The shape (Old English: gesceap, created thing) of an object located in some space is a geometrical description of the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from location and orientation in space, size, and other properties such as colour, content, and material composition.

Mathematician and statistician David George Kendall writes:^[1]

In this paper ‘shape’ is used in the vulgar sense, and means what one would normally expect it to mean. [...] We here define ‘shape’ informally as ‘all the geometrical information that remains when location, scale^[2] and rotational effects are filtered out from an object.’

Simple shapes can be described by basic geometry objects such as a set of two or more points, a line, a curve, a plane, a plane figure (e.g. square or circle), or a solid figure (e.g. cube or sphere). Most shapes occurring in the physical world are complex. Some, such as plant structures and coastlines, may be so arbitrary as to defy traditional mathematical description – in which case they may be analyzed by differential geometry, or as fractals.

Rigid shape definition[link]

In geometry, two subsets of a Euclidean space have the same shape if one can be transformed to the other by a combination of translations, rotations (together also called rigid transformations), and uniform scalings. In other words, the shape of a set of points is all the geometrical information that is invariant to translations, rotations, and size changes. Having the same shape is an equivalence relation, and accordingly a precise mathematical definition of the notion of shape can be given as being an equivalence class of subsets of a Euclidean space having the same shape.

Shapes of physical objects are equal if the subsets of space these objects occupy satisfy the definition above. In particular, the shape does not depend on the size and placement in space of the object. For instance, a "p" and a "d" have the same shape, as they can be perfectly superimposed if the "p" is translated to the right by a given distance, rotated upside down and magnified by a given factor (see Procrustes superimposition for details). However, a mirror image could be called a different shape. For instance, a "b" and a "d" have a different shape, at least when they are constrained to move within a two-dimensional space like the page on which they are written. Even though they have the same size, there's no way to perfectly superimpose them by traslating and rotating them along the page. Similarly, within a three-dimensional space, a right hand and a left hand have a different shape, even if they are the mirror images of each other. Shapes may change if the object is scaled non uniformly. For example, a sphere becomes an ellipsoid when scaled differently in the vertical and horizontal directions. In other words, preserving axes of symmetry (if they exist) is important for preserving shapes. Also, shape is determined by only the outer boundary of an object. For example, a solid ice cube and a second ice cube containing an inner cavity (air bubble) have the same shape.^{[citation needed]}

Objects that can be transformed into each other by rigid transformations and mirroring are congruent. An object is therefore congruent to its mirror image (even if it is not symmetric), but not to a scaled version. Objects that have the same shape or one has the same shape as the other's mirror image (or both if they are themselves symmetric) are called geometrically similar. Thus congruent objects are always geometrically similar, but geometrical similarity additionally allows uniform scaling.

Non-rigid shape definition[link]

A more flexible definition of shape takes into consideration the fact that realistic shapes are often deformable, e.g. a person in different postures, a tree bending in the wind or a hand with different finger positions. By allowing also isometric (or near-isometric) deformations like bending, the intrinsic geometry of the object will stay the same, while sub-parts might be located at very different positions in space. This definition uses the fact that, geodesics (curves measured along the surface of the object) stay the same, independent of the isometric embedding. This means that the distance from a finger to a toe of a person measured along the body is always the same, independent of posture. By only considering geodesic distances or other isometric properties as done in spectral shape analysis, it is possible to retrieve all cats in a database of animals independent of the pose.

Colloquial shape definition[link]

Shape can also be more loosely defined as "the appearance of something, especially its outline". This definition is consistent with the above, in that the shape of a set does not depend on its position, size or orientation. However, it does not always imply an exact mathematical transformation. For example it is common to talk of star-shaped objects even though the number of points of the star is not defined.

Philosophical skepticism of definitions[link]

In Plato's Meno, Socrates questions Meno as to the most accurate definition of a figure/shape. By showing the possibility of there being more than one definition, Socrates shows that a definition cannot wholly and accurately describe something and that there is no one absolute definition for anything including shape. ^[3]

Shape analysis[link]

The modern definition of shape^{[clarification needed]} has arisen in the field of statistical shape analysis. In particular Procrustes analysis, which is a technique for analyzing the statistical distributions of shapes. These techniques have been used to examine the alignments of random points. Other methods are designed to work with non-rigid (bendable) objects, e.g. for posture independent shape retrieval (see for example Spectral shape analysis).

