1961. The year history would be rewritten. The year before, in 1960, the Yankees had come of a devastating lost in Game 7 of the World Series when a Pittsburgh Pirate would hit a home run over the ivy to walk of the World Series. One of the most memorable long shots in baseball history. Mickey Mantle was crying on the plane ride home. Another one of his teammates said that it was just a game. Mickey Mantle would explain in his autobiography that it wasn’t ‘’Yankee Type.’’ But 1961 had high hopes for the Yankees. Five years earlier Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown and the MVP award. Also in the offseason of 1959, the Yankees acquired Roger Maris in a trade with the Kansas City Athletics.
Category: Mickey Mantle Fan Club
All things Mickey Mantle. Articles and media document the life and career of The Commerce Comet.
Winning a World Series with the New York Yankees
The Yankees are baseball’s greatest team. They have 40 pennants ( meaning that they’ve gone to the World Series) and are 27 world champions. Now let’s go into the rich history of my favorite sport team.
A Birth in Baltimore
They Yankees were founded in 1903 as the Baltimore Orioles. After a year in Baltimore, the Orioles moved to New York City. After the move, they switched their name to the New York Highlanders. They shared the famous Polo Grounds with the New York Giants.
The Highlanders weren’t a famous team. They didn’t have the big name players such as Ty Cobb and Cy Young. But soon, the Yankees would strike it rich with some of the best players of all time.
Fiery Mangers
Every team needs a good manager. The Yankees have had a lot of managers, some good and some bad. They have come and gone. Some Hall of Fame managers, such as Joe Torre and Jake Ruppert, were some of the best managers of all time.
Joe Torre has won four World Series. You can’t forget about present day manager Joe Giradi. He is a manager who stands up for his players no matter what.
The Bambino
In 1914, Babe Ruth debuted for the Boston Red Sox. He was absolutely crushing home runs. Once the Yankees noticed the Babe, they wanted him to play for them. The Yankees offered a cash trade. The Red Sox agreed and the Babe was off to New York. With the Yankees, he would hit 60 home runs. He would become the franchise leader in home runs and RBIs.
The Iron Horse
Babe Ruth wasn’t the only big name player in the Golden Age. There was also Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig played in 2,130 games. He had 1,995 RBIs. He would have had more if only his career wouldn’t have been shortened by ALS. He led the team during the ’20’s and ’30’s.
Yankee/Red Sox Rivalry
After the trade of the Babe, the Red Sox would never win a World Series again until 2004. They called this time ”The Curse of the Bambino”. Now, the Red Sox don’t trade anybody to the Yankees. Plus, fights have broken out during the years between the teams. The Yankees are really sore with the Red Sox.
Foundations
Over the years, the Yankees have donated lots of money to different charities such as ALS, Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 and Hope Week.
ALS Foundation
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the disease that took Lou Gehrig’s life. After he died, they renamed it Lou Gehrig disease. They have a foundation which helps raise money to find a cure for this deadly disease. The Yankees wore special hats to raise money and remember the great heroics of Lou Gehrig. Plus, they showed a clip to remember the great Lou Gehrig.
Derek Jeter’s Turn 2
Derek Jeter’s foundation is Turn 2. It is to teach kids and young adults to stay off drugs. In his farewell tour, he gets checks along with gifts for his foundation.
Hope Week
Hope Week is where the Yankees recognize people with disabilities. They do concerts and other special things such as letting disabled people throw the first pitch. For the kids, they get to be a Yankee for a day. Bernie Williams, former Yankee and guitar player, had a musical at a hospital.
The Yankees players take time out of their lives for people who can’t experience things that others can. They even had a real press conference for kids! The Yankees even help put on their jerseys!
The Most Known Logo
The Yankees logo was originally supposed to be an award for a police officer that died. But the Yankees wanted it. They were able to get it and they still wear the logo today. The Yankees aren’t the only team with the interlocking N Y.
