Don Mattingly on 'Late Night' w/ David Letterman - 1987

[@JB-nj6de]

Such a great guest! Down to earth and humble. My hero growing up.

[@RootsWings247]

Agreed! Mine as well, literally in the middle of going down a Mattingly rabbit hole…again!

[@themaestro3034]

Sam here! Grew up going to Yankee Stadium in the 80s and 90s. SF Giants fan but Mattingly is still the greatest to me

[@joegti10]

he was the greatest player on the planet at this time and look how humble and regular guy he is. unreal.

[@johnschaefer2238]

Although I’m a Met fan I have a great deal of respect for the Yankees. Many folks are aware that the Mets chose Dodger blue and NY Giants orange for their uniforms but they also chose pinstripes for their home uniforms to honor the Yankees. Getting back to Mattingly he deserves to be in the hall. It took forever for my favorite player Ted Simmons to get in now it’s time for the sportswriters to wake up and put Mattingly in the HOF where he belongs!

[@koko-pu5vn]

You'll never see a player as talented as Donnie Baseball with that much honest humility. For pete's sake put this man in the Hall of Fame where he belongs!!!!

[@user-dc1dr9kr8x]

If Harold Baines is in the hit man should be in

[@ICU2B4UDO]

Don't forget Tony Gwynn...

[@ICU2B4UDO]

Amen!

[@englandbengal]

Hyperbolic statement.

[@ICU2B4UDO]

@@englandbengal ...Red Sux fan, huh??

[@jefffinney4233]

Donnie Baseball!!! He was my friggin hero as a kid

[@neilgirvan8678]

Don Mattingly comes across as the nicest guy in the world. Wow. What a humble man.

[@CampbellMP42455]

Was born in New York, Yankees fan from birth. Mattingly was my favorite player! My family moved to Kentucky when I was younger and we were very close to Evansville, Indiana. We used to go to "Mattingly's 23" all the time in hopes we would catch Don visiting in the off season. Great memories!

[@catbreath8361]

Mattingly and Boggs ruled the 80's.

[@kenrod8378]

He is from my home town and he still lives there. And yes, he is as kind and decent as he seems...the real deal.

[@jm7578]

I’ll have to wear my Don Mattingly # 23 Yankees shirt to work tomorrow

[@josephmcquillen6840]

I grew up watching Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford but Don Mattingly is my favorite Yankee ever.

[@wilnerolivier7971]

Why was he your favorite compared to Mantle??

[@josephmcquillen6840]

I think because I was old enough to see Mattinglys career from day one to the end. I only saw Mantle from 1961 to the end. Understand when I say Mattingly was my favorite I'm really pulling out the yard marker and measuring for a first down here. I liked Mantle a lot and Rivera and Guidry and Munson and .......@@wilnerolivier7971

[@torpedo58]

We loved you THEN, and we love you in 2023, Hitman!!!❤❤

[@anthonyrussomanno1540]

Named Donnie baseball for a reason such a great player one of my favorites ever great great player

[@ransom6892]

His 1984 Donruss rookie card is legendary

[@richardtoplitsky5143]

Mattingly was my hero growing as a yankee fan he retired after 95 he should of played one more year in 1996 could of won a championship but that’s life

[@clee3133]

I loved him too, but can't discount what Tino did for them that year. With Donnie vs. Tino thet might not have won it all, sad to say.

[@jeffreylebowski7459]

@@clee3133Tino had the pressure of filling Donnie Baseball’s shoes too. It’s a question we’ll never be able to answer, whether or not they win in ‘96 if Mattingly plays one more year.

[@clee3133]

@@jeffreylebowski7459 can't know for sure, but Donnie became an only decent singles and doubles hitter his last few years, while Tino was crushing it. They were both good defensively.

