[Artemis Webb]

All I know is that long before steroids Mantle had arms that looked like they were made of steel cable.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Q: What do you get when you cross Mickey Mantle and Betty Crocker?

A: A better batter.

[arrogantsob]

Headline should be “The LEGEND of Mickey Mantle.”

[Gene Eric]

Saga.

[TBP]

The Mick was my idol growing up.

[TBP]

The Mick was my idol growing up.

[jwalsh07]

Mantle was no myth. He was powerful and fast.

[advertising guy]

this is a true story....when Mantle hit his “tape measure” homer that flew 527 ft......he had previously been benched for not making the plane from Philly back to NY.....so he took a cab ,arriving at the start of the 3td inning.......and still hammerd

...Casey Stingel benched him only to pinch hit him in late inning where Mantle hit the tape measure homer winnin the game

....still hammered during the press interview, he was asked...” Mickey...what was that a fastball or a slider ?”

...without a nanosecond of hesitation Mantle replied “ It sounded like a fastball”

[dr_lew]

When I grew up in NJ in the late fifties and early sixties, Mickey Mantle was sort of a demigod, like Hercules. Some years later in the seventies, I guess, I was watching the Dick Cavett show with Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford as guests. Some guy from the audience walked up on stage and shook hands with all three of them, as an usher appeared at his elbow and Cavett gaped in surprise. He muttered something about not being able to pass up the opportunity.

[Vendome]

Would be great if I could find the video mentioned in the article.

[Mariner]

Great story.

He did hit them further than anyone.

[freejohn]

GOTTA Ping myself on this one!

[MichaelP]

He was white, didn't use performance enhancing drugs, came from hicktown, Ok, so he doesn't deserve the accolades given him by the racist white fans...

Mike

[Right Wing Assault]

I saw both Mantle and Ted Williams in person many times as a kid. I swear they personally beat the Cleveland Indians every Yankess or Red Sox game I went to.

I hated those guys but respected their abilities.

[steelyourfaith]

Aw, man, the biggest sports idol of my youth.

Other MM fans might find this vignette interesting. It comes from David Falkner's 1995 book The Last Hero, The Life of Mickey Mantle, pages 180-181.

"Dave Nelson was a rookie second baseman for Cleveland in 1968, Mantle's last year, He was not much of a hitter, but he was quick, could steal a base, get his bat on the ball, and make the plays in the field. His first trip to Yankee Stadium, he said, was memorable in ways he never anticipated. ... 'I was just a young kid then, just turned twenty-three, I think, and there I was in the big leagues, in Yankee Stadium, and I'm just in awe of the place. I don't remember who was on the mound - maybe it was Al Downing,' he said, 'but Mickey was on first and I knew his knees were gone. I had no clue at this time that other clubs had decided some things among themselves out of reverence for him. So, in this one at bat, I pushed the ball, push-bunted right between the pitcher and first base and they had to go for it. I had great speed so it was a base hit. I turn around halfway down the right field line, and there's our first base coach walking towards me, and he stops me and tells me 'Hey, Dave, we don't bunt on Mick out of respect for him.' I go to myself, 'Oh-kayyy.' So then I walked back to first base and I'm standing next to Mickey Mantle. I'm looking at this guy's arms and they look like tree trunks, and I'm saying, 'Man, he's gonna pinch my head off,' and then he pats me on the butt and he says, 'Nice bunt, rook.' And I look at him and say, 'Thanks, Mr. Mantle.'"