Joe Donnelly obituary: Baseball writer, mentor, friend dies at 87

Joe Donnelly died Sunday at age 87. He wrote about baseball players from 1958 to 1995. Joe was also a sports official, umpire, caddie and referee. He started at the New York World-Telegram and The Sun and moved to Newsday in 1962. His writing was hardscrabble and he was influenced by the era of the tobacco industry. The modern era is more sophisticated and more accessible. It's no longer possible to write about sports without using quotes. There's a need for more information. In Joe's day, people relied on his prose to be delivered to their doorstep.

Mickey Mantle is the one factor keeping the Yankees from being an abysmal team. Koufax is now 16-4.

Joe Donnelly wrote a baseball obituary for his friend, writer, mentor and colleague, Mickey Mantle. Maston hit four balls into the left-field bleachers, DiMaggio did it only twice.

Gil Hodges reprimanded Gil Jr. when he was 2 or 3. Gil Hodge is a big man who almost never loses his temper.

George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1974. He let Mike Burke and Lee MacPhail run the team. John Callison, a major league veteran of 15 seasons, misplayed a ball and Stein bough him out. Ralph Houk and general manager LeeMacPhall were gone by October 1. Joe is interested in umpiring and fair play. He also thinks the selection process of umpire is wrong.

Joe Donnelly admires a one-hitter by the Yankees’ Luis Tiant at Oakland in 1979.

The Mets lost 5-4 to the Giants last night. It was their sixth straight defeat. They start out neat but end up disheveled.

Joe Donnelly discovered Don Mattingly long before major league fans did. Joe on Mattsly in 1982: He is not big but sufficiently strong at 5–11 and 180 pounds and hands quick enough to pull the pitch to rightfield.

Joe Donnelly wrote a piece about Mantle in 1995. Donnella wrote it in a 33-year run for Newsday. Mastel was a flawed man, but he never hurt anybody, especially another player. He saved whatever little strength he had left for teammates. He had a breach with Whitey Ford, over a business matter, and he sat up for him when Ford visited him in the hospital during Mstaick's final days.

Joe Donnelly and I used to play golf together after the World Series. Joe had a 13-month battle with cancer and shoulder replacement surgery. He broke his wrist and has breathing problems. He died five weeks ago. His life was lived fully. To borrow from Mantle, Joe exhibited man’s gift to himself at life's most trying moment. The indefatigable was stopped. Rest in peace, friend.