[@butch1dc]

For those 6-7 years, there wasn’t a player in the game that could do EVERYTHING like Mattingly could. Hit for average, power, walks, NEVER struck out, When they post the new baseball stats to him, he crushes many hall of famers. I get it, his total numbers don’t get him in. But I’ll say it again, for a 6-7 year stretch, no one could touch him as a complete player.

[@wilnerolivier7971]

1 word: Dominant!!

[@SnoopyReads]

He didn't really WALK much, but he made up for it with 200 plus hits every year

[@solomonjames2007]

My hero as well

[@timmyj7092]

4/20/24. Happy birthday, Donny Baseball.

[@deestrick5712]

Lol

[@jakejohnson6120]

What a nice man and great baseball player!

[@williamalexander1863]

I remember watching this episode in junior high. I modeled my swing as a hybrid between my two favorite lefties at the time. Don Mattingly and Will Clark!

[@torpedo58]

Two great models, right there !! The Hitman and the Thrill!❤

[@seanscott7070]

​@@torpedo58Did you use Clark's, scowl as a look?

[@torpedo58]

@@seanscott7070 LOL, no, but maybe I SHOULD have!! There sure were a lot of great hitters in the 80's.

[@seanscott7070]

@@torpedo58 Damn straight.

[@seanscott7070]

@@torpedo58 He's from my hometown. It's neither big, or that easy.

[@Ben-bs4od]

Should be in the hall of fame yup!!!!

[@rugger104]

35 years ago…Wow…Donnie Baseball was so beloved in NY. This audience had to be all tourists.

[@user-zr6pl6nb6z]

I'm glad to see him as a coach with the Blue Jays! Welcome Don!

[@Cirelli_Ryan]

Letterman ended the conversation with “We are looking at a HOF’er here ladies and gentlemen” at that moment in time it would have been hard to imagine -Mattingly would never come close to getting enshrined - and his best years were behind him and he’d only play -1 post season game in his entire career

[@SLagonia]

And then to have the Veterans' Committee disrespect him like that last year was just painful to watch.

[@Bruins-vq5ey]

Played 5 post season games

[@timothygray7650]

He deserves Hall of Fame a excellent 1st baseman. DONNY BASEBALL S GREAT PLAYER. (Personally I was a 1st baseman also).

[@dzanier]

What a great player he was. From 84-89 he was the best player in the game. Rickey was close. Winfield also.

[@SnoopyReads]

Crazy all three were Yankees and didn't even make the playoffs

[@Benjj99413]

When baseball players were normal people.

[@jakejp74]

The only reason I followed every single yankee baseball game

[@jwl1278]

One more season and he would probably be in the HOF.

[@billysheppard6091]

The hit man...

[@nyacoustics8373]

Yanks today need a great like Mattingly., most of the new plyers all suck and they cant pull through in a clutch to save their life!

[@certifiedvintagetreasures7653]

Mattingly is from my hometown, Evansville, Indiana

[@hughdismuke4703]

$1,850,000? what a deal! Today it's $50 million, $100 million, $200 million for ten years. etc. etc. etc. What happened in the last 36 years? 36 years later and he's still not in the Hall.

[@pascalmorawiec7343]

In his prime, as complete a player there ever was.

[@hicks727]

1.85 million lol . Now someone hitting .250 makes 30 mill a year

[@kingsfan_Tim]

There are players that play forever and pad stats like Harold Baines but nowhere as dominant as Mattingly. Unfortunately stats do matter and he is not in now. For a generation of fans though, Mattingly was the greatest of that era..and not to mention his influence in the sports card market at its highest popularity.

[@soldatsdelerepublique2134]

B4 his back injury he was possibly the best hitter in MLB

[@daleravic]

He's only 26 here and his maturity level.

[@samlamantia7780]

Still don't get why he's not a Hall Of Famer!?.

[@adamgrimsley2900]

Get rid of those sideburns Mattingly!!!!

[@user-zr6pl6nb6z]

"I still like him better than Steinbrenner."

[@themaestro3034]

My favorite player growing up. Guy is still a class act!