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up shape in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Answers for many questions related to shapes and sizes of common objects
• American artist Allan McCollum's project to create a unique "shape" for every individual on the planet
• Shape Stencils from Stencil Ease

Laurence Owen
Personal information
Full name	Laurence Rochon Owen
Alternative names	Laurie Owen; The Winchester Pixie
Country represented	United States
Born	(1944-05-09)May 9, 1944 Oakland, California
Died	February 15, 1961(1961-02-15) (aged 16) Berg-Kampenhout, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Former coach	Maribel Vinson
Skating club	SC of Boston
Medal record Competitor for  United States Ladies' Figure skating North American Championships Gold 1961 Philadelphia Ladies' singles

Laurence Rochon "Laurie" Owen ( /lɔrˈɔːns/; May 9, 1944 – February 15, 1961) was a Hall of Fame American figure skater. She was the 1961 U.S. National Champion and represented the United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where she placed 6th. She was the daughter of Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen and the sister of Maribel Owen. Laurence Owen died, along with her mother and sister, in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships.

Life and career[link]

Laurence Owen was born in Oakland and for the first eight years grew up in Berkeley, California. She was the second child of Guy Owen and Maribel Vinson and the younger sister of Maribel Owen. In 1952, shortly after the death of her father, her mother moved back to her girlhood home at 195 High Street in Winchester, Massachusetts with Laurie and her sister Maribel. Laurie went to Winchester Junior High School and then attended Winchester High School where she was an honor student and participated in several sports.^[1]

In 1956, Laurie won the Eastern Junior Ladies title and was unable to participate in the United States Championships that year because of a broken wrist. In 1958, she placed 3rd in the United States Figure Skating Championship Junior Ladies Division. In 1959, Laurie won the United States Figure Skating Championship Junior Ladies Division.^[2]

In January 1960, Laurie placed 3rd in the 1960 United States Figure Skating Championships and qualified for the 1960 Winter Olympics where she placed 6th. Her mother, the 1932 Winter Olympics Bronze Medalist and nine times US Singles Champion Maribel Vinson-Owen was her coach.

On January 29, 1961, Laurie won the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs and won the 1961 North American Figure Skating Championships on February 12, 1961 in Philadelphia.^[3] After her victory at the US Nationals, she became a media sensation and was nicknamed "The Winchester Pixie".^[4] On February 13, 1961 she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine with a feature story that called her "America's most exciting girl skater."^[5]

On January 28, 2011 Laurence Owen was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame along with the entire 1961 World Team. Her sister Maribel Owen also was inducted and her mother Maribel Vinson Owen was inducted for a third time in 2011; in her capacity as a 1961 World Team Coach. Previously, her mother had been inducted in the inaugural Class of 1976 as a singles skater and for a second time in 1994 as a pairs skater.^[6]

On February 17, 2011 the U.S. Figure Skating Association released the documentary film entitled "Rise 1961". The movie chronicled the relationship between Laurence and her mother, the airliner crash in Belgium and the rebirth of the United States Figure Skating Team after the crash.^[7]

Death[link]

As national champion, Laurence Owen was selected as a member of the U.S. team for the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships, to be held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The championships were scheduled to begin on February 22, 1961.^[3] Laurence, her mother Maribel Vinson-Owen, her sister Maribel, and the other members of the 1961 United States Figure Skating Team and their coaches boarded Sabena Flight 548 just before 7:30 pm EST on Valentine's Day 1961 at Idlewild Airport in New York.^[3] On February 15, 1961, about 10:00 am Brussels Time, the Boeing 707 approached Zaventem Airport. The airplane attempted to land, as it was about to touch down on the runway; engine power increased, it performed a go-around and climbed to 1,500 feet.^[8] The airplane attempted to circle and land on another runway, but never made it back to the airport. It crashed in a marshy area adjacent to a farm field less than two miles from the airport (50° 56′ 1.22″ N, 4° 32′ 9.68″ E) at 10:04 a.m. Brussels Time. All 72 people on board, as well as a farmer on the ground, were killed.^[9] Laurence Owen was just 16 years old.

The World Championships that year were canceled out of respect for the United States team.

A memorial service was held on February 26, and Laurence was interred beside her mother and sister in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts that day.

