Joe DiMaggio - Wikipedia

Thanks you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for reminding us that November 25 is the anniversary of the birth of American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees Joseph Paul DiMaggio who was nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper."
Rest in peace Joseph Paul DiMaggio!

SportsCentury Greatest Athletes #22: Joe DiMaggio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgmT4_hmsWg

Images:
1. Joe DiMaggio in a suit
2. Joe DiMaggio Very young
3. Joe DiMaggio - U.S. Army SSG
4. Joe DiMaggio - marriage to Marilyn Monroe.

Background from [https://www.joedimaggio.com/the-man/]
"The Man
Overview
Joe DiMaggio - The ManBigger than the game that made him an American icon, Joe DiMaggio, the man, enchanted a nation and earned a revered place in history with his natural grace, undeniable power, and unparalleled 56-game hitting streak. DiMaggio is both myth and legend who adds intrigue and honor to American history.
Known for his devotion to the game of baseball as much as for his athletic prowess, DiMaggio changed the way America viewed the sport, entertaining sports fans of all ages and from all demographics and walks of life like had never been done before.
Fans described his style as pure, graceful and fluid; his performance on the field was truly something to behold and left fans awestruck. But his influence did not stop with the game of baseball. DiMaggio was known to bring the same level of devotion and gracefulness to other causes and people in his life.
Generation after generation continues to remember Joe DiMaggio—the man, not just the baseball player. His legacy of perseverance, devotion and greatness carry on and continue to inspire our culture inside and outside of the sports world to this day.

Childhood
Born as Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio in Martinez, California on November 25, 1914, Joe DiMaggio was the fourth son and eighth child born to Sicilian immigrants Guiseppe and Rosalie DiMaggio. The couple had traveled to America in 1898, leaving behind the community of Isola delle Femmine off the coast of Sicily and the waters where the DiMaggios had been fishermen for generations.
DiMaggio’s father, Guiseppe, brought his family from Italy to the Martinez fishing community and then later, when Joe was one-year-old, to the Italian neighborhood North Beach in San Francisco in hopes of better fishing and an improved way of life for the family.
Because of the family business’s span over generations, Guiseppe hoped his sons would go with tradition and join him as fishermen. While Joe’s older brothers, Tom and Michael, followed in their father’s footsteps, Joe was uninterested. His disdain for the smell of dead fish and his desire to do anything to get out of cleaning the fishing boat did not go over well with Guiseppe, who was known to insult Joe with words like “good for nothing.”
Early Baseball Experiences
To get away from fishing, Joe and two of his brothers—older brother Vince and younger brother Dominic—took to the neighborhood sandlots. Joe had his first baseball experience at the age of ten, playing third base at the North Beach playground near their home by Fisherman’s Wharf.
In his autobiography, Lucky to be a Yankee, Joe explained it wasn’t that baseball was especially appealing to him, but it was better than helping his father on the boat.
It was no secret that Guiseppe was not a baseball fan and was vocal about his preference for the Italian game Bocci. Still, for the young DiMaggio the game was an excuse to get away from chores. Once his father gave up trying to get Joe away from baseball, Joe himself lost interest at the age of 14 and instead began selling newspapers. However, when Joe saw his brother Vince had been signed by the San Francisco Seals and was making money playing baseball, he decided to come back to the game.
In Lucky to be a Yankee, Joe said that Vince encouraged him to take the game more seriously and believed Joe was a good enough player to make money. From that moment of reentering the world of baseball, Joe proved he was committed to the game.
Joe’s childhood experience in baseball culminated with winning the championship in the Boys Club League with other kids from his neighborhood. During the championship game, Joe hit two home runs and was awarded his first payment: two gold baseballs and two orders for baseball merchandise worth $8 each.

Armed Forces
Joe DiMaggio - Armed ForcesJoe DiMaggio traded a $43,750 Yankees salary for a payment of $50 each month when he chose to enlist in the army on February 17th, 1943. It was reported that Joe requested he receive no special treatment, yet he spent most of his time in the Army playing baseball, as did many other big league stars.
The purpose of Joe and other big leaguers playing on the military teams was to keep the regular troops entertained, as well as keep public morale high. World War I had put an end to the baseball season in 1918, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed it was important for the country to keep baseball going in World War II.
In Roosevelt’s now famous “Green Light Letter,” he encouraged baseball and its owners to continue playing during World War II:
I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before.
Because of this push from Roosevelt, Joe and others continued to play and bring entertainment to a nation, solidifying the sport as America’s favorite pastime—even during hard times.
Joe was assigned to Special Services and stationed at California’s Santa Ana Air Base. The only major league player on his military team, he and his teammates played against semipro clubs, local college teams and Pacific Coast League teams. Joe reached sergeant rank in August 1943.