Farewell Tours
As some of the greats and future Hall of Famers go, some teams honor them. In the last two years, greats such as Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter have retired. Every team has presented gifts and checks for them. Derek Jeter donates his to the Turn 2 foundation. Mariano donated his to the church he was building. Plus, they got some pretty cool gifts to keep for themselves. Mariano even got Metallica to perform his entrance music, Enter Sandman.
Also, both Mariano and Jeter both got cool patches to remember their retirements. Every player on the Yankees had to wear patches on their shoulders and hats.
Team Captains
The Yankees have had very few team captains. A team captain is the leader of the team. You have to be really good and be with the Yankees to be a team captain. From Lou Gehrig to Derek Jeter, the team captains have led the team. After Jeter, there might not be a team captain for a long time.
Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig was a lefty slugger that had a-then record of playing in 2,130 games. His career and life were both cut short due to a deadly disease which is now known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Lou Gehrig would never brag and was quiet. He was named team captain because he was a great five tool player. If he hadn’t stopped playing, he would have been the greatest player ever. In his speech, known as ”The Luckiest Man Speech,” he didn’t complain. He was thankful for the life he had. Today, Lou Gehrig is in the Hall of Fame.
Thurman Munson
Thurman Munson was a catcher for the New York Yankees. He was really good. He would be a captain until he died in a plane crash. It was a sad day for the Yankees. To remember him, they retired his number.
Ron Guidry
Ron Guidry was also a captain. He was a captain because he was an amazing pitcher. He struck out 18 batters in a single game! He also had a season where he went 25-3! He was an amazing pitcher. Because of his shortened career, he wouldn’t be able to go into the Hall of Fame. He did get his number retired in Monument Park.
Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly was a first baseman. He was a good player. He hit a lot of home runs. He was a role model to Mark Teixeira. Now he manages the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter was a shortstop. He might be one of the best shortstops ever. Having five World Series rings and five Gold Gloves, nobody knows what will come from him. In his 20 year career, Derek has racked up over 3,000 hits, 500 doubles, and 157 postseason appearances. He is the Yankees franchise leader in hits, doubles, and steals. He also is the longest playing Yankee. He also is the last Yankee to wear a single digit on the back of their jersey. Jeter’s number will be retired. He has been a All-Star fourteen times. Derek Jeter is a captain because he has so many hits and is such a good player.
Monument Park
Monument Park is in center field. It honors all of the Yankee greats. It has plaques and numbers of the Yankees.
Principal Owner
Every team needs a principal owner, who owns the team and approves trades made by the general manager. The most famous owner was George Steinbrenner. He was known for saying that he didn’t want his players to have long hair and facial hair. He also fired lots of managers, especially Billy Martin.
World Series Magic
The Yankees are the best team in baseball. They have won the World Series 27 times. They also have had 40 appearances in the Fall Classic. Let’s look at some of the World Series heroes.
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle has 18 home runs in the World Series. That is the most by any Yankee player. He has the most runs and was an amazing player.
Don Larsen
Don Larsen is also a World Series hero. He pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He is the only pitcher to do that.
Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra is famous for his World Series magic. He has the most World Series appearances by any player. He is famous for jumping into the arms of Don Larsen during the perfect game.
Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson is known for slugging three home runs on three pitches in one game. To finish up the series, he had five home runs tying Babe Ruth for the most.
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is known for the called shot at Wrigley Field. He also shares a record with Reggie Jackson for most World Series home runs.
Derek Jeter
When the Fall Classic went into November, Derek Jeter hit a lot of home runs.
Tino Martinez
Tino Martinez hits a grand slam in the World Series.
Broadcasters
Every team needs somebody to tell what’s happening in a game. The Yankees have Michael Kay, Ken Singleton, and Paul O’Neil.
ALCS Heroes
The ALCS is where the two best teams in the American league square off in a big game. Through the decades, there have been heroes which the Yankees needed.
Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent is the last name you would want to say at Fenway Park. In the 1978 ALCS, he hit a home run over the towering Green Monster in left field. That homer would send them to the World Series where they would win.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter cut off a throw and flipped it to Jorge Posada to get Jeremy Giambi out.
Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone hit a home run to walk off the 2003 ALCS.
Yankee Networks
Like every team, the Yankees needed a network where they could put their games on. They Yankees bought a TV station called Yes. When they are not showing their games, they could be found showing the Yankees Classics or Yankeeography.
The Yankees also needed a radio station for their games. They then took away the radio station WFAN away from the New York Mets.
Rookies of the Future
Masahiro Tanaka hopes he can lead the Yankees to another title. The young rookie from Japan needs to lead the Yankees after Derek Jeter retires. Catcher Austin Romine has to become a good backup for Brian McCann. Strikeout king Dellin Betances has to play a role in the bullpen.
Epilogue
It’s hard to be the best team in baseball. Having to honor and retire all these numbers. Also having all these fierce managers. From the old team captain power slugging rich history Lou Gehrig to the unbelievable plays of Derek Jeter, the Yankees are by far the greatest sports franchise ever.
Bibliography
Here are some books that are good…
Mark, Vancil and Mark Mandrake.
One Hundred Years New York Yankees The Official Retrospective. Chicago: Random House Books, 2002. Print
Krantz, Les. Yankee Classics: World Series Magic
from the Bronx Bombers. Minneapolis: MBI Publishing Company, 2010. Print.
Claus, Santa. Stocking Stumpers: New York
Yankees. Saddle River: Red-Letter Press, Inc., 2012. Print.
Hitting Hard with Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was an amazing slugger during his era. Today, the great image of Mickey Mantle continues. He holds the all time home run record of switch hitters. Let’s talk about his legacy. Because of his accomplishments, he is my favorite baseball player of all time.
A childhood in Oklahoma
Mickey Mantle was born and raised in Oklahoma. His dad, Mutt, named him after the Philadelphia Athletics catcher Gordon ”Mickey” Cochrane. Mutt Mantle liked him. The second Mickey Mantle was born, Mutt wanted him to play ball. Later in his childhood, Mickey would love the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s right, the Cardinals. It was not until his baseball career that Mickey would like the Yankees. He took baseball practice after school with his dad Mutt and his grandpa Charlie. They taught him how to be a switch hitter. Charlie Mantle would soon get very sick and die of Hodgkin’s disease. Although the disease didn’t take Mickey’s life, as it did for most of the men in the Mantle family, it did take the life of Mutt Mantle and Mickey’s son, Billy later on. Hodgkin’s disease is very deadly. Although he learned how to switch hit in his early years, he would be scarred from the devastating loss of his grandfather. Later in his playing childhood career, a tragedy would strike him. Baseball wasn’t the only sport he played. He also played football and basketball. One day while playing football, he hurt his leg. He decided to take it like a man and played through it. What a young Mickey didn’t know was how serious this was. When he woke up in the morning, he found an unpleasant surprise. He had a huge, blue right knee! His dad, Mutt, took him to the hospital right away. But they couldn’t do anything. Then they went to another hospital. They diagnosed him with osteomyelitis. They tried adding some shots, but that didn’t work. So they went to another hospital. They said there that they might have to cut off his leg so the disease wouldn’t spread. But his mom, Lovell, defended her son and said no. Later that night, the shots began to kick in. A couple days later, the Mantle family was up and going home. That’s right. His leg got better! If he didn’t take those shots, there might have been one less person in the Hall of Fame, and today somebody wearing number seven on the Yankees. Mickey Mantle’s childhood came with good things such as learning how to switch hit and play baseball, and bad things such as the devastating loss of his grandfather Charlie Mantle and the osteomyelitis infection. But Mickey pulled through it and used them as examples to push harder in the future.
Minor leagues and Rookie years.
Mickey Mantle made the team after attending the Yankees spring training camp. He was so good as a minor leaguer that they decided to bring him up to the big leagues. Mickey Mantle arrived at the Yankees locker room wearing the number 6. After a while, Mickey Mantle was demoted ( sent back down to the minors) because he was in a slump. He would come back up shortly. This time wearing his historic number 7.
