Mickey Mantle Number 7 New York Yankee

When a young baseball player Mickey Charles Mantle began playing for the New York Yankees in 1951, two things made him my hero.

1. Born and raised in White Plains, New York a mere train ride to the Bronx, my mother was raised as a Yankee fan. She remembers Babe Ruth and all of the old time greats of the 30's and 40's. She recalls taking the train with her brother, meeting my grandfather from work (in those days a work week included Saturday Mornings) and going to the afternoon games.

2. Television was new and not common. Hoverer, our new Levittown house came with a built in television. And amazingly the New York Yankee games were televised.

Every time my mother cheered, I stopped to see what happened. At this time I was only 7 years old so mother's team became my team. Mom's heroes became my heroes. And she fell deeply in baseball lust over the Mick.

Mother always has deep, strong, unwavering and loyalty to her heroes-Roosevelt, Kennedy, Obama, Yankees then Reds then Braves, Palmer, Michelson then John Daley, and so on. She acknowledges their faults but only after absolute proof. Then she cries over all of their follies. She would say how young and good looking Mickey was and could he hit the ball.

So, I made a Mickey Mantle scrapbook. I watched Saturday Baseball Game of the Week in New Orleans (not on daily down there or any where else) and followed his every career move.

In person, I only saw Mickey Mantle on the field in uniform once. It was an old timers game in Pittsburgh around 1970. My seat was on the first base side in the top tier but we were in the same air. He played first base and had