Epilogue[link]

In her book on figure skating, Debbi Wilkes, a Canadian Hall of Fame skater and coach who watched Laurence Owen win her title, wrote:

"Laurence was wonderful. She had a fresh, wholesome look, but didn't fit into any mold. She was carefree and joyous on the ice. She had wonderful rosy cheeks, beautiful big eyes and a short shag haircut that feathered over her face and fluttered when she skated. I was totally enchanted by her."

Laurence Owen had planned to attend her mother's alma mater, Radcliffe College, with a view to eventually becoming a writer. Following her death, at her high school in Winchester, Massachusetts, Laurie Owen's English teacher read a poem to her classmates that Laurie had recently written. The poem ended with these words:

Gloom is but a shadow of the night, long past;

Hope is the light,

The radiance.

Results[link]

See also[link]

• Maribel Vinson
• Maribel Owen
• Guy Owen
• Sabena Flight 548
• Sports Illustrated Jinx

References[link]

• Nichols, Nikki (2006). Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. Emmis Books. ISBN 1-57860-260-2. 
• "Laurence Owen Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ow/laurie-owen-1.html. Retrieved 4 February 2010. 

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• U.S. Figure Skating biography
• Remembering Flight 548: Shattered dreams
• February 13, 1961 Sports Illustrated Cover
• Documentary Film "Rise"

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2008)

Suzy Bogguss
Suzy Bogguss at Aledo, IL Rhubarb Festival Concert on June 6th, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Susan Kay Bogguss
Born	(1956-12-30) December 30, 1956 (age 55)
Origin	Aledo, Illinois, USA
Genres	Country, Folk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Acoustic guitar, Piano
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Capitol Liberty Platinum Compadre
Associated acts	Lee Greenwood Matraca Berg Gretchen Peters Kathy Mattea Patty Loveless Pam Tillis Reba McEntire Billy Dean
Website	Suzy Bogguss Official Site

Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss (born December 30, 1956) is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.

After taking a brief recording hiatus in the mid-1990s to start a family with her husband, songwriter Doug Crider, Bogguss returned to the country music industry, but did not match her previous commercial success. Although she last appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart in 2001, Bogguss continues to record and perform around the country.

Early life and rise to success[link]

Bogguss was born in Aledo, Illinois. At the age of 5, she began singing in the Angel Choir of the College Avenue Presbyterian Church in her hometown. With the encouragement of her parents, she took lessons in piano and drums, and as a teenager picked up the guitar as well. She starred in several musicals at Aledo High School, where she was crowned homecoming queen during her senior year. After graduating in 1975, she enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan University, but later transferred to Illinois State University, graduating in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in metalsmithing.

While in college, Bogguss sang and played guitar and drums in local coffeehouses, and after graduating became a regular on the club circuit in the Quad Cities area, performing frequently in Davenport, Rock Island, Kewanee and Peoria. In 1980, she began touring the United States, and produced her first independent album, Suzy, on the Old Shack Recording label. This LP was available for purchase at her shows and is now considered to be a rare collector's item.

In 1985, Bogguss moved to Nashville, where she worked as a demo singer by day and played in clubs at night. The following year, she became the first featured female performer at Dollywood, a theme park owned by country music legend Dolly Parton. This prompted her to produce an eponymous demo cassette, which she sold at her Dollywood shows. During this time she met songwriter and future husband Doug Crider, who penned one of the songs on the demo. Eventually, the demo caught the attention of a record label executive Jim Foglesong, who offered her a recording contract on the Liberty/Capitol Nashville label.

Liberty/Capitol recording career[link]

In 1987, Bogguss released her first singles on the Liberty/Capitol label. Of these ("I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire," "Love Will Never Slip Away," and "Come as You Were"), two succeeded in making the lower reaches of the country music charts, but were left off her first LP, Somewhere Between, in March, 1989. The album, with its blend of traditional and contemporary styles, drew positive reviews, and Bogguss finally struck gold when the record's second single, "Cross My Broken Heart," became a top twenty hit on the country music charts. Following its success, she was named the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist.

For her second album, Moment of Truth, production tasks were taken over by new label-head and Nashville heavyweight Jimmy Bowen, who moved Bogguss's sound in a more polished direction. However, the album's two singles failed to rise beyond the lower reaches of the Billboard charts. A duet she recorded with Lee Greenwood, "Hopelessly Yours," went to #12 on the country singles chart and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.