Battle of the Rookies
Mickey Mantle faced two challenges during his rookie season: Willie Mays and injuries. Later in his rookie season, Mantle would go to his first World Series. He would encounter another rookie that was on fire during the season, Willie Mays. It was the battle of the rookies. Two future Hall of Famers coming face to face in the world series. He would try to make a play. But all of a sudden, the Yankee great Joe DiMaggio called him off.
When a Hall of Famer calls you off, you better stop. Without thinking, Mantle attempted to stop in his own speedy tracks. In the process, one of Mantle’s cleat spikes got caught in a drainage pipe used to get water off the field. Within a second, Mantle was there on the ground with an injured knee. That would be a sad and disappointing end to Mickey’s rookie season.
Big League Pro
Once Mickey hit the big leagues, it was the year of the switch hitter. Although he was probably the worst injury prone in baseball history, meaning that he was injured all the time, he still put up unbelievable numbers. ( He was injured every single season in fact!) He led the American league in home runs four times. He led the league in RBI (Runs batted in) one time. That one time was when Mickey Mantle got a triple crown. That means he led the league in home runs, RBIs, and batting average in the same season. One bad thing about Mantle was that he had an all or nothing swing. That means his swing was so big that he either hit a homer or struck out. The swing got him 536 home runs and 1,710 strikeouts.
The swing also got him the Washington Wallop. It was a huge home run. It traveled 565 feet! That home run started the tape measure home runs. But he doesn’t have to worry about the strikeout problem. Future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson broke the record Mantle set of K’s that no hitter looks forward to having. Mickey Mantle’s great playing career earned him a place in both Monument Park at Yankee Stadium and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
A Life After Baseball
After a great career in baseball, Mickey Mantle decided to retire from baseball in the 1968 season. He would be missed by baseball fans everywhere, including today. After he retired, the Yankees held a Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium. That day, the Yankees retired his number and gave him a plaque in Monument Park. Even though they switched stadiums, they still kept the plaque. So now if you go to Yankee Stadium, you can still see the plaque today. He also received a plaque in Cooperstown after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Mickey Mantle also attended the Yankees Old Timers’ Day. That’s when all of the old greats come and play five innings of non-competitive baseball.
A Devastating Loss in America
In August of 1995, all the Yankee fans had something to frown about. Switch hitting slugger, Mickey Mantle, died due to liver disease. After he retired, he developed a very bad habit. He had a drinking problem.
His family helped him admit it. He killed his original liver at first. A nice organ donation gave him another liver. You can guess what happened to that one. Yep. He killed that one , too. He made a famous speech to America. After the speech, the number of liver donations went up quickly. Mickey Mantle encouraged people to donate organs! After the speech, he said something to the kids that were there and the kids that were watching the television.
”Kids. If you want a role model, here’s a role model.” He said pointing towards himself. ”Kids, don’t be like me.” That was one of Mantle’s last wise quotes before he died.
Epilogue
Before Mantle died, he wanted Americans to know one thing. ”Don’t drink too much or you will end up like me.” Mickey Mantle has had a huge impact of Americans of all kinds, but mostly on baseball fans, kids, and heavy drinkers. Today, people keep the memory of Mickey Mantle alive. If you go to a Yankee game, there’s about 25 people you see wearing something of Mickey Mantle. But there is probably still at least 50 fans that you don’t see, but are still wearing Mantle stuff.
Mickey Mantle will be remembered as a baseball player, a role model, and most importantly, a hero.
Bibliography
Try the Sports Heroes and Legends series! It is an action packed biography series with chapters. In the middle, there are rare and unique photos. I used the series to help me complete two research reports. You should start reading them today! Available in libraries and wherever books are sold.
Marlin, John. Mickey Mantle. New York:
Barnes and Noble Publishing Company, 2004. Print.