I watched a yankeeography today on this amazing player & I couldn't help but wonder what kind of numbers he could have ended up with had he not had all the injuries.. It was further hard to believe that when he hit his 500th HR in 1967 he became only the 6th player to accomplish the feat. Today there are 25 (soon to be 26) with Pujols only 8 away.
Between the Mick's injuries and Williams call to duty (twice), how much greater could those two have been?
Here's how I think of Mantle - Of course he put up Hall of Fame numbers....but, when he WAS healthy and at his best, he was certainly as good and maybe better than any from his era,including Mays and Aaron. And just as fast - before the injury. He did manage to steal over 150 career bases at a 80% success rate. But those Yankee teams didn't rely on SBs and his knee/leg injuries stopped him otherwise. Mantle is the last player to win the Triple Crown for all MLB (both leagues)- 1956. I heard the serious knee injury he sustained in the outfield was never operated on because the required procedure wasn't developed yet. He played the rest of his career with a knee injury which was never corrected with surgery! His record 18 World Series Homers probably will never be broken - and keep in mind, he hit those HRs at a better rate than his regular season career AB/HR ratio- vs W.S. pitching !
when i was 17 years old i got a tryout with yankees at the stadium, at the time it was unusual that tryouts were held at any stadium, but to be able to be on that field, and to know that the Mick and all the other great yankees played there was an incredible experience for me, i stepped in the box that all the legends stepped in!! i'll never forget it!
Were the monuments still on the field or was that way before your time.? Come to think of it I really don't remember the year they were moved. I'm thinking late 60s.
Now I'm thinking it was done closer to 76 the year the park was renovated. I can still remember Bobby Murcer going between the monuments to retrieve a ball.
No doubt The Mick, is a Giant Towering Number 7, amongst all time greats. Like a Skyscraper amongst non other his equal or match, during his time or era. DURING HIS ERA.....but not during other ERA's, as The IRON HORSE, THE BAMBINO-The SULTAN OF SWAT, and THE YANKEE CLIPPER.....!!!!!! (take a look at Gehrig's yearly RBI Total, it blows our minds, and other things we live for...!! http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml To say Mick was better than Mays is a stretch. Sure the Mick reigns as king in World Series Play, especially with his 18 W.S. HR's. Let's not discount Mays or Clemente tho', as those two had golden hands and gloves. Have we forgotten Mays historical catch known as the single greatest defensive play, or, Top Play of All Time-#1 in MLB History; when Mays stole Wertz In the Park HR, approximately 530-40 feet in CF. The same field Mays was damned to be in, as was Candlestick. ***IF IF IF...!!! ***Let's eliminate the ***IF's. Sure Mick was a better hitter, than the others, during most seasons, and always in World Series Play, when it counted. Other great HOF'ers hit too when it counted most. Don't forget Mays set up Dusty Rhodes one year wonder in W.S. play, with the greatest single Pinch Hitter performance know to all Fan-atics. Rhodes would dominate a whole series, with the help from Say Hey in 54 ,and win in 4 games. I idolized the Mick as a Kid, He and Maris, inspired me to bat left handed, or switch hit, the rest of my life. I have to confess tho', being but in my first year of little league, in 61, Maris was the main inspiration to drive balls left handed, yet Mick was my Hero, and now, then, like the Mick, I could also switch hit, (with a Maris left handed line drive swing), and a Mick HR RH'ed swing...! How can one not create a monument tower of the Mick, as I said, like a skyscraper amongst greats, that takes our breathe away. I have to honorably disagree, that the Mick was better than Mays, - - even more-so The Iron Horse, The Bambino, and the...Yankee Clipper-Joe DiMaggio......????..Yes, he was the best in his era, other than Mays, and Clemente, better than Williams, and Aaron, in the 50s only, I'd agree on that. in his 51-64 era, but not beyond his era, or before. I know, I know, your only saying IN HIS ERA, I would agree overall on that, with some pause to honor Mays and Clemente, and other great HOF'er feats, from Williams, Berra, Banks, Campanella, Brooks and Frank Robinson, Kaline, McCovey, Aaron, and alot of others. Let's not exclued great Pitchers to, Spahn, Ford, Terry, Don Larsen, Koufax, Feller, Lemon, Wynn, Virgil Trucks (2 no hitters in 1 season). Marichal, Bob Gibson, shit this list could go forever.........into the great 70s and every decade thereafter......... Yes, Mick, got the accolades Mays never saw but briefly. Mick was a great fielder, unmatched amongst his peers, almost; as Mays was the greatest Center Fielder, defensively. Note I said defensively. Mays also had to hit in Death Valley of the Polo Grounds. 550 foot center field and left fields canyon too. ***What IF Mays played in Fenway, or Wrigley???? What IF. Don't ever forget the greatest catch in Series History belongs to Mays, on Vic Wertz hit...how can anyone forget that great catch-(previously mentioned). Mays also had to hit into the strong winds of Candlestick.What ***IF IF, Mays didn't have to hit in the 550 foot deep Outfield Walls of the Polo Grounds, and/or the Strong Winds of Candlestick Park.