Mantle

[GimmeShelter]

9PM Tonight on HBO.....I hear will be pretty in depth as to "The Mick's" personal life.

[TaborJet]

Sounds good, considering there are no games tonight. The Yankeeography on Mantle was good, also.

[TomShane]

As a Mets fan and Yankee hater I still love hearing and reading about Mantle and DiMaggio. In fact, my favorite NY player of all time was Don Mattingly. Strange, eh?

[Blackout]

As a Mets fan and Yankee hater I still love hearing and reading about Mantle and DiMaggio. In fact, my favorite NY player of all time was Don Mattingly. Strange, eh?

what about the Bambino?

[Bugg]

Mantle was a great player, but not a very compelling story. And truth be told, that's true of many great athletes-Namath, Dimaggio. been there, done that. And HBO seems more desperate for this kind of stuff-the 1968 Tigers, Mexico City Olympics, and the Guiliani campaign ad with the baseball/9/11 link which should have beenr reported to the FEC. I'm a big Yankee fan, but no one's coming back from the dead because of the 2001 World Series.

Unfortunately this show consists of Bob Costas, Billy Chrystal and Mike Francesa bloviating at length about Mantle. Chyrstal and Costas as HBO employees apaprently chew up the scenery in attempts to outdo each other and the Fat Kid to prove theya re the biggest Mantle sucka$$ of all time. Got the sense that when Mantle was alive he detested these types other than for the money and free drinks these toadies anted up for access.

Why not do a long form documentary that's really compelling about men who were heroes and lived interesting lives -ted Williams, Jackie Robinson or Christy Mathewson? But Costas and Chrystal might not get a cut, so forget it.

[Maxman]

Mantle was a great player, but not a very compelling story. And truth be told, that's true of many great athletes-Namath, Dimaggio. been there, done that. And HBO seems more desperate for this kind of stuff-the 1968 Tigers, Mexico City Olympics, and the Guiliani campaign ad with the baseball/9/11 link which should have beenr reported to the FEC. I'm a big Yankee fan, but no one's coming back from the dead because of the 2001 World Series.

Unfortunately this show consists of Bob Costas, Billy Chrystal and Mike Francesa bloviating at length about Mantle. Chyrstal and Costas as HBO employees apaprently chew up the scenery in attempts to outdo each other and the Fat Kid to prove theya re the biggest Mantle sucka$$ of all time. Got the sense that when Mantle was alive he detested these types other than for the money and free drinks these toadies anted up for access.

Why not do a long form documentary that's really compelling about men who were heroes and lived interesting lives -ted Williams, Jackie Robinson or Christy Mathewson? But Costas and Chrystal might not get a cut, so forget it.

This is a great post.

If I am starting a message board and I could have one poster. Bugg is it.

[TomShane]

I cannot stand Costas anymore. Somewhere along the line he became this self-important, stat-spewing dweeb.

[Maxman]

I cannot stand Costas anymore. Somewhere along the line he became this self-important, stat-spewing dweeb.

He turned you down for an online chat as well huh?

Keep plugging away. Keep that chin up son.

[TomShane]

He turned you down for an online chat as well huh?

Keep plugging away. Keep that chin up son.

Does anyone know if George Will is still alive? And, if so, what is his E-mail address?

[GimmeShelter]

The intriguing part though is our fathers , uncles etc were literally engulfed with Mantle the ballplayer.

Kinda like todays Yankee fans with Jeter x 7.

I have to admit the footage of him hitting homers while barely able to run or lift his arm has me interested in seeing the show. Even the way Mantle knelt in the on deck circle was just different from other stars. He just had a certain charisma naturally about him.

As for the ballwashing by the Yankee fans taking part in the documentary, it's no different from what we get with todays Yankee media, broadcast crews and many of their fan base.

[Jet/BosoxFan]

what about the Bambino?

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

[Jet/BosoxFan]

what about the Bambino?

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

[shawn306]

The intriguing part though is our fathers , uncles etc were literally engulfed with Mantle the ballplayer.

Kinda like todays Yankee fans with Jeter x 7.

I have to admit the footage of him hitting homers while barely able to run or lift his arm has me interested in seeing the show. Even the way Mantle knelt in the on deck circle was just different from other stars. He just had a certain charisma naturally about him.

As for the ballwashing by the Yankee fans taking part in the documentary, it's no different from what we get with todays Yankee media, broadcast crews and many of their fan base.

The same way their father's were engulfed in DiMaggio ?

