I was listening to Don Zimmer chat with WFAN’s Mike Francesa on Friday. Zim was appearing on Francesa’s show before a Connecticut Sports Foundation event. It’s hard to believe that Zimmer will be entering his 62nd year of professional baseball this season. It’s almost surreal to think about how long he has been around the game and the events that have happened. As a matter of fact, Zimmer changes his uniform number each year to reflect his time in baseball.

His career started at the age of 18 playing for a Class D Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate. Throughout his baseball life he has been involved in numerous history making moments, among them are the 55′ World Series, 78’. He even played on the Mets, albeit briefly, during their inaugural 1962 season.

Sure, Zimmer’s career hasn’t been without his rough patches. He was widely criticized for how he managed the Red Sox down the stretch in 1978, specifically his handling of Carlton Fisk’s workload. He so hated Bill Lee so much that some think the vendetta was the main cause of the Red Sox collapse in 1978.

That is all a memory, especially after he joined the Yankees as Joe Torre’s bench coach in 1996. If you remember, Zimmer was about to walk away from the game just a year earlier. During his Yankees tenure he is known for his army helmet, never taking gruff from George Steinbrenner, and who can forget his brawl with Pedro Martinez during the 2003 ALCS. Not many 73 year old men would be rolling around a baseball diamond during a bench clearing brawl.

Regardless of what you think about Zimmer’s managerial acumen, anyone who can stick around the game of baseball for over six decades deserves a tip of the hat and then some. Sure, I still can’t believe he won a division with that lousy 89′ Cubs team, but it’s not his fault the Mets botched that season.

Today Zimmer works for the Tampa organization as a senior advisor. He made sure to remind Francesa there are more than two teams competing for the AL East crown this season. You could tell Zim still has the same passion for the game. So here is to you Zim and your career. Hopefully you have many more years left and we can be remembering you when your uniform number reaches 70.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Bill Lee, Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, Carlton Fisk, Chicago Cubs, Don Zimmer, Mike Francesa, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, WFAN