Who is Don Mattingly

Presented by Make Money Online Ideas .

* Donald Arthur Mattingly (nicknamed "Donnie Baseball" and "The Hit Man") (born April 20, 1961) is a retired first baseman who played for the New York Yankees of the American League from 1982-1995. He also served as the Yankees hitting coach from 2004 to 2006 and Joe Torre's bench coach in 2007. In November 2007 it was announced that he would join the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Dodgers under Joe Torre, as the organization's hitting coach. However, on January 22, 2008, it was reported that he would instead assume the role as "Special Assignment Coach." Mike Easler was named as Mattingly's replacement. It was announced on July 9, 2008 that Mattingly would resume his position as the Dodgers' hitting coach. Mattingly joins the organization that drafted his son, Preston, in 2006.

"Donnie Baseball" is one of the most popular Yankees in the team's history. Despite not being a member of a World Series winning team, his popularity is comparable to that of Yankee greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio. Since returning for the annual Old Timers' Game, Mattingly has consistently received the loudest ovations.

Mattingly grew up in Evansville, Indiana and was one of the nation's top prospects as a high school player at Reitz Memorial High School in 1979, earning a brief write-up in Sports Illustrated magazine. However, most Major League Baseball teams avoided drafting Mattingly, expecting him to attend Indiana State University before entering professional baseball. Taking a chance, the New York Yankees drafted Mattingly in the 19th round of the 1979 amateur draft and subsequently signed him.