I never say Mickey play but alot of people who followed him say that Mickey was never really "loved" by New York fans until 1961 when he and Maris were chasing Ruth. New York fans suddenly decided that they wanted Mickey to break the record and not Roger so they all rooted for Mickey.

The way some people talk about him though you would think he was beloved from day 1. Truth is though he played in the shadow of Dimaggio for years before really becoming beloved.

[shawn306]

The intriguing part though is our fathers , uncles etc were literally engulfed with Mantle the ballplayer.

Kinda like todays Yankee fans with Jeter x 7.

I have to admit the footage of him hitting homers while barely able to run or lift his arm has me interested in seeing the show. Even the way Mantle knelt in the on deck circle was just different from other stars. He just had a certain charisma naturally about him.

As for the ballwashing by the Yankee fans taking part in the documentary, it's no different from what we get with todays Yankee media, broadcast crews and many of their fan base.

The same way their father's were engulfed in DiMaggio ?

I never say Mickey play but alot of people who followed him say that Mickey was never really "loved" by New York fans until 1961 when he and Maris were chasing Ruth. New York fans suddenly decided that they wanted Mickey to break the record and not Roger so they all rooted for Mickey.

The way some people talk about him though you would think he was beloved from day 1. Truth is though he played in the shadow of Dimaggio for years before really becoming beloved.

[GimmeShelter]

Not sure about that. Mantle had two MVP's and a triple crown under his belt by 1961.

Joe D was genaerally regarded as a first class pr@ck by his teammates while many ex Yanks call Mick the best teammate they ever played with.

I can't speak for the fans as I too never saw him play.

[GimmeShelter]

Not sure about that. Mantle had two MVP's and a triple crown under his belt by 1961.

Joe D was genaerally regarded as a first class pr@ck by his teammates while many ex Yanks call Mick the best teammate they ever played with.

I can't speak for the fans as I too never saw him play.

[shawn306]

I have never read any Yankee player during the DiMaggio era refer to Joe as a prick.

If anything I think alot of Yankee players were in awe of DiMaggio.

I read his biography a few years ago and what I got of it was that DiMaggio was very much a loner but if he wanted you to go out with him then you didn't ask questions you just did.

Jody and Sid yesterday and they had Billy Crystal on who is about as big a Mantle mark as their was.

Billy basically said that the fans never really accepted Mantle until the homerun chase of 61. Then he became the beloved Mick. Alot of that though at least in my mind was probably from those adults who had watched DiMaggio play when they were kids.

Mantle came up in 51 basically being heralded as the next DiMaggio and while he had an all time career in alot of people's mind he wasn't DiMaggio and was booed by the hometown folks for a long time.

[shawn306]

I have never read any Yankee player during the DiMaggio era refer to Joe as a prick.

If anything I think alot of Yankee players were in awe of DiMaggio.

I read his biography a few years ago and what I got of it was that DiMaggio was very much a loner but if he wanted you to go out with him then you didn't ask questions you just did.

Jody and Sid yesterday and they had Billy Crystal on who is about as big a Mantle mark as their was.

Billy basically said that the fans never really accepted Mantle until the homerun chase of 61. Then he became the beloved Mick. Alot of that though at least in my mind was probably from those adults who had watched DiMaggio play when they were kids.

Mantle came up in 51 basically being heralded as the next DiMaggio and while he had an all time career in alot of people's mind he wasn't DiMaggio and was booed by the hometown folks for a long time.

[AFJF]

As a Mets fan and Yankee hater I still love hearing and reading about Mantle and DiMaggio. In fact, my favorite NY player of all time was Don Mattingly. Strange, eh?

Not strange at all...Mattingly is a class guy who always busted his ass even when the Yanks were in the toilet.

I have even more respect for him now after seeing Tommy John in an interview a few years ago and they asked him about adultry in baseball and what it was like on the road. The ONLY name he mentioned as a guy who was always true to his family was Mattingly. That really says something coming from a guy who played 26 years in the majors.

[AFJF]

As a Mets fan and Yankee hater I still love hearing and reading about Mantle and DiMaggio. In fact, my favorite NY player of all time was Don Mattingly. Strange, eh?

Not strange at all...Mattingly is a class guy who always busted his ass even when the Yanks were in the toilet.

I have even more respect for him now after seeing Tommy John in an interview a few years ago and they asked him about adultry in baseball and what it was like on the road. The ONLY name he mentioned as a guy who was always true to his family was Mattingly. That really says something coming from a guy who played 26 years in the majors.

