THE YANKEES MOUNT OLYMPUS: MICKEY MANTLE

No other team would have a player rated higher than Joe DiMaggio when reflecting on their list of all-time greats, yet when it comes to the Yankees we find that there are still three more to look at before reaching the summit of our Mount Olympus.

Our number three is perhaps the most endearing, and at the same time tragic, player to ever wear the pinstripes.  He was tasked with stepping into the shoes of the Yankee Clipper and somehow not only managed to do so, but in the process set his own standard of greatness for center fielders that followed him.

Mickey Charles Mantle, aka “The Mick”, came to the Yankees from Commerce, Oklahoma and was the son of a lead miner.  Named after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane, Mantle grew up learning to hit from both sides of the plate by batting left-handed when his right-handed father threw to him, and batting right-handed when his southpaw grandfather pitched to him. 

It would be a skill that he’d perfect at the Major League level.  Mantle is widely considered the greatest switch-hitter in the history of baseball.  

Over 18 seasons with the Yankees, he slugged 536 home runs and batted .298.  He was named to the All-Star team 16 times, was the MVP three times and won a Gold Glove once.  In 1956 he won the Triple Crown, hitting .353 with 52 home runs and 130 RBI (he also scored a league leading 132 runs).

In 65 post-season games he hit 18 home runs and held a .908 OPS. 

Outside of what the numbers show you, Mantle became known for his prodigious home runs – including an estimated 734-foot shot at Yankee Stadium that hit the façade (the only thing preventing it from being the only ball to ever be hit out of the park).  A description of that hit and the ten longest bombs that “The Mick” hit can be found here.  

Mickey was more than just a power-hitter though.  Five times he led the league in walks and before his legs finally betrayed him, he was known as one of the fastest runners in baseball – swiping 10 or more bases in six consecutive seasons from 1956 to 1961.

As a center fielder he held a .984 fielding percentage and had 67 assists from that position over the course of his career.

Unlike Joe DiMaggio, Mantle was “one of the guys”, and perhaps that is what made him so beloved to his generation.  Where Dimaggio incorporated himself with the “A-listers”, Mantle was comfortable hitting the clubs with pals Billy Martin and Whitey Ford, sometimes more than he should.

Off the field Mantle developed a reputation as a womanizer and heavy drinker, and eventually he’d receive treatment for alcoholism.   He attributed his hard living to the fact that males in his family rarely lived beyond 40 years old and he wasn’t going to be cheated.

Even the best of our heroes have flaws, and Mickey had his share.  

In spite of the flaws, Mantle always showed great heart and perseverance.  Most of his career he played with bum knees, and his famous home run race in 1961 with Roger Maris was cut short by an infection in his leg – the result of a shot administered by a doctor of questionable repute.  

On June 8^th, 1969 Mantle’s number 7 was retired by the Yankees and in 1974 he was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame; confirming his spot with the immortals of the sport.  His accomplishments on the field can never be called into question.

It was the fact that Mantle showed the world he was human like the rest of us (the biggest difference between him and DiMaggio) that endeared him so deeply to Yankee fans.  He was one of us and we were proud of all that he accomplished.

On his death bed “The Mick” expressed regrets at how he had lived his life, and tried to share the lessons he learned with the world so that others could avoid the mistakes he made.

In a 1994 interview with Sports Illustrated, Mantle described how he was trying to make amends for his mistakes of the past – teaming with Joe Garagiola in working with BAT (Baseball Assistance Team) to help troubled ex-ballplayers.

Mantle died on August 13, 1995 at the age of 63 (well beyond his father and grand-father’s ages).   The casual fan will revere him for the awesome numbers he put up during his career and the plaques that sit in Cooperstown and Monument Park in the Bronx. 

Yankees’ fans will recognize him for much more; he was a regular guy – a mere human like the rest of us – whose character, in spite of its weaknesses, made our team great.

His plaque at Yankee stadium is titled “A Great Teammate” and reads: “A Magnificent Yankee who left a legacy of unequalled courage”. 

Nothing could better summarize the reason he sits at number three in our Mount Olympus.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

  


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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICKEY MANTLE

Today is Mickey Mantle’s birthday. Mantle is probably one of the most popular New York Yankees ever, and it’s probably because the baby boomer generation saw one of the greatest home run hitters during their youth and passed on some pretty amazing stories about the Mick to their children. Us, in turn, pass the stories of the Mick to our children and when my 9 year old talks about Mickey Mantle, it’s almost like folklore. It’s funny how it works, but there is no doubt, Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest hitters ever.

Obviously, if you read Bleeding Yankee Blue, you know I’m 40 and I’ve never seen Mickey Mantle play one inning or have 1 at bat. But the stories about Mickey Mantle are historic. My father told me about the baseball that the Mick hit that hit the top of the facade and how it was documented. Of course, we went to the library and there it was. I remember being hooked at that point and for my birthday one year, my dad bought me a 1968 Topps Mickey Mantle. At the time, I didn’t care that it was one of the last original baseball cards issued of the Mick, to me, it was awesome and to this day, it’s still my favorite card.

Mickey Mantle was born and named after his father’s favorite player, Mickey Cochrane. That’s a fact. His dad saw something in his son at an early age and believed in him, even when Mickey didn’t believe in himself. The best story I’ve ever heard about Mickey Mantle was when he was struggling trying to work his way through the Yankee system and he called his father to pick him up. He didn’t want to do baseball anymore, it was wearing on him. His father showed up and started packing his bag. Mickey said “What are you doing?” His father told him that he was packing up his stuff because he was a quitter. A little reverse psychology I guess because it lit a fire under his ass. Mickey decided to stick around and well… the rest is history I guess. I'm kind of para-phrasing here but I read it in Mickey Mantle: American Prodigal Son and it's all there. A terrific read, you should check it out. Mickey had some of the most amazing years of his lifetime in baseball after that short struggle and his career was truly great.

His wife and children to this day speak fondly of their father and husband and have never shied away from his problems with drinking and women. The best part is Mickey Mantle still lives on to this day. A few years back Topps baseball Cards released a series of Mickey Mantle cards in the look of the current Topps look as well as reprints of the originals.

Now my 9 year old son owns his own Mickey Mantle cards and it’s one of the best moves Topps has ever made. Great idea... Kudos Topps!

Mickey Mantle’s an icon, a Yankee Icon and an American Icon and he will never be forgotten. So, this posts for you Mick… Happy Birthday. You made a ton of people smile in your lifetime and even after life and the line keeps moving. There’s a 9 year old in New Jersey right now that thinks you’re “da bomb”, and I think that’s pretty damn neat and I’m sure you would too.

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