In 1991 Bogguss released the platinum-selling Aces. The LP yielded four hit singles - "Someday Soon," "Outbound Plane," "Aces," and "Letting Go," the latter three all reaching the country Top Ten. The following year, the Country Music Association recognized her achievements by giving her its Horizon Award, awarded annually to the artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development.

Her 1992 follow-up, Voices in the Wind, earned Bogguss her second straight gold record. The album's first single, a cover of John Hiatt's "Drive South", just missed the #1 spot but gave Bogguss the highest-charting hit of her career to date. Her streak continued the following year with another gold record, Something Up My Sleeve, giving her two additional Top Five hits in "Just Like the Weather" and "Hey Cinderella". The latter, which she cowrote with Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison, has gone on to become one of Bogguss's trademark songs.

After the successes of those two years, Bogguss changed direction, parting with Bowen, who had produced her four previous albums. Her 1994 release, Simpatico, was a low-key album of duets with long-time friend and guitar legend Chet Atkins. Although the album was generally well reviewed, its lone single, "One More for the Road," did not chart. Many feel this was due to Capitol's being distracted by the feud between Bowen and the label's biggest star at the time, Garth Brooks.^{[citation needed]} The disagreement ultimately ended with Bowen leaving the label and Simpatico falling through the cracks. The same year, Bogguss's Greatest Hits album was released and went gold.

In 1994, Bogguss collaborated with Alison Krauss, Kathy Mattea, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash to contribute "Teach Your Children" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Not long after Simpatico was recorded, Bogguss temporarily set her music aside to start a family. Bogguss and Crider's first child, Benton Charles Crider, was born on March 17, 1995. Sixteen months later, she was back with her sixth solo album (excluding her greatest hits compilation), entitled Give Me Some Wheels. During her hiatus, the climate of country music had changed considerably, with more pop-oriented female singers such as Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Sara Evans and Shania Twain dominating the charts. Bogguss's traditional, straightforward style failed to connect with younger listeners, and the record yielded disappointing sales.

After her next album, 1998's Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt, also proved unsuccessful, Bogguss was dropped from the Liberty/Capitol label. With her typical grace and aplomb, she issued the following statement on February 18, 1999:

Indie Label recording career[link]

In May 1999, Bogguss found a new home with Nashville-based fledgling label Platinum Records, headed by chief George Collier, who had formerly worked at Capitol. Within three months, she had released her debut, a self-titled album, not to be confused with the independently produced LP from her days as a traveling folk troubadour. (Adding to the confusion is the fact that the album is sometimes referred to as It's a Perfect Day.) Again, the album floundered, with only one single even making an appearance on the country charts.

In 2001, Bogguss decided to form her own record label, Loyal Dutchess. Its first release was the album Live at Caffé Milano, culled from three separate 1999 performances at the now-closed Caffé Milano in Nashville, TN. This release is only available for purchase at Bogguss's official website. A few months later, she released the holiday album, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a combination of new and previously available material included through a special licensing agreement with her old label, Capitol. In addition to being available at her website, the CD was also offered through Amazon.com, select retailers, and at her live performances.

In March, 2003, Bogguss and her own Loyal Dutchess Records label secured a deal with Compadre Records. Her first release on this label was the pure Western swing album, Swing, that she had been recording with producer Ray Benson, the 6'7" frontman of Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel. Although the album saw only lukewarm sales (it reached #6 on the jazz album charts, but failed to appear on the Billboard 200), it was a critical success. She then released Sweet Danger in 2007, which failed to reach the country charts, but peaked at #4 on the jazz charts.

Discography[link]

References[link]

• Bufwack, Mary A. "Suzy Bogguss." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. (1998). Paul Kinsgbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 43.
• "Suzy Bogguss" in Country Music: the encyclopedia. (1997). Irwin Stambler, Grelun Landon. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 40-41.

External links[link]

• Suzy Bogguss Official Site

Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees (1969–1979). A perennial All-Star, Munson is the only Yankee ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson was selected as the fourth pick of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. Munson hit over .300 in his two seasons in the Minor Leagues, establishing himself as a hot prospect. He became the starting catcher late in the 1969 season, when the Yankees were reestablishing themselves after a few losing seasons. Munson played his first complete season in 1970, becoming Rookie of the Year after hitting .302.

Considered the "heart and soul" of the Yankees, Munson became the first team captain since Lou Gehrig. He led the Yankees to three consecutive World Series, winning two of them.

