Monday, October 20, 2008
Happy Birthday Mickey Mantle
Tampa Bay Ray fever is in full swing here in Florida. I remember going to baseball games with my family and listening to my dad talk about all the great players he admired over the years. He was a dyed-in-the wool baseball fan, so he had a lot of heroes, but the name that came up most often was Mickey Mantle. Today is Mickey's birthday, so I thought we'd take a moment to celebrate the life of one of baseball's true shining stars.
Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. His father, Mutt, named him after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane because he wanted his son to grow up to be a professional baseball player. By the time he was five years old, he was already impressing people with his natural ability. Few people know it, but Mickey was an all-around athlete, playing basketball, football and baseball in high school.
In 1948, Mickey was playing for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids when he was discovered by a Yankee scout. That day, "The Mick" hit two tape measure home runs that sailed past the fence and rolled into the river. That was enough for the scout. On the day he graduated, Mickey was signed to the Yankees and he spent his entire career with the team.
Less than ten years later, Mantle would have the greatest year of his career when he won baseball's triple crown: Male Athlete of the Year, the American League Most Valuable Player and Player of the Year. He was also voted MVP in 1957 and 1962. Mickey played in twelve World Series and led the Yankees to seven World Championships. His record for most World Series home runs (18) and several other World Series records still stand.
He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and to this day, he is still considered as the greatest switch hitter of all time. Mickey once said, "It was all I lived for, to play baseball." We're sure glad you did!
Happy Birthday, Mickey!
posted by Betty at
5:00 AM
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