It’s difficult to narrow down topics to discuss when faced with interviewing a celebrity of that caliber. You naturally want to ask everything that comes to mind, not knowing when you might have such a chance again. Luckily, I think I remained fairly calm and collected, not wanting to come across like an over-eager, star-struck fan (which I was, I absolutely was).

I met Don Mattingly. No, let me elaborate… I didn’t just meet him; I interviewed him, one-on-one, for a solid fifteen minutes. Don Mattingly, one of my favorite players of all time, a living legend. And I did it while working for this very newspaper.

June 1st, 2000… the date had been saved on the calendars of almost every student at Lindenhurst High School for over a year. Normally, only seniors looked forward to a senior prom with such anticipation, but this would be no ordinary end-of-the-year event. This prom was going to be something special.