***IF you've ever been to Candlestick in the 60s, the wind would blow your hair back, no shit...and Mays and McCovey had to hit into that wall of wind, knocking many a HR down....Mantle was greater than anyone in his time, hands down better than Aaron. Yet Mays and Clemente tower of greatness is right beside the Mick, during the Micks era....Clemente was the greatest Right Fielder to grace a baseball Diamond... Don't forget Mays stole 40 stolen bases in 56, and 38 in 57. Mick never stole more than 21 bases in a year. Mays set the bar in all categories, with his bat, glove,arm and legs, (hit, run, steal, catch, throw)- for both the NL, and AL. Let us never forget the greatest 'Overall' Center fielder, EVER, other than The Mick, was indeed the GREAT GREAT Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio. Read all you can on Joe D. You will be utterly fucking blown away. The Summer of 49, and the Summer of 41...read those two books, and then tell me the Mick was greater than Joe D. DiMaggio, who in his own era towered over Williams, and EVERY other HOF'er in that era. While DiMagggio was busy stealing a couple of MVP's from Williams, when Williams hit .406-WTF...!!!...????? Again DiMaggio, stole the MVP from Ted in Williams Triple Crown year of 47, HOW IN THE HELL does one steal a MVP from a Triple Crown Winner, and a .406 hitter...!!!!, Ask Joe D, or read about Joe DiMaggio, one of the very greatest to ever grace a BB field. http://sportstwo.com/threads/259101-Classic-Great-Baseball-Yankee-Books Every one should read these books,(noted above)- or forever hold your peace. Include Murders Row of 27 as well, a great read, of great great HOF men. As we should always pay tribute to these greats alongside each other, and never think one is greater than the other. Compare the Mick to Mays, or Aaron, or Clemente, but never compare them to other Yankee Greats, as any One being better than the others. They are all relatively equal to each other[/COLOR]. One man not yet mentioned is the Great Yogi Berra, also just as great at his position, as another-Bill Dickey..... Let's not forget The Yankee Clipper, The Iron Horse, The Bambino.......when we honor Mantle. Yes, Mantle deserves to be right alongside of these 3 great Yankees, or HOF'ers, but The Mick is NOT ahead of these 3. He can't be. Perhaps Mick would of got closer to the Bambino's 714 HR's ***IF Mick's health permitted, yet he never would of broke Babe's all time records, especially Home Runs to At Bats. Mick only came close to Babe, in 61, when he and Maris, visited the Babes turf, at HR's per 8.0 at bats. Yet, Babe did this more than a few times...the Mick once was in the Babe's turf, for HR's per at bats. ***IF IF and IF he would of been healthy. IF Joe D, and The Splendid Splinter Ted Williams may of broke Ruth's all time HR Record, ***IF IF, or tons of other WWII Vets, didn't go to WWII, IF, Lou had never came down with his own disease, he would of broke every RBI record known to man, which he already had....IF a lot of shit didn't happen. If Campy never was paralyzed, IF is not an option here. DiMaggio had 167 RBI’s in 37, 155 in 48. Mantle’s most RBI’s were 130 in his 56 Triple Crown year. I know I'm repeating myself here, but it bears repeating. Saying the same thing with different angles on it: Joe stole the MVP from Williams in his 47 Triple Crown Year. How do you steal the MVP from a Triple Crown Winner???? Or Williams Triple Crown Year of 42, again stole from Ted, by Joe Gordon. How do you steal the MVP from Ted Williams in 41, when Williams hit .406???? How in the Hell does anyone steal Williams thunder in such incredible Feats from Both Williams and DiMaggio.. Let us never say the Mick was greater than the Iron Horse, his RBI years, are fucking stunning to the HILTS…. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml Let us never forget the great Ruth #3, Gehrig, #4, The Yankee Clipper, Sultan of Swat, #5...shit, just read what you can, from the Post Link,:- (look at Lou's RBI totals, then tell me the Mick was greater than The IRON Horse......... http://sportstwo.com/threads/259101-Classic-Great-Baseball-Yankee-Books Never discount the Bambino, who probably saved MLB from collapse, during the years of 1919 thru 1920, when MLB was rocking on its heels, reeling from the Black Sox Scandal, as the Courts took MLB to the closet, and beat the hell out of MLB. Fan attendances were at an all time low from the dirty thrown ball games, which Fans gave up on Baseball, thinking it was already thrown before the games were played. Ruth spared fans, and packed them back in to the Parks, forgetting about the Sox scandals, to see Ruth pursue the breaking of his own HR record, with 54 in 1920 and 59 in 1921, single handedly Ruth brought Fans back to the Parks, and MLB instead of floundering, was revived by Ruth's pursuit, in the mean time fans came to forget the Sox scandal. All Thanks to Ruth, who saved MLB period...!!!! Mantle is a great amongst greats, and one of my all time favorite players, Yankee, and HOF'er, but lets not forget those who came before us, and were just as great, some even greater...sorry to say that, or burst a bubble, but the truth be known, the Mick I idolized as a God. I came to read and see film, and appreciate those other greats prior to the Mick...(lets not discount Mays though, we can Aaron, but not Clemente. BTW-Mays won the 1st ever Clemente Award, and how can anyone not recognize Roberto was the best ever in RF), ever...!!! I know Mick was a CFer, then lets look at DiMaggio too. Let's see all Yankee Skyscrapers for what they are. All Iconic Greats in their own time, and all History...! FYI and Pleasure: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dimagjo01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mantlmi01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dickebi01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mayswi01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml Thank You for Listening, and on that note, have a very good day...and enjoy Opening Day 2014. Thats the news, to the hilts, and I'm sticking to it....!!!
