Fenway Park Old Timer's Day in 1986

Joe left professional baseball in 1951.  The last time Joe, Vince, and Dom were all together in a major ballpark was for the Fenway Park's Old Timer's Day in 1986. Vince was 73, Joe was 71, and Dominic was 69. Dom was the only one to play in the three inning Old Timer's game that day. Vince was in an advanced stage of stomach cancer, a fact which hardly anyone knew about including some of his own family.  By this time, Joe had removed himself from the family. Dom kept trying to stay in touch with him, but there was a rift between he and Vince.  Joe never called and rarely picked up the phone or returned missed calls. The only time the family ever really saw him was at family funerals and infrequent meals at DiMaggio's Grotto on Fisherman's Wharf.

According to Rebecca Shrum, the creators of the Mr. Coffee coffeemaker, North American Systems, effectively utilized Joe's power as a major celebrity, beginning in 1973, in order to market their new invention to a wider population for greater profits.  Shrum argues that the creators of the popular new electric drip-and-filter coffeemaker changed society as well.  By using the masculine spokesperson, men's contributions to housework increased as the coffeemaker entered millions of kitchens across America.  It was also during this time that women were increasingly finding full-time employment outside of the home.  The more feminized space of the kitchen was now more welcoming to American men.  Joe was the official spokesperson for Mr. Coffee for almost fifteen years.