How Big Of An Ovation Does Mattingly Get Tonight?

Probably not as big as CM Punk in Chicago - kinda hard to beat that in an open-air baseball stadium that's only a third full when the game starts - but I bet it'll be pretty close tonight when Donnie Baseball returns to Yankee Stadium.  Personally I was a little young to really be a big Don Mattingly fan.  I caught him at the end of his career, when his health had started to betray him and the transition was being made to the Core Four dynasty.  But if you know anything about Yankee history, you know that Mattingly was and is one of the most beloved players in team history.  He was Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter was Derek Jeter.

I could care less about any of the talk about him returning as future manager or coach.  His track record on the coaching side of Major League baseball isn't all that stellar and I think Joe is still the better man for the job.  For nostalgia and fan history's sake though, it will be cool to see Mattingly back in Yankee Stadium tonight.  He'll get a huge reaction from the crowd and he deserves it.