[Oakliusmaximus]

Looks like it might be pretty good. Sorry I’m going to have to miss it for class tonight but at least it’s on HBO so it’ll probably be on another 42 times this weekend alone.

'A large part of his life was sad'

The life and times of Mickey Mantle, baseball legend

DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- In telling Mickey Mantle's story, it's easy to get wrapped up in his tremendous home runs, the World Series championships he won and the anecdotes about his boozy carousing.

Too easy.

So while putting together a documentary subtitled "the definitive story of Mickey Mantle," filmmakers decided to scale back the focus on the New York Yankee superstar's career (1951 to '68) and dig deeper into the key elements that shaped his life, emphasizing his childhood and his dramatic final two years, when he sent out the cautionary message, "If you want a role model ... don't be like me."

"His legacy on a superficial level will always be as one of the most heroic, dynamic baseball players ever to live," co-executive producer Ross Greenburg said. "But his real legacy is his manhood and what he overcame, and the message he wanted to deliver at the end of his life."

The hourlong "Mantle" debuts 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday on HBO. (HBO, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.)

Much of the movie is still about baseball, but it's no highlight reel. His power and speed are conveyed through a few stories, with more time spent examining how Mantle's aw-shucks country charm and a name seemingly destined for headlines made him an icon.

The film covers Mantle's life in a way that director George Roy hopes will give viewers a better understanding of Mantle's rise to stardom and the demons that tormented him -- striving to please his father and battling alcoholism.

"It's really a human drama about a compelling person more than it is about a baseball hero," Roy said. "It's about what it was like to be him and why Mickey Mantle to this day still matters and will always matter."

Roy pitched the idea for this documentary after HBO made "61*," the Billy Crystal-directed movie about the 1961 home run race between Mantle and Roger Maris. Considering that the cable network already had done films about Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, it was an easy sell. The Mantle family, thrilled with "61*," also was happy to oblige.

They let Roy dig up photos from their collection that hadn't been released before, and he plucked forgotten film clips such as a late-'60s chat with kids at Yankee Stadium in which Mantle says he hopes to play long enough to hit 600 homers. He retired with 536.

The story is pushed along by interviews with dozens of relatives, former teammates and other friends. Keeping with the tell-all aim, there also are segments featuring Mantle's longtime mistress and his rapid rise on the liver transplant waiting list.

Some of the most charming moments are the most offbeat, including comedian Richard Lewis' one-liners and Ed Harris reciting a poem he wrote about Mantle when he was about 10.

Joy on the field, difficulty off it

While hardcore Mantle fans know about the influence of father Mutt Mantle, this movie uncovers details about their relationship that Mantle's sons Danny and David said even they didn't know.

Mutt is portrayed as a tough, take-no-guff man of his era. As overbearing as he might've been, his intention was pure: He wanted to keep Mickey out of the Oklahoma zinc mines where he worked.

Mutt never had the pleasure of watching his son win the Triple Crown or three MVP awards; he died following Mickey's rookie season. Beyond the usual suffering over losing a parent, Mutt's death also forced 20-year-old Mickey to become the main provider for his four siblings and mother, along with his own wife and growing family, and it reinforced his expectation of dying young.

Combine those emotional struggles, the physical problems that dogged Mantle and his celebrity lifestyle in New York, it's easy to understand why he became a heavy drinker.

He also was an absent husband-father who admittedly didn't connect with his kids until they were old enough to become his drinking buddies. Wife Merlyn raised their four boys pretty much by herself in Dallas. Two are dead now, Billy in the year before Mickey -- who died in 1995 at age 63 -- and Mickey Jr. five years ago.

"I think perhaps the most poignant points of the film, and the most surprising points, show how dysfunctional of a character he was at times," Roy said. "There's no getting around the fact that a large part of his life was sad."

The final chapter of Mantle's life began when he decided to sober up. While at the Betty Ford Center, he wrote a letter to his long-deceased father and never stopped pouring out his emotions. Danny and David Mantle, who joined their father in sobriety about the same time, proudly recall that every conversation with their dad after that ended with him saying, "I love you."

The serenity was ruined about 16 months later when Mantle's alcohol-wrenched liver gave out. He was in such bad shape that he zoomed to the top the list of those needing a transplant -- anonymously, though some still suspect otherwise -- and died weeks later of cancer.

Although Mantle never understood the fuss made over him, he realized how many people he could help after being overwhelmed by mail during his stay at Betty Ford. He responded by encouraging others to dry out too, then promoted organ donation and, in his dying days, made his memorable plea for others not to follow his lead.

