Born October 20, 1931, Major League Baseball great Mickey Mantle lived his life like he played the game he loved so much, with reckless abandon. Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995, but left behind a legacy of some of the greatest moments in baseball history. Many of these moments have been recounted and represented in a number of mediums:
61* : the story of Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and one magical summer / Ron Smith
The last hero : the life of Mickey Mantle / David Falkner
My favorite summer, 1956 / Mickey Mantle & Phil Pepe
61* [videorecording] / HBO Films
Baseball’s greatest legends [videorecording] : diamond memories
Mantle’s prodigious hitting statistics don’t measure what a fine teammate he was. When the New York fans turned on Roger Maris during the magical 1961 season where he and Mantle vied for both that summer’s home run title and the single season record, Mantle remained a friend and supporter of Maris. Mantle ended that season with 54 home runs, while his friend Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single season record by hitting 61 dingers.
Injuries and rough living ended Mantle’s career after the 1968 season, but he left baseball fans a lifetime of memories. His eighteen post-season home runs come to mind whenever I watch October playoff baseball. Happy birthday, Mick!
Scott
