 Don Larson lent his touch to the festivities on Yogi Barrett Day on July 18th 1999 recreating the last out of his perfect game by throwing the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi. The duo witnessed more perfection that day when David Cohn entered baseball immortality with his perfect game and David as I offer you condolences on the loss of a friend and Don Larson it seems fitting as we welcome everyone back on Hot Stove to ask you about that day it's momentous enough to pitch a perfect game but how surreal was it for you to know that Yogi and Don Larson were both in the building. Well it is remarkable Jack I think that the further removed I get from that day the more appreciative I am of everything that's around that day what it meant and that signature moment to be connected with Yogi and Don is something that I'll forever be thankful for and I know David Wells goes the same way I think David Wells obviously through his perfect game in 1998 and he kind of brought Don Larson back at the spotlight because they both went to Point Loma High School but to have Don throughout the first pitch that day was something I'll never forget. That forever connection between yourself and Wells and Larson forged an interesting friendship can you describe for us what your friendship was like with Larson. You know it really did grow from from from that day forward I know that there was an as I said before there was an obvious connection between Larson and Wells and San Diego and the Point Loma High School connection but we really did grow much closer over the years we did a lot of appearances together we did a lot of autograph sessions together I think we have we all took pride in the fact that we were the kind of the three amigos the three that had thrown perfect games in the old Yankee Stadium and that that was something that would could never be replicated because you know there may be a Yankee that throws a perfect game in the future but I think we all three felt connected that that we did it in the old stadium and we all had great deference to Don and we called him the Godfather because he was the world series he was the one who did it in the world series he's still the only one to ever do it in a world series game so we kind of refer to him as our Godfather. David when we talk about Yankee legends it's Ruth and Garreg and Mantle and DiMaggio and Yogi. Larson though was a Yankee legend in his own way because of that one memorable day how did you see him live up to that and observe his place in history. It really is kind of the underdog story that you know that Don Larson wasn't wasn't your your prototypical Yankee legend that we see on Yankeeography so often. He was he was a unique character and he was a flawed guy like Wells and myself I think we all kind of reveled in that that we all were kind of imperfect in our own ways but he was a great story in that he really did rise to the moment that you can't do that in baseball it could have a signature moment at one game and make it stand a singular game achievement that could stand the test of time and I think he really appreciated that and he probably more than anybody thought about that game every day for the rest of his life up until the end of his life I think he admitted it and he talked about it and how he could just imagine you know when we were sitting around having a having a couple of pops together and then he would tell some stories from that day that it was almost like he was reliving the moment and that's how much that moment meant to him and you know it really it really does speak to you know that anything can happen on any given day in a baseball game and Don Washer is probably the best example of that. You talk about reliving the moment and there were so many neat moments that went with his perfect game right up until the fact that he didn't know he was pitching that day until he saw a baseball in his cleat when you had conversations with him were there other elements of that day that he told you about that just made you shake your head. He really talked about that he didn't understand what was going on that day and I know he said this on the record a few times but you know it was he didn't really know what a perfect game was. Nobody really knew there weren't that many perfect games. There certainly weren't that many up to that point. I think it was over 30 years in the major league since the last perfect game and so he didn't really even understand what was going on. I think we both related that the nervousness that you feel in the later innings and the obvious superstition that baseball players have and it's sometimes you're the loneliest guy in the dugout and you need somebody to talk to you and having talked to Don Larson kind of inspired me to actually say something to David Wells during his perfect game in 1998 and for me during my perfect game it was Chilly Davis and it wasn't even profound it was just something to break the ice something funny that can break the ice and you know with Chilly Davis it was him telling me he was a catcher in the minor leagues that you know he could warm me up in between any and that's what he did he actually warmed me up in between any one particular inning and I was a little leery to throw the ball very hard to him but he kind of joked with me and said you know what I was a catcher and you know that that's how nervous you are as a pitcher in that situation and nobody will talk to you and all the superstitions and I think we all three related to that probably better than anybody. So when you and Wells and Larson would get together I'm sure that you're telling your old baseball stories I'm sure there was a little bit of trash talking as well. Did Larson ever critique your perfect game and or your pitching style? Did he ever give you any advice about your own pitching? Not really I think we know the thing we talked about more than anything were mechanics because I was enamored with with Don Larson and the mechanical changes he made right right before that game he was really the first pitcher to use the no wind up delivery he almost had a quick pitch delivery that caught a lot of players off guard a lot of batters off guard. I know in that particular game his rhythm was so fast he would just get the ball and throw it with no wind up almost just a stride towards home played in a release of the baseball and you know I think we talked more about that about mechanics and style and different pictures that he admired from Whitey Ford to different great pitchers that he pitched against even Bob Gibson through that era. So I think it was more about mechanics as opposed to any critique of style or pitches that we threw. Pretty amazing that day as he was pitching a perfect game Whitey Ford was warming up in the bullpen that was one element of the day that I remember but David I want to throw you a little bit of a curveball here. If you were picking an all time Yankee team of the players you'd like to spend some time with not necessarily the greatest Yankee players in history but the guys you'd like to hang out with. How quickly are you adding Don Larson to your team. Yeah. Don would be one of the first guys drafted because he likes to have a good time and he likes to talk. He's a social guy. He really likes being around people and I think that's what made his perfect game so remarkable because he was he didn't like being alone. That's one of the reasons why he didn't stay in his hotel room at night. He needed to get out and see people and be able to be out and about. But you know that he was very similar to David Wells in that regard. David Wells was one of those guys that you just couldn't keep in his hotel room. But do him no good. He needed to be out and about. He needed to be socializing. So you know Don Larson would be right on top of that list. You know along with Moose Tower and Hank Bauer right up there as well. Well David listen once again our condolences and thanks for sharing some of your insight about