Munson died at age 32 while practicing landing his Cessna Citation at Akron-Canton Airport. Munson suffered a broken neck as result of the crash and his cause of death was asphyxiation. His two companions escaped the burned aircraft.

Amateur career[link]

Munson was born in Akron, Ohio to Darrell Vernon Munson and Ruth Myrna Smylie, the youngest of four children.^[1] His father was a World War II veteran who became a truck driver while his mother was a homemaker.^[2] When he turned eight, the Munson family moved to nearby Canton, Ohio.^[3] He was taught how to play baseball by his older brother Duane, and usually played baseball with kids Duane's age, who were four years older.^[4] His brother left to the United States Air Force while Thurman was a freshman in high school.^[5] He attended Lehman High School in Canton, Ohio where he was captain of the football, baseball and basketball teams and was all-city and state in all three sports.^[6] Munson played halfback on the football squad, guard on the basketball squad, and mostly shortstop in baseball.^[7] Munson switched to catcher in his senior year in order to handle the pitching prowess of his teammate, Jerome Pruett (a fifth round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 but never reached the Major Leagues).^[8] He attracted scholarship offers from various colleges. opted to attend nearby Kent State University on scholarship, where he was a teammate of pitcher and broadcaster Steve Stone.

In the summer of 1967, Munson joined the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he led the Chatham A's to their first league title with a prodigious .420 batting average. In recognition of this achievement and his subsequent professional achievements, the Thurman Munson Batting Award is given each season to the League's batting champion.^[9]

Rookie of the Year[link]

Munson was selected by the Yankees with the fourth overall pick in the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. In his only full minor league season, he batted .301 with six home runs and 37 runs batted in for the Binghamton Triplets in their final season (1968), and made his first appearance in Yankee Stadium in August 1968, when the Triplets came to play an exhibition game against the Yankees.^[10] He was batting .363 for the Syracuse Chiefs in 1969 when he earned a promotion to the New York Yankees.

Munson made his major league debut on August 8, 1969 in the second game of a double header against the Oakland Athletics.^[11] Munson went two for three with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored. Two days later, his first major league home run was the second of three consecutive home runs hit by the Yankees off Lew Krausse in a 5 – 1 Yankee victory over the A's.^[12] For the season, Munson batted .256 with one home run and nine RBIs. He made 97 plate appearances, but drew ten walks and had one sacrifice fly, which gave him 86 official at bats, and allowed him to go into the 1970 season still technically a rookie.

The Yankees used a platoon of Jake Gibbs and Frank Fernández at catcher for most of 1969. During the off season, the Yankees dealt Fernandez to the A's to make room for their rising star behind the plate. Munson responded by batting .302 with seven home runs and 57 RBIs, and making 80 assists en route to receiving the 1970 American League Rookie of the Year award.

All-Star[link]

Munson received his first of seven All-Star nods in 1971, catching the last two innings without an at-bat.^[13] An outstanding fielder, Munson committed only one error all season. It occurred on June 18 against the Baltimore Orioles when opposing catcher Andy Etchebarren knocked Munson unconscious on a play at the plate, dislodging the ball.^[14] He also only allowed nine passed balls all season and caught 36 of a potential 59 base stealers for a stellar 61% caught stealing percentage.

Munson was known for his longstanding feud with Boston Red Sox counterpart Carlton Fisk.^[15] One particular incident that typified their feud, and the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry in general, occurred on August 1, 1973 at Fenway Park. With the score tied at 2–2 in the top of the ninth, Munson attempted to score on Gene Michael's missed bunt attempt. Munson barreled into Fisk, triggering a ten minute bench-clearing brawl in which both catchers were ejected.^[16] As Red Sox pitcher John Curtis let his first pitch go, Munson broke for the plate. Michael tried to bunt, and missed. With Munson coming, the scrawny Yankee shortstop tried to step in Fisk's way, but Carlton elbowed him out of the way and braced for Munson, who crashed into him as hard as he could. Fisk held onto the ball, but Munson tried to lie on top of him to allow Felipe Alou, who was at first base, to keep rounding the bases.

Fisk kicked Munson off him and into the air, and swiped at him with his fist. Michael grabbed Fisk, and as Curtis grabbed Munson—his former Cape Cod League roommate—Fisk threw Michael down with his left arm and fell to the ground. "Fisk had his left arm right across Stick's throat and wouldn't let up," said Ralph Houk, the Yankees manager at the time. "Michael couldn't breathe. I had to crawl underneath the pile to try to pry Fisk's arm off his throat to keep him from killing Stick. All the while he had Michael pinned down, he was punching Munson underneath the pile. I had no idea Fisk was that strong, but he was scary." (The Yankees went on to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth when Sparky Lyle gave up a single to Mario Guerrero that drove in Fisk's replacement, Bob Montgomery, with the winning run.)

