OCTR Episode #51: Rick Cerone Interview

Newark, New Jersey native Rick Cerone was a multi-sport star at Essex Catholic High School who went on to Seton Hall University where he starred on the diamond for the Pirates. In 1975, Cleveland nabbed Cerone with the seventh overall pick in the amateur draft. Cerone appeared in only 14 games over two seasons before he and John Lowenstein were traded to the expansion Toronto Blue Jays for Rico Carty prior to the Jays’ inaugural 1977 season. The Jersey boy made his way home when he became a member of the New York Yankees in 1980 after the tragic death of Thurman Munson, literally replacing the Yankee great with a standout first season in New York where he hit .277 with 14 home runs and 85 RBI. He finished seventh in AL MVP voting. Cerone had his five most productive seasons in The Big Apple, becoming the toughness, the glue and grit of the mid-80s Bronx Bombers rosters, which included two post season runs and a World Series appearance in 1981. His final seven season saw stops in Atlanta, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Montreal and tow more trips to The House That Ruth Built. After nearly two decades in the game, Cerone retired after 1992 season. He then served as the color analyst on the Yankees broadcasts on WPIX during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. He also spent time as a baseball analyst for CBS Radio. 1998, he founded the New York Bears, a minor league baseball team in his hometown. In this recent interview with SC Daily, the long time backstop speaks to use about seeing his early baseball cards, collecting every Mickey Mantle card as a kid, his unique relationship with Joe DiMaggio and much more.