SAN FRANCISCO — After a protracted dispute, the playground where Joe DiMaggio honed his baseball skills will be formally dedicated to honor the great Yankee center fielder.
The city reached an agreement last week with DiMaggio's estate, according to Supervisor Gavin Newsom.
"Unfortunately, we had to go through the bumpy road, but I think it's a nice conclusion," Newsom said Tuesday.
That road included a May lawsuit filed in federal court by DiMaggio's trustee Morris Engelberg, who contended that DiMaggio's legacy merited a tribute more grand than a playground. In June, a Miami judge dismissed Engelberg's claim that the city could not use DiMaggio's name.
DiMaggio died last year at 84.
In fact, the city named the 2.5 acre park in DiMaggio's boyhood North Beach neighborhood after the slugger some 20 years ago. But no one made it formal. The wedge-shaped park does not have signs posting its name.
That is all set to change, Newsom said. He said Engelberg has agreed to give his blessing to the Joe DiMaggio North Beach Playground.
Engelberg could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
One reason Engelberg changed his mind about the park was the city's planned three-year, $4 million renovation of the park's baseball diamonds, indoor swimming pool, bocce ball courts and buildings, Newsom said. The city also promised three years of free entry to the park's pool, where admission has been 50 cents.
Newsom said Mayor Willie Brown should sign the agreement in about three weeks. After that, he said, it's a matter of getting DiMaggio's grandchildren and brother Dominic together for a formal dedication.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join the ADU Resource Center of San Mateo County for a free webinar about ADU financing. Our… Read moreADU Funding For Homeowners
Bay Area soccer celebration! Live World Cup, games, meet Oakland Roots' Kendall McIntosh &am… Read moreBay Area World Cup Kickoff
Dirk van Ulden said:
Rick Bonilla said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.