NAMES IN THE GAMES

Fifty years ago, Joe DiMaggio was heading into a season in which he would hit in a record 56 straight games. Sunday night, he received a two-minute standing ovation from a black-tie audience of nearly 2,000 gathered for the New York Baseball Writers dinner. “If I had thought after 50 years I would be making a half-dozen dinners within four weeks, I would have quit hitting after 40 games,” DiMaggio joked. “Don’t get me wrong, though, I love that record.”