Munson made his second All-Star team and won his first of three straight Gold Glove Awards in 1973. He also emerged as more of a slugger for the Yankees, batting .300 for the first time since 1970, and hitting a career high twenty home runs. In 1974, Munson was elected to start his first of three consecutive All-Star games, going one for three with a walk and a run scored.^[17]

MVP[link]

Munson batted a career high .318 in 1975, which was third in the league behind Rod Carew and Fred Lynn. For the start of the 1976 season, Munson was named the first Yankees team captain since Lou Gehrig retired in 1939. He responded by batting .302 with seventeen home runs and 105 RBIs to receive the American League MVP Award and lead the Yankees to their first World Series since 1964. He batted .435 with three RBIs and three runs scored in the 1976 American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals, and batted .529 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the 1976 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Already down three games to none, Munson went four for four in the final game of the Series at Yankee Stadium to try to avoid a sweep to the "Big Red Machine." Combined with the hits he got in his final two at bats in game three, his six consecutive hits tied a World Series record set by Goose Goslin of the Washington Senators in 1925.

Reds catcher Johnny Bench was named World Series MVP. A fairly obvious comparison of opposing backstops was made to Reds manager Sparky Anderson during the post-World Series press conference, to which, Anderson responded, "Munson is an outstanding ballplayer and he would hit .300 in the National League, but you don't ever compare anybody to Johnny Bench. Don't never embarrass nobody by comparing them to Johnny Bench." Munson was visibly upset by these comments when he got on the mic shortly afterwards.^[18]

World Series Champion[link]

Munson batted .308 with 100 RBIs in 1977, giving him three consecutive seasons batting .300 or better with 100 or more RBI each year. He was the first catcher to accomplish the feat in three consecutive years since Yankee Hall of Famer Bill Dickey's four straight seasons from 1936-1939, matched only by Mike Piazza since (1996–1998). The Yankees repeated as American League Champions, and faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. Munson batted .320 with a home run and three RBIs in the Yankees four games to two victory over the Dodgers. The Dodgers had stolen 114 bases during the regular season, yet Munson caught four of six potential base stealers in the first four games of the series to keep the speedy Dodgers grounded in the final two.

The Yankees and Royals faced each other for the third consecutive time in the 1978 American League Championship Series. With the ALCS tied at a game apiece, and trailing 5–4 in the bottom of the eighth inning of game three, Munson hit the longest home run of his career, a 475-foot shot off Doug Bird over Yankee Stadium's Monument Park in left-center field, to give the Yankees a 6–5 win.^[19] They won the pennant the next day, and went on to beat the Dodgers again for the 1978 World Series Championship.

Death[link]

Brad Gulden (with Billy Martin and Catfish Hunter) was one of two catchers to play in the game after Thurman Munson's funeral. His black memorial armband is visible.

The Yankees had lost three in a row, and were in fourth place, eleven games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East heading into the All-Star break in 1979. Despite a .297 average, the wear-and-tear of catching was beginning to take its toll on Munson, and he was overlooked for the American League All-Star team. Frequently homesick, he had a well-known desire to play for the Cleveland Indians in order to be closer to his family,^[20] and was also considering retiring at the end of the season.

Munson had been taking flying lessons for over two years and purchased a Cessna Citation I/SP jet so he could fly home to his family in Canton on off-days. On August 2, 1979, he was practicing takeoffs and landings at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport with friend Jerry Anderson and flight instructor Dave Hall.^[21] On the third touch-and-go landing, Munson allowed the aircraft to sink too low before increasing engine power, causing the jet to clip a tree and fall short of the runway. The plane then hit a tree stump and burst into flames.^[22]

Hall and Anderson both managed to survive the accident. Hall received burns on his arms and hands, and Anderson received burns on his face, arm and neck. Munson suffered a broken neck and would have most likely had been a quadraplegic had he lived. Munson died of asphyxiation due to the inhalation of superheated air and toxic substances.^[23] An investigation into the crash stated that the probable cause was "...the pilot's failure to recognize the need for, and to take action to maintain, sufficient airspeed to prevent a stall into the ground during an attempted landing. The pilot also failed to recognize the need for timely and sufficient power application to prevent the stall during an approach conducted inadvertently without flaps extended. Contributing to the pilot's inability to recognize the problem and to take proper action was his failure to use the appropriate checklist and his nonstandard pattern procedures which resulted in an abnormal approach profile."^[24]

Legacy[link]

Thurman Munson's number 15 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1979.

