Somehow I doubt this is a coincidence. According to the Associated Press, the actor and lifelong passionate Yankees fan Billy Crystal will sign a minor league contract with the team, working out with them on Wednesday and playing in an exhibition game on Thursday. The team’s opponent in that game? Yup, you guessed it, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I’ve been waiting 50 years for this call,” Crystal said in a statement released by the team. “I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and commissioner Selig. I know this’ll be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I’m looking forward to helping the younger players, which by the way is all of them. Oops, I have to go, Scott Boras is on the phone.”
I suppose it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Crystal chose to make his major league debut against the Pirates. According to the article, Crystal will wear number 60 for the Yankees, as the game is being played one day before his 60th birthday. That means it’s been more than four decades since Crystal last played competitive baseball, batting .348 as the senior captain of his Long Beach High School team. In those circumstances, wouldn’t you choose to go against the team with the worst record in the sport in the last decade and a half? Heck, I think Zach Duke made a rehab start in the Broadway Softball League last summer and was touched up for six runs in two innings, including home runs by Nathan Lane and Chita Rivera.
If all goes well for Crystal, I fully expect to see Sid Caesar in pinstripes for the series between the two teams this June.
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Geez…just what I need to see on SportsCenter on Thursday…Crystal doing his Willie Montanez trot after taking some Pirate pitcher deep.
Ah, the sweet thumping sound of an Ian Snell heater into Billy Crystal’s ribs.
Further proof that baseball is not really a sport, unless you mean like bowling or billiards is a sport.
Imagine a 59 year old taking a game in pro football, basketball, or hockey.
National past its time.
i hope the moron leaves on a stretcher, not dead but with his ‘uni’ filled with his shit and piss. hey crystal…f*** you