Friday, August 31, 2001
Updated: September 4, 12:44 PM ET
Oh, Danny boy!
From the Page 2 mailbag
In this week's Page 2 Mystery Photo, our cameras caught Little League phenom Danny Almonte hanging out with Sterling Hitchcock and the rest of the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium.
We received more than 1,700 e-mails from readers suggesting captions to help us solve this Hitchcock mystery and explain what Almonte was really up to in the "House That Ruth Built." Here are some of the best:
Age before beauty?
Mike Waterman
Windsor, Conn.
Former high school rivals, Almonte and Hitchcock relive their past pitching duels.
Chris Samsonite
Staten Island, N.Y.
Being told "you throw like a 12-year-old" doesn't sting the way that it used to.
Brandon Richter
Trumbull, Conn.
Little League pitcher Danny Almonte waits at the Yankee Stadium mound for Roger Clemens to arrive. Clemens has been giving the 14-year-old Almonte lessons on acting like a 12-year-old.
Paul Rundle
Boulder, Colo.
So what you're saying, Sterling, is that for the past two years, I was supposed to be pitching from way back here?!
Rob Razzano
Cincinnati
"Keep working hard and someday you will be able to pitch like me."
"Gee, you really think so? Thanks, Danny!"
Noel Nitecki
Anderson, Ind.
"Hey Sterling, this is how my kid brother El Duque does it ..."
Gavin Amato
Portland, Ore.
"Oh no! Look out Danny, here come the same guys that took Elian Gonzalez away!"
Paul Boos
Mahwah, N.J.
Danny: I'm told I'm the greatest 19-year-old since Rafael Furcal.
Sterling: I thought you said you were 12?
Danny: Twelve, 14, 19 ... Who cares? I can still beat the Devil Rays.
Todd Scott
Baltimore
"So Sterling, when you start growing facial hair, I recommend the Gillette. It works great for my stubble."
Ed Bailey
Kansas City, Mo.
Old-Timers Day at Yankee Stadium.
Mike Romine
Fountain Valley, Calif.
The Yankees added pitcher Danny Almonte to their staff today, said Yankee manager Joe Torre, "I thought we needed a little veteran leadership for the stretch run."
Joe Duh
Bridgeport, Conn.
"Hey Sterling! If you want, my mom can get you a fake ID so we can go out for a few drinks after this last strike out."
Wil Kemp
St. Louis
Hitchcock: "So Danny you must be excited to be going back to school"
Almonte: "Back to what?
Dan Monahan
Boston
Hey Sterling, are strip club bouncers as easy to dupe as Little League officials?
Brett Muhlke
St. Louis
Danny Almonte uses the pitcher's mound at Yankee Stadium as a stage to try out as a dancer for Britney Spears' 2001 concert tour.
Ed Cometz
Atlanta
We can see that Sterling Hitchcock is auditioning for the new dockers commercial by his silent whisper of "Nice Pants" to little league phenom Danny Almonte.
Al Mendoza
Windsor, Conn.
Almonte to Hitchcock -- "Little League is for 'The Birds.' " Maybe my father can convince Mr. Steinbrenner that I can be the fifth starter.
David Cohen
Huntington, N.Y.
Here's the real caption from The Associated Press: Rolando Paulino All-Star pitcher Danny Almonte mimes a pitch on the mound with New York Yankees pitcher Sterling Hitchcock before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 29, 2001, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Lou Requena)
