Show everything & anything of "The Mick"

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

game used bat 1955-1958

upper deck signed ball

WoW Mike That Mick Gamer is Awesome!

[MVSNYC]

thanks, man! it's one of my best pieces now. i love swinging it!

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

thanks, man! it's one of my best pieces now. i love swinging it!

Geez Mike. I'm in love with the ball marks on the barrel. Just look how deep they are. You know the Mick was just crushing the ball in the mid fifties. Congrats Mike, that's a real keeper.

[GKreindler]

Mike,

Granted, I'm no mantle expert, so take this reply with a grain of salt.

I think one of the reasons he's as revered and noted with baseball fans (and to a big extent, collectors) has a lot to do with where he played. If he had been in Milwaukee or Pittsburgh, I think it's fair to say that he would have still been considered a great player, but not to the extent that any star player in New York would be. I think that no matter how you slice it, New York was really one of the main centers of media in that era. So, combining that with the fact that he was in the World Series with the Yankees almost every year, especially during a period in which so few regular season games were actually televised to national audiences, it's just a recipe for his super-stardom. And I know that so many people have written about this that it seems pretty cliche and trite by now, but the whole country bumpkin thing, as well as those boyish good-looks, really did a lot for him. Bob Costas (as well as many others) always said that central casting couldn't have come up with a better baseball player.

As the years went on, and his idolators grew up, I think that love-affair only grew with Mickey's post-baseball career mishaps. I guess there was something incredibly appealing to have a hero who was so faulted, someone with the same 'regular' problems that 'normal' people had. And of course, none of those faults were malicious by any means, but more of a sign of human weakness more than anything.

I think that as Americans, there is also just something very appealing to us regarding the 'what if?' question. The fact that this kid would have been one of the best ballplayers to have ever breathed is always the common thought surrounding the man. And when it's combined with the notion of where he came from, his family's history with Hodgkins, the death of his father, the knee injuries and how that all steamrolled into a life that was lived with that sense of an inherited death sentence, well, you just get something magical to a lot of people. Or at least, that's what I think.

It was actually through Leavy's book that made me like the man even more. And though he was my father's favorite player (he grew up watching him, too), his name just never had the same kind of sex appeal as someone like Gehrig's. But now, I feel like I can really see what the big deal is...

Just my two cents!

Graig

[MVSNYC]

Hi Mike- i was born in 1974, so i definitely did not see Mantle play...but there is something very romantic & compelling about his character and exploits on the field (and some off). have you seen the HBO documentary "Mantle"? it is incredible and (i think) answers some of your questions, from the men & women who were there. they start to dissect & explain why he was looked at as a hero and/or even a God. also, on a similar note, have you ever read & listened to Bob Costas' eulogy for Mantle? it was written by Costas & Billy Crystal the night before the funeral in a hotel room in Dallas. it is simply moving, and helps people of my generation get a glimpse into why he was so worshipped.

Eulogy text:

http://theswearingens.com/mick/eulogy.htm

[Oldtix]

Mike, Mickey was the only player who seemed to be enjoying the experience as much as I dreamed that I would.

I took this picture before a game in June 1967 at Kansas City (check out those world-class Municipal Stadium facilities).

[71buc]

Graig great response and I love your artwork. Obviously no talent was squandered there. MVSNYC I have read that before and it is a great piece of writing. Oldtix, I live in the Northwest and used to have the same feelings about Griffey so that explanation I can definitely understand. I have seen the HBO documentary and enjoyed it. I actually own a copy.

In 1991 Mantle was signing at a show in Portland I went with a friend who was eleven years my senior. He and I played quite a bit of softball together. He absolutely crushed the ball and would trot around the bases like Mantle after hitting one out. I used to tease him about it. He swore he wasn’t doing it. He was 39 at the time and claimed he had always run like that. I had invited him to many other shows with signers and he always declined. When I told him about the Mantle show he immediately volunteered to drive. He was not a collector. He simply wanted see Mantle in person and perhaps shake his hand.

The Saturday show had a Yankee theme. I think Chambliss, Bauer, and Skowron were there as well. I was happy to get a couple of autographs and shake Mantle's hand. He was really quite gracious and every bit the gentleman. When my friend followed me in line I was shocked to see that as he extended his hand he was crying and unable to speak. I was stunned. Mantle shook his hand and asked my friend where he was from. As he listened to my friend’s virtually incoherent answer, Mantle ignored his display of emotion and thanked him for coming. I stayed for a while and watched the scene repeat itself numerous times with other middle aged men. This was not adulation it bordered on worship. I had not seen anything like it before, nor have I since. As we made the two hour drive home I asked my friend why so many were moved to tears by Mantle. He looked at me and said, “I’m glad I wasn’t one of them. I thought I was going to lose it for a moment.” He was totally unaware of his own display of emotion. Fearing that I would embarrass him I dropped the subject.

Since that day I have wondered what I am missing. I loved both Aaron and Clemente and am proud to have named my only son after both of them. In 1972 I wept as only a 9 year old can at the news of Clemente’s death. I met Hank Aaron in the mid 1990’s and was thrilled at the opportunity to speak with him and get an autograph as well. I thought that I would be as touched by the experience as my friend was by Mantle. I was not. Every time I see my own Mantle ball from that day I am reminded of the emotion I witnessed that day. I love the game. As an adult I have only been moved to tears by the Indians loss in the 1997 World Series. However, no individual player has ever evoked in me the emotion I witnessed that day in Portland. Thanks for the great responses. Perhaps I will never truly understand the Mantle phenomena but I remain fascinated by people’s reaction to the man.