By Ray Negron
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, the first African American Sheriff in the long history of Suffolk County Long Island went back to his childhood home of the Bronx. He was there to visit his favorite baseball team, The New York Yankees.
What people don’t understand is the as a teenager, Errol was the Yankees Batboy. To this day Errol says that the foundation for what he would become started with his parents and was solidified because of his time with the Yankees.
Errol has gone from helping players like Thurman Munson Bobby Murcer, Mickey Rivers, Ron Guidry to fighting the evils of the notorious MS 13 gangs in Long Island. Errol dealt with the worst criminals in New York when he was one of the top ranking officials at Rikers Island. In the middle of all this he has beaten Cancer twice, probably the worst gang of all.
I am proud to say that Errol has been my friend since we shared the same pinstriped uniforms as Yankee Batboy’s. Errol always tells people that at that time I was a mentor to him , probably because I was older. However the class and dignity that he showed back then was something that stood out. I remember Thurman Munson once saying, how old is this kid 17 or 37.
I would laugh because I know what Thurman meant. With Errol it was always yes sir and no sir. That was very unusual for us Bronx boys especially us Batboy’s. However we loved him anyway.
Yesterday Sherriff Errol Toulon and his son visited Yankee Stadium and was welcomed back like a long lost son. Hal Steinbrenner, who was nine years old when he first met Errol was actually the first Yankee official to greet Errol and his son Errol the third.
When I told the Yankees Chairman who Errol was he embraced Errol like a long lost brother. The encounter was quite heartwarming.
Sheriff Toulon With Hal Steinbrenner
The young Mr Steinbrenner wanted to make sure that I took care of Errol and his son during his visit. Errol also met with team president Randy Levine. They spent some quality time together and our president was just great. Lonn Trost our C.O.O. remembered Errol and you could tell that Lonn was proud of Errol’s accomplishments.
Toulon With Lonn Trost
It’s nice to be a Batboy for any major league team, however when you’re a Batboy for the New York Yankees what you take from the experience always seems to help take you to the next levels of life. Errol is a perfect example of that.
Toulon With Randy Levine
I live in Long Island, my son Jon Erik is a police officer there and so is his brother Jordan. My other son Ricky is getting ready to enter the academy, so how great is it that Errol is one of our top law enforcement leaders here in Suffolk county.
June 24 my play Batboy premiers at the Argyle Theatre in Babylon At 2:30 pm.
It’s the story of a Batboy’s love of his team. Before the show Errol and the Silver Shield Foundation will be honored. The show is dedicated to law Enforcement everywhere.
It’s the story of a Batboy’s love of his team. Before the show Errol and the Silver Shield Foundation will be honored. The show is dedicated to law Enforcement everywhere.
Thank you Errol for you service.
Thank you Yankees, for caring so much.
RAY NEGRON IS A CONRIBUTING COLUMNIST FOR THE BRONX CHRONICLE AND ALSO WRITES A COLUMN FOR NEWSMAX AND NYSPORTSDAY.COM
Follow Us