
Living in
New York City, a metropolis known for its die-hard sports fans, it is not unusual to see tattoos honoring and celebrating the rich athletic tradition that exists here.
On Friday, during my lunch hour, I spotted a
New York City Fire Department truck parked at the corner of 40th Street and 7th Avenue. Standing along side it was Johnny, one of New York's bravest, enjoying the warm weather, in shorts, and baring this incredible leg tattoo:

This is, of course,
Marilyn Monroe, but with a twist. She is sporting the
New York Yankees jersey of one of the franchise's greatest players,
Joe DiMaggio, to whom she was
married for less than a year.
Johnny is a huge Yankee fan, and also loves Marilyn Monroe, one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, and among the most popular celebrities tattooed. I have featured Marilyn tattoos previously
here and
here.
The image is based on a lithograph that Johnny purchased at a FanFest in 1996. After having it tattooed on his right calf, he felt something was missing.
He contacted the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown, New York, and purchased an archival photograph of the original
Yankee Stadium, circa 1923. This was then used as the source material to create the recognizable backdrop for Marilyn.

Johnny has a ton of tattoos, approximately 15 pieces in all. This one, along with others he has, was created by
Cort Bengston at
Cort's Royal Ink Tattoo Studio in Patchogue, New York.
Thanks to Johnny for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!