When Yankee Stadium was renovated from 1974-75, the outfield fences were moved in and the area containing the plaques and memorials, previously in play, were now beyond the left-center field fence. So, 1976 was the first year the Yankees played in Yankee stadium with the Monuments/Plaques beyond the wall. It wasn’t an area open to the public until 1985 when the fences were moved in. The “death valley” section of left-center changed from 430’ to 411’. The area in left near the old ambulance parking, where the non-bleacher stands ended, was changed from 387’ to 379’ creating an access way to Monument Park so that fans could visit before and after games. INFO courtesy of: mrsparkle@yankeenumbers.com
...yup, what might have been. ...shredded his knee trying to cover for an over-the-hill Joe DiMaggio on a fly ball off the bat of some rookie named Willie Mays.
Hey Ron I knew there was no way you were gonna let a thread title "MICKEY MANTLE" go by without you adding something to it. Yeah it was Houk who told Mickey who was playing RF to cover everything he could. Said he was going full speed as he went into CF to catch the ball & at the very last moment DiMaggio called him off & upon stopping his foot got caught in the drain hole & POP!, He said it felt like his knee went right through his leg. BTW: You haven't been posting much of late, are you okay?
When Joe DiMaggio was married to Marilyn Monroe she went on a three day tour to entertain troops in Korea. Upon her return she told DiMaggio that he had never heard such cheering. Marilyn was either not too bright or knew nothing about baseball. As many championship teams as Di Maggio played on I'm sure he heard much more cheering than she experienced in her little USO trip. DiMaggio was one hell of a player, I wish I could have seen him but I did see Mickey, a man who could run like the wind and hit a baseball ninety miles.
Yup, DiMaggio would of been a treat to see....the books noted in the link are classic examples of how Joe D, came off the bench to hit game winning HR's or RBI's at will, when the team needed it the most, as well as making some great catches, both to stop the Bosox and The Splendid Splinter. After reading those books, Summer of 41, 47, and 49, as well as "56", those books reveal how great our Yankee Clipper was to steal the MVP from a .406 hitter, then a Triple Crown Winner-(Williams). Only Joe D. could of pulled off such feats, in his time, no wonder he garnered the MVP most thought Williams would get, outside of NY Yankee Fandom of course. I too got to see the Mick, play in those early great 60s years, and he was very SPECIAL. Yet, so was Mays. "A Day to Remember" (Mick's retirement) was one of the saddest days in Yankee Lore. Mays went on from 65, to continue to make his patented basket catches, hit HR's, and simply be the Say Hey Kid, while Mantle had to take a seat as his legs would barely hold him up. We got to see the Mick in person, during a 86 Halos vs. Yanks game, reference Donruss 86 Highlight card. We got to walk alongside of the Mick after the game was over, an hour later. What a thrill of a lifetime, 5 minutes of infamy. got to see THE MICK, at an autograph/memorabilia-card show in 86, just a month later from the game. Mick was gracious, and signed a game bat of his, at the Disney Land Convention Ctr. A 35 inch X 38 oz. club (mick used 35-8 oz. clubs, always a 35 inch. K-55, Hillerich and Bradsby.
"A Day To Remember"....I've never heard so many people cry in one place, other than a few National Disasters, Hurricane Katrina, 9-11-2001, Fillmore Earthquake of 93. To put the Mick on that level is not proper a thing to do. However, when a ballplayer gets a much respect as Mick did, no one ever forgets his teary eyed audience in the Micks Farewell............ Almost Tragic............
The '56 Season was the first that I became aware of what was happening on the ball diamond. Mantle was awesome that year and his speed and ability to bop were the performances that got me going. In the outfield Mickey could outrun his mistakes and get at done. I remember him mashing one out of old Griffiths Stadium off of Chuck Stobbs. I did read the "Summer of 49" and was stoked on Joe D's accomplishments, the man was a team player and from video I've seen was smooth on outfield play. Not a huge fan of Hawk Harrelson but I heard him once speak of Mickey Mantle with total awe about how the man came out to play wrapped like an Egyptian Mummy. And no disrespect to Say Hey, or the Duke, they were right in there as well. Another Center Fielder from the time that no one mentions is Richie Ashburn of the Phillies, the man could hang with the New York and Brooklyn Guys is all departments but power.
