WHY YOU CAN'T TAINT THE MANTLE & MARIS LEGACY

Is there too much candy making its way up into the YES broadcast booth at Yankee stadium? Maybe Paul O’Neill left a candy stash laying around. Michael Kay and Al Leiter keep talking about the M&M boys and I keep looking for images of them to appear on my television….but for some reason, all I see are Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Surely they must be confused, did they forget what network they work for? Someone call a doctor! The sugar high is confusing them and it might be time for a detox. Maybe there is another explanation, but right now it is the only thing that makes sense!

After hearing about these “M&M boys” for days now, I had a sudden urge to see the great Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris again so I went to the one place I knew I would find them again…..in my DVD collection. What are they doing there? Well, they are giving the rest of my baseball collection something to aspire to. After putting in my copy of “61”, I finally got to see the REAL “M&M boys.” Maybe someone needs to send Kay and Leiter a copy of the movie so they can do some research. I mean, Morneau and Mauer don’t even LOOK like the “M&M boys” let alone play like Mantle and Maris. Why are we tainting Yankee history this way? There are only one "M&M boys"!There is one thing that all four of them have in common….their dreams. You see, in 1961 Mantle and Maris were chasing (or not chasing as they claimed) after the Babe Ruth’s home run record. Those boys had some power and created quite the “love/hate” relationship amongst fans who were cheering for their personal favorite, while mocking the other. Similarly, Mauer and Morneau are chasing their own dreams…..the dream to stay healthy and prove that their 2011 season was just a bad nightmare! Morneau wasn’t able to connect his bat with the ball…. somehow his head made more contact (ouch) and he spent last year recovering from a concussion. Mauer only played in 82 games last year due to complications with his knees. Only 52 of those were behind the plate while the other 30 starts were in the outfield and at first base. There is also a love/hate relationship associated with them, but this time it is a “love to hate” ON the Twins and reminisce about the previous year’s dominance the Yankees have had.

So….how are these two like Mantle and Maris? I don’t see the comparison! The longevity, production, and power in their young careers cannot compare to what the greats have done. It is a nice comparison and I am sure they thank you for it….but some of us Yankee fans like the original version just the way it is.So Michael Kay and Al Leiter I beg of you….please lay off of the "M&M" term. This sugar high has me a little worried. Maybe we should give you some healthy snacks. After careful analysis, I can only conclude that you are talking about M&M's as in the candy. In this case, Mantle and Maris are the “classic” hard shell candy that we have enjoyed for years and Mauer and Morneau are like the new pretzel "M&Ms", still trying to make a name for themselves, but not in the record books yet. Please, I beg you... don’t mess with the original.

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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