With such heart-tugging stories surrounding Mantle's death, the last five minutes of the film are "as impactful as any ending we've ever put in any documentary," Greenburg said.

[Oakliusmaximus]

Looks like it might be pretty good. Sorry I’m going to have to miss it for class tonight but at least it’s on HBO so it’ll probably be on another 42 times this weekend alone.

'A large part of his life was sad'

The life and times of Mickey Mantle, baseball legend

DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- In telling Mickey Mantle's story, it's easy to get wrapped up in his tremendous home runs, the World Series championships he won and the anecdotes about his boozy carousing.

Too easy.

So while putting together a documentary subtitled "the definitive story of Mickey Mantle," filmmakers decided to scale back the focus on the New York Yankee superstar's career (1951 to '68) and dig deeper into the key elements that shaped his life, emphasizing his childhood and his dramatic final two years, when he sent out the cautionary message, "If you want a role model ... don't be like me."

"His legacy on a superficial level will always be as one of the most heroic, dynamic baseball players ever to live," co-executive producer Ross Greenburg said. "But his real legacy is his manhood and what he overcame, and the message he wanted to deliver at the end of his life."

The hourlong "Mantle" debuts 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday on HBO. (HBO, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.)

Much of the movie is still about baseball, but it's no highlight reel. His power and speed are conveyed through a few stories, with more time spent examining how Mantle's aw-shucks country charm and a name seemingly destined for headlines made him an icon.

The film covers Mantle's life in a way that director George Roy hopes will give viewers a better understanding of Mantle's rise to stardom and the demons that tormented him -- striving to please his father and battling alcoholism.

"It's really a human drama about a compelling person more than it is about a baseball hero," Roy said. "It's about what it was like to be him and why Mickey Mantle to this day still matters and will always matter."

Roy pitched the idea for this documentary after HBO made "61*," the Billy Crystal-directed movie about the 1961 home run race between Mantle and Roger Maris. Considering that the cable network already had done films about Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, it was an easy sell. The Mantle family, thrilled with "61*," also was happy to oblige.

They let Roy dig up photos from their collection that hadn't been released before, and he plucked forgotten film clips such as a late-'60s chat with kids at Yankee Stadium in which Mantle says he hopes to play long enough to hit 600 homers. He retired with 536.

The story is pushed along by interviews with dozens of relatives, former teammates and other friends. Keeping with the tell-all aim, there also are segments featuring Mantle's longtime mistress and his rapid rise on the liver transplant waiting list.

Some of the most charming moments are the most offbeat, including comedian Richard Lewis' one-liners and Ed Harris reciting a poem he wrote about Mantle when he was about 10.

Joy on the field, difficulty off it

While hardcore Mantle fans know about the influence of father Mutt Mantle, this movie uncovers details about their relationship that Mantle's sons Danny and David said even they didn't know.

Mutt is portrayed as a tough, take-no-guff man of his era. As overbearing as he might've been, his intention was pure: He wanted to keep Mickey out of the Oklahoma zinc mines where he worked.

Mutt never had the pleasure of watching his son win the Triple Crown or three MVP awards; he died following Mickey's rookie season. Beyond the usual suffering over losing a parent, Mutt's death also forced 20-year-old Mickey to become the main provider for his four siblings and mother, along with his own wife and growing family, and it reinforced his expectation of dying young.

Combine those emotional struggles, the physical problems that dogged Mantle and his celebrity lifestyle in New York, it's easy to understand why he became a heavy drinker.

He also was an absent husband-father who admittedly didn't connect with his kids until they were old enough to become his drinking buddies. Wife Merlyn raised their four boys pretty much by herself in Dallas. Two are dead now, Billy in the year before Mickey -- who died in 1995 at age 63 -- and Mickey Jr. five years ago.

"I think perhaps the most poignant points of the film, and the most surprising points, show how dysfunctional of a character he was at times," Roy said. "There's no getting around the fact that a large part of his life was sad."

The final chapter of Mantle's life began when he decided to sober up. While at the Betty Ford Center, he wrote a letter to his long-deceased father and never stopped pouring out his emotions. Danny and David Mantle, who joined their father in sobriety about the same time, proudly recall that every conversation with their dad after that ended with him saying, "I love you."

The serenity was ruined about 16 months later when Mantle's alcohol-wrenched liver gave out. He was in such bad shape that he zoomed to the top the list of those needing a transplant -- anonymously, though some still suspect otherwise -- and died weeks later of cancer.

