Friday, May 08, 2009

Where Have You Gone, Dom DiMaggio?

Dom DiMaggio is one of my all-time favorite baseball players, but not for anything he accomplished on the field.
Dom was a pretty good player in his own right (7-time All-Star, .298 career average) but he was always overshadowed by the success of brother Joe and his best friend Ted Williams.
But after their baseball careers ended, it was Dom who had all the success. Joe got married twice and reportedly spent the rest of his life pining for Marilyn Monroe and mourning her death which he believes was caused by the Kennedys.
Ted Williams got married -- and divorced -- three times, and had unusual relationships with his children.
Dom was married to the same woman for more than 60 years and had many kids and grandkids.

Neither Joe nor Ted could find any fulfilling work post-baseball and turned into reluctant pitchman (Mr. Coffee!), but Dom became a successful plastics manufacturer and later in life was a wealthier man than either of them.

Dom DiMaggio was proof it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Dom Dimaggio with Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams

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