The day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the team paid tribute to their deceased captain in a pre-game ceremony in which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty. Following a prayer by Cardinal Terence Cooke, a moment of silence and "America The Beautiful" by Robert Merrill, the fans (announced attendance 51,151) burst into an eight minute standing ovation. Jerry Narron, the man who would replace Munson behind the plate that night,^[21] remained in the dugout and did not enter the field until stadium announcer Bob Sheppard said, "And now it is time to play ball. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for your co-operation."

On August 6, the entire Yankee team attended Munson's funeral in Canton, Ohio. Teammates Lou Piniella and Bobby Murcer, who were Munson's best friends, gave eulogies. That night (before a national viewing audience on ABC's Monday Night Baseball) the Yankees beat the Orioles 5–4 in New York, with Murcer driving in all five runs with a three-run home run in the seventh inning and a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth.^[25]

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner retired Munson's number 15 immediately upon his catcher's death. On September 20, 1980, a plaque dedicated to Munson's memory was placed in Monument Park. The plaque bears excerpts from an inscription composed by Steinbrenner and flashed on the stadium scoreboard the day after his death:

Our captain and leader has not left us, today, tomorrow, this year, next ... Our endeavors will reflect our love and admiration for him.

Munson's locker in the New York Yankees Museum, 2009.

The locker that Munson used, along with a bronzed set of his catching equipment, was donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite a packed clubhouse, Munson's final locker position was never reassigned. The empty locker next to current Yankee team captain Derek Jeter's, with Munson's number 15 on it, remained as a tribute to the Yankees' lost catcher in the original Yankee Stadium until the Stadium closed in 2008. Munson's locker was moved in one piece to the New Yankee Stadium. It is located in the New York Yankees Museum. Visitors can view the Yankees Museum on game days from when the gates open to the end of the eighth inning and during Yankee Stadium tours. Munson's number 15 is also displayed on the center-field wall at Thurman Munson Stadium, a minor-league ballpark in Canton. Munson is buried at Canton's Sunset Hills Burial Park.

A modest, one-block street at Concourse Village East and 156th Street in The Bronx was named Thurman Munson Way in 1979. Two school buildings, which house several schools including Henry Lou Gehrig Junior High School, have since been built on the street.^[26]

On August 1, 1980, the day before the first anniversary of the accident, the Yankees filed a $4.5-million lawsuit against Cessna Aircraft Co. and Flight Safety International, Inc. (the company who was training Munson to fly) with team spokesman John J. McCarty saying "we asked for $4.5 million because that is what Munson would be worth if the Yankees traded him." Munson's widow, Diana, also filed a $42.2 million wrongful death lawsuit against the two companies. Cessna offered Munson a special deal on flying lessons if he would take them from Flight Safety. Rather than requiring Munson to take a two week safety class in Kansas, Flight Safety assigned a "traveling instructor" to go on the road with him, and train him between ballgames.^[27] The suit was eventually settled out of court.

Family[link]

In September 1968, Munson married Diana Dominick at St. John's Parish in Canton. He is survived by Diana^[28] and their three children: Tracy, Kelly and Michael. In January 2008, Michael opened a baseball-themed sports bar in Canton called Munson's Home Plate Sports Pub. The pub is decorated in baseball memorabilia and photographs from throughout Munson's career.

Career stats[link]

Munson had a career .357 batting average in the post-season with three home runs, 22 RBIs and nineteen runs scored. His batting average in the World Series was .373. Munson threw out 44.48% of base runners who tried stealing a base on him, ranking him 11th on the all-time list.^[29]

References[link]

Bibliography

• Marty Appel (2009). Munson, The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain. New York: Doubleday Books. ISBN 978-0-385-52231-1. 

Inline citations

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• NTSB Aircraft Accident Report – probable cause investigation report on Munson's plane crash
• The Deadball Era
• Mike Pagliarulo's Tribute to Thurman Munson
• Thurman Munson at Find a Grave

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