Although Mantle never understood the fuss made over him, he realized how many people he could help after being overwhelmed by mail during his stay at Betty Ford. He responded by encouraging others to dry out too, then promoted organ donation and, in his dying days, made his memorable plea for others not to follow his lead.

With such heart-tugging stories surrounding Mantle's death, the last five minutes of the film are "as impactful as any ending we've ever put in any documentary," Greenburg said.

[stormshadow19]

This is a great post.

If I am starting a message board and I could have one poster. Bugg is it.

And, the irony in that is, you did start a message board. Your one poster was Tom. hang your head in shame...

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

Nope, sure can't... but then again, can you name one player from back then that wasn't a fall down drunk?

[stormshadow19]

This is a great post.

If I am starting a message board and I could have one poster. Bugg is it.

And, the irony in that is, you did start a message board. Your one poster was Tom. hang your head in shame...

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

Nope, sure can't... but then again, can you name one player from back then that wasn't a fall down drunk?

[Jet/BosoxFan]

9PM Tonight on HBO.....I hear will be pretty in depth as to "The Mick's" personal life.

Gee...I wonder if Billy Crystal is going to be involved. Add a little self-aggranding from Bob Costas and fat phoney Mike Francessa and...voila. Whats the over/under on the amount of time they spend on the torment the Mick put his family through due to his own personal shortcomings. Yet people like Billy, Bob, and Fatso will stop at nothing to ballwash the Mick.

Should be nothing short of puke-inducing

[Jet/BosoxFan]

9PM Tonight on HBO.....I hear will be pretty in depth as to "The Mick's" personal life.

Gee...I wonder if Billy Crystal is going to be involved. Add a little self-aggranding from Bob Costas and fat phoney Mike Francessa and...voila. Whats the over/under on the amount of time they spend on the torment the Mick put his family through due to his own personal shortcomings. Yet people like Billy, Bob, and Fatso will stop at nothing to ballwash the Mick.

Should be nothing short of puke-inducing

[GimmeShelter]

I have never read any Yankee player during the DiMaggio era refer to Joe as a prick.

If anything I think alot of Yankee players were in awe of DiMaggio.

I read his biography a few years ago and what I got of it was that DiMaggio was very much a loner but if he wanted you to go out with him then you didn't ask questions you just did.

Jody and Sid yesterday and they had Billy Crystal on who is about as big a Mantle mark as their was.

Billy basically said that the fans never really accepted Mantle until the homerun chase of 61. Then he became the beloved Mick. Alot of that though at least in my mind was probably from those adults who had watched DiMaggio play when they were kids.

Mantle came up in 51 basically being heralded as the next DiMaggio and while he had an all time career in alot of people's mind he wasn't DiMaggio and was booed by the hometown folks for a long time.

Fan acceptance not coming until 61 could be true.

Mantle or Joe D. would be a great debate.

I disliked the fact that Joe had to be the last ex-player introduced at old timers day and had to be referred to as the greatest living player or he wouldn't show up.

Loved the fact he wouldn't acknowledge the Kennedy's for what they were presumed to have done to Marylin Monroe.

I will read the Joe D. book Shawn and get a better perspective.

[GimmeShelter]

I have never read any Yankee player during the DiMaggio era refer to Joe as a prick.

If anything I think alot of Yankee players were in awe of DiMaggio.

I read his biography a few years ago and what I got of it was that DiMaggio was very much a loner but if he wanted you to go out with him then you didn't ask questions you just did.

Jody and Sid yesterday and they had Billy Crystal on who is about as big a Mantle mark as their was.

Billy basically said that the fans never really accepted Mantle until the homerun chase of 61. Then he became the beloved Mick. Alot of that though at least in my mind was probably from those adults who had watched DiMaggio play when they were kids.

Mantle came up in 51 basically being heralded as the next DiMaggio and while he had an all time career in alot of people's mind he wasn't DiMaggio and was booed by the hometown folks for a long time.

Fan acceptance not coming until 61 could be true.

Mantle or Joe D. would be a great debate.

I disliked the fact that Joe had to be the last ex-player introduced at old timers day and had to be referred to as the greatest living player or he wouldn't show up.

Loved the fact he wouldn't acknowledge the Kennedy's for what they were presumed to have done to Marylin Monroe.

I will read the Joe D. book Shawn and get a better perspective.

[Bugg]

The Dimaggio book by Richard Ben Cramer is a really good read. Sadly, Dimaggio fell in love with his mythical status and at the end didn't have many people left who really loved him. Makes you wonder if it was worth it. The story that stands out is Dimaggio running through his sister's San Francisco house with a garbage bag full of cash in the aftermath of the 1989 earthquake.

