Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, Mickey Mantle had an eighteen-year career with the New York Yankees. As a switch hitter during my high school softball years, I can’t help but hold a spot in my heart for Mantle. His speech is cut off in the video, but from what I can see in the bit that is there, his personality is about what I had envisioned (even if a bit subdued, given the atmosphere of the event).
Always thought he was great! 🙂
Me too! 🙂
maybe his wife and children were the only ones with a not so favorable opinion, but Mantle’s life was not so different than Curt Flood’s in that both were riding the alcohol gravy train and it took them to some wild places….
True, he had less-than-admirable personality traits. When it comes to Mantle, I tend to focus more on his on-field performance than his off-field personal life. With most players, that’s probably the best philosophy, honestly.