From a humble little Ohio boy, sheeped in scrubs, to a renegade dubbed ‘The Warrior’ swatting balls out of the park with the NY Yankees during their four championships in five years turn at the century, Paul O’Neill evoked the true meaning of a Yankee! This afternoon, the NY Yankees honored the Yankee Great with a plaque (ceremony) at Monument Park AKA Yankee Stadium. If you are still a true and blue Yankee fan you listen to O’Neill commentary during the Yankee games on YES (Yankees Entertainment Sports Network). Read MORE after the jump… Honoring Paul O’Neill also gives precedence to his idol, an icon for Pittsburgh (Pirates) and Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente. O’Neill was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and his family were Cincinnati Reds fans. At six years old Paul O’Neill went to a game there and while he held his little toy bat in the background stood the great, legendary Roberto Clemente. Paul O’Neill wore #21 for his entire career in honor salute to his idol. READ MORE on Clemente legacy below…

Roberto Clemente: Statue at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA (l) and HOF Plaque (r)

Roberto Clemente is the first Latin American player to be enshrined in the HOF. He devoted his life (off-seasons) to charity work in Puerto Rico and Latin American countries. Even Clemente’s early death on December 31, 1972 was due to an aviation accident en route to deliver aid to Nicaragua. Clemente would set the standards moving the wait period (for HOF induction) from five years to six months, in cases of posthumous induction.