The sad things about Mantle are that his partying probably cost him all kinds of records and worse seeing his kids grow up. Don't know how any parent could miss that. And all the justifications afterwards don't change it.Oh, blame dad for being a a hardass.What's the expiration date on that? And is that all that unusual? He was a great ballplayer and probably a fun guy to go drinking with. But I'm missing what this show adds that ESPN or YES hasn't already done other than Billy Crystal-professional Yankee fan, except when he wears a Mets cap in "Cityslickers" or own a part of the D-Backs(facts are so inconvenient) -gets to wet his beak again. And that's conceding that "61" was a good movie.

GOt the tyke's 128 Crayola box here,and Bob Costas' hair color isn't here, nor Tim Mccarver's. Is getting old that big a hit on these guys' egos? And after spending the better part of the last 2 decades blaming the Yankees and Steinbrenner for all that's wrong with baseball, now he comes back to hsi favorite team. Right. Hope he got a big a$$ box of his favorite Clairol color for this nonsense.

Hey-want a good story? Show how thes tightwad small market owners like the Walmart Royals pocket Steinbrenner's revenue sharing cash rather than spend it on the team. Or how nonguaranteed NFL contracts cost marginal players tons of money in their short careers when they get injured. Nah, that would require actual research. Let's instead have BS middle-aged guys wax poetic on cue about Mantle.

[Bugg]

The Dimaggio book by Richard Ben Cramer is a really good read. Sadly, Dimaggio fell in love with his mythical status and at the end didn't have many people left who really loved him. Makes you wonder if it was worth it. The story that stands out is Dimaggio running through his sister's San Francisco house with a garbage bag full of cash in the aftermath of the 1989 earthquake.

The sad things about Mantle are that his partying probably cost him all kinds of records and worse seeing his kids grow up. Don't know how any parent could miss that. And all the justifications afterwards don't change it.Oh, blame dad for being a a hardass.What's the expiration date on that? And is that all that unusual? He was a great ballplayer and probably a fun guy to go drinking with. But I'm missing what this show adds that ESPN or YES hasn't already done other than Billy Crystal-professional Yankee fan, except when he wears a Mets cap in "Cityslickers" or own a part of the D-Backs(facts are so inconvenient) -gets to wet his beak again. And that's conceding that "61" was a good movie.

GOt the tyke's 128 Crayola box here,and Bob Costas' hair color isn't here, nor Tim Mccarver's. Is getting old that big a hit on these guys' egos? And after spending the better part of the last 2 decades blaming the Yankees and Steinbrenner for all that's wrong with baseball, now he comes back to hsi favorite team. Right. Hope he got a big a$$ box of his favorite Clairol color for this nonsense.

Hey-want a good story? Show how thes tightwad small market owners like the Walmart Royals pocket Steinbrenner's revenue sharing cash rather than spend it on the team. Or how nonguaranteed NFL contracts cost marginal players tons of money in their short careers when they get injured. Nah, that would require actual research. Let's instead have BS middle-aged guys wax poetic on cue about Mantle.

[Blackout]

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

was lou gehrig a drunk? i haven't gotten around to reading any biographies on him

[Blackout]

Can you name one (pre-desegregation) Yankee great that was not a fall-down drunk?

was lou gehrig a drunk? i haven't gotten around to reading any biographies on him

[Jetsfan80]

was lou gehrig a drunk? i haven't gotten around to reading any biographies on him

Lou never touched the stuff.

Furthermore, you COULD make a case that Gehrig was the better pure hitter, at least statistically, than Ruth. After all, Gehrig only played 13 years, and over that span, his numbers were comparable to Ruth's. Plus, he batted BEHIND Ruth, and still drove in a ton of runs without the protection in the lineup.

[Jetsfan80]

was lou gehrig a drunk? i haven't gotten around to reading any biographies on him

Lou never touched the stuff.

Furthermore, you COULD make a case that Gehrig was the better pure hitter, at least statistically, than Ruth. After all, Gehrig only played 13 years, and over that span, his numbers were comparable to Ruth's. Plus, he batted BEHIND Ruth, and still drove in a ton of runs without the protection in the lineup.

[Bob]

I watched the Mantle show. There was a not a single new thing in it.

It was great, seeing all the old video and pictures, though.

My mother idolized the guy. It's a wonder my name isn't Mickey. He was pretty much done by the time I was old enough to notice baseball in the late 60s.