[@JetDriver77]

Don had the poster-boy baseball swing that every kid playing little-league wanted to mimic.

[@cluman1]

Don, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Rod Carew, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds all had one thing in common: great looking swings. My theory is they figured out the swing plane and that made them great hitters. No Barry Bonds jokes please. Personally, as great as Don was, he was 3 to 5 years away from getting into the hall. The BBHOF is the toughest hall of fame to get into. A contributing role in a world series win, another mvp, another 500 hits would have helped his case. I was and still am a Jay fan first but I do enjoy watching the greats play no matter what uniform they have on. Don was no exception.

[@butch1dc]

He shoulda won back to back mvps. They gave it to Clemens because Boston made the post season

[@deestrick5712]

Barry Bonds was no joke

[@cheddarcheese7928]

“Get a hair cut you God Damn hippie!’.

[@daviddeconinck499]

DONNIE BASEBALL 4EVER

[@perfectgame23]

A Yankee forever.

[@mrvrose9999]

Indeed, Hall of Fame already.

[@jimbob9828]

Letterman Jinxed The HOF. If he was Kirby Pucket he would be in.

[@yourfavcodplayer33]

david letterman jinxed him when he said were looking at a hall of famer lol

[@tommyfu9271]

crazy he hit 6 grand slams that year but never hit one before or after.

[@deestrick5712]

“I think he missed 62.5 games.”

[@sonnikdoh2510]

Should have been HOF. He got snubbed.

[@standing0]

Why is he not in the Hall?

[@NatTurnerswitBurnerz]

His prime was '84-'87. He didn't do it for long enough. That's why the writers didn't vote him in, I assume.

[@butch1dc]

@@NatTurnerswitBurnerzpretty much this. He had about a 6 year stretch where he was flat out dominant. Just couldn’t sustain it. But it’s a shame there isn’t a spot for someone who was the best in the game for a stretch.

[@JohnMacRae23]

Hey baseball gods... it's time... it's time to put Donnie Baseball in the Hall.

[@teresapflaumer5717]

10-7-87

[@HouseholdOperator]

Donnie Baseball!

[@Alcapone3176]

Not a better guy in the game. If only his body held up for another 3 or 4 years he’d be in the Hall. Just could not put together those amazing numbers in the last five years like he did the first five.

[@stillnessspeaks4080]

Should have taken steroids I guess

[@hicks727]

He says "fucking" like 3 times

[@SnoopyReads]

When?

[@MrGuzmanra]

Is he in hof??

[@jwbronco30]

Not yet.

[@giuliettarenner1343]

That is an error that will soon be corrected....🙌

[@duewhit310]

Dave likes to hear himself talk

[@artboston4787]

It must've been sickening for Donnie baseball to watch defensive liability/DH Edgar Martinez get into the hall of fame on a last chance sympathy vote.

[@jameshudson169]

hall of famer? when? when?? did i miss something?!

[@BillyBong]

That's what nobody understands,. They were calling him a hall-of-famer after 4 years. It was everyone's opinion of him. You probably weren't even alive then and if you were, you're oblivious if you didn't think he was at that point in time. He was the best Player in baseball from 84-90.

[@jameshudson169]

@@BillyBong it ain't over yet. he might make the hall yet.

[@BillyBong]

@jameshudson169 I hope so. He was and still is a legend. Everyone knows it but they don't like that he doesn't have 400 hrs and 3000 hits. It shouldn't matter. Gale Sayers is in nfl hall of fame off of 5-6 years, and no one has a problem with it. It's crazy to me.

[@jameshudson169]

@@BillyBong Mattingly's numbers are as good as Alex Martinezes'. And Alex doesn't have nine goldgloves.

[@MarvinMonroe]

Its the biggest joke ever tjat Mattinhly and Dale Murphy arent in the Hall of Fame

[@lowmazda626]

HOFer in my book