In order to ensure the professional players had some time overseas, Joe and other major league players were transferred to Hawaii in Spring 1944. In time, the best military baseball players were stationed in Hawaii. Big names like Johnny Beazley, Joe Gordon, Pee Wee Reese and Red Ruffing, along with Joe, were split into different teams. Joe joined the Seventh Army Air Force team, which played a nearly full major league schedule.
Although Joe had developed stomach ulcers and was often in a lot of pain, he continued to serve in the military and play for the Seventh Army Air Force team until he was given a medical release from the Army on September 14, 1945. He suited up again for the Yankees the following spring.

Marriages
The story of Joe DiMaggio’s personal life adds to the mystique that makes him the American icon he is today. People relate to this man who was not perfect, but lived life passionately and gracefully.
It was January 1937 when Joe met actress Dorothy Arnold on the set of the film Manhattan Merry Go-Round, confirming his celebrity status outside of the baseball diamond. Joe and Dorothy married at St. Peter and Paul Church in North Beach. More than twenty thousand people crowded inside and outside of the church to see the famous couple. It was reported that people even climbed onto tree branches and rooftops to see Joe and Dorothy leave the church following the ceremony.
While the couple had one son together—Joseph Paul DiMaggio II born on October 23, 1941—they were unable to make their marriage work. Joe and Dorothy divorced in 1944.

A Great American Love Story
Joe DiMaggio – Marriages. The most publicized relationship for Joe began in 1952—a year after he had retired from the Yankees. A friend arranged a dinner date for Joe with up and coming actress Marilyn Monroe. They were at different places in their lives—Joe, retired, ready to settle down, and Marilyn, on her way to stardom, yet they commenced perhaps the greatest American love story with an 18-month courtship and then marriage on January 14, 1954 at San Francisco’s City Hall. The media called the union of Joe and Marilyn “The Marriage of the Century,” and their relationship captivated the nation.
After the wedding, Marilyn joined Joe in his home near San Francisco’s Wharf where they were often seen walking along the pier or fishing off of Joe’s boat, the “Yankee Clipper.” Like many great love stories, the stars’ relationship had many complexities—loving yet tumultuous. Their differences in personalities led to disharmony in the relationship, and Joe and Marilyn divorced less than a year after their wedding day.
The divorce did not mean an end to their story. Biographers have often noted that during difficult times in Marilyn’s life, even after she remarried, she would turn to Joe, because he was devoted, loving and dependable. There was speculation that the couple was reconciling prior to her death on August 5, 1962.

Joe proved his honorable character and his great love for Marilyn when he claimed her body after her death, took over the funeral arrangements, and had a dozen red roses delivered three times a week to her crypt for twenty years.
Joe’s marriage to Marilyn was his last and left an indelible mark on his life and American history.

The Celebrity
The story of how Joe DiMaggio came to embody American Grace, style, power and skill is based on a modest man with passion for the game of baseball who lived a life devoted to achieving his personal best. While the word “celebrity” is the last thing with which Joe would identify, he became a larger-than-life celebrity with his never duplicated 56-game hitting streak that inspired a nation during rugged times.
Presidents, celebrities and world leaders wanted to know Joe. They were awe-struck by his ability to captivate baseball fans. Joe appealed even to those who had not before been interested in the game. There was just something special about Joe—the person—not just the player. Joe put his mark on American culture, which survives to this day.
His rags-to-riches story reveals a man with determination, perseverance and gracefulness on and off the playing field. The celebrity status didn’t come from “The Streak” alone; because throughout his life, when tested, Joe did the right thing. His achievements were not only for himself but for his community, those around him, whether teammates, family members or business associates.
It was this gracefulness that made him an American icon—someone people wanted to know and wanted to be.

Impact of Joe’s Celebrity
In the book, DiMaggio: Setting the Record Straight, Morris Engelberg and Marv Schneider write about the power of Joe’s celebrity:
“Turning DiMaggio into a moneymaking machine was not terribly difficult. His name and image were golden marketing tools. The Bowery and Mr. Coffee soon learned that. What astounded me was that Joe hadn’t realized this. ” (p. 109)
Joe’s modesty prevented him from seeing his own celebrity status, yet the impact could not be denied. In the 1970s, Joe was the spokesman for Mr. Coffee and continued to be the face for the electric coffee makers for more than twenty years. In addition, Joe spent twenty years as spokesman for The Bowery Savings Bank.
Even years later, in August 1993, Joe’s ability to put his mark on American culture was proven when he signed 1,941 bats for nearly $4 million. Dealers went on to sell some of those bats for $3,995 each (Engelberg & Schneider, p. 110). Engelberg and Schneider wrote, “The power of Joe’s signature as a moneymaker was spoken of in awe within the memorabilia industry.”

Although Joe is gone, the luster of his career remains bright and the attributes that made him a celebrity continue to inspire and impact culture.



FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL

FUHGETABOUTIT. My Grandfather used to tell me stories of seeing DiMaggio play in Yankee Stadium. He was a hero to generations of Italian-Americans.

That streak and Ripken's and Cy Young's 511 victories are streaks that may never be broken!!