Thoughts on two Yankee captains: Thurman Munson and Derek Jeter

Birthday wishes go out to Derek Jeter, who turns 35 today. Jeter' B-day got me to thinking about another Yankee captain, Thurman Munson.

Marty Appel has a new book coming out about the catcher - Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain. I have an advance copy of it - it looks to be a compelling read.

I still get sad thinking about Thurman, and how he was dead at such a young age. He was just 32 when he was killed in that plane crash. To put that in perspective, Jeter is 35 today. Alex Rodriguez will be 34 next month. Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada are 37. Mariano Rivera is 39.

Although August 2, 1979 still seems to be just like it happened yesterday, a whole generation of Yankee players were born after Thurman's death, like Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and of course, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera.

And an entire generation of Yankee fans only knows of Munson after his death. Maybe this year, the 30th anniversary of his passing, they'll know a little more about his life.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!