently, DiMaggio didn’t appreciate being introduced as the greatest living player; he was also reportedly jealous of all the attention Mantle was getting that day.
Crystal had just one more encounter with DiMaggio later on, and it was slightly more pleasant. At a Yankee game one day, Crystal’s wife, Janice, snuck in his prized DiMaggio jersey with the intention of getting DiMaggio to sign it. When DiMaggio refused and claimed he had an exclusive deal with a baseball bat company that prevented him from signing autographs, Crystal confronted him. As a consolation, he handed Crystal a ball with an inscription that read, “To a great Yankee fan, from your fan, Joe DiMaggio.”
Nice as Crystal admitted it was, it didn’t matter to him at that point because DiMaggio had already shown him his true colors twice.
The post 30 Years Ago, Billy Crystal Met His Hero and Somehow Ended Up Getting Punched in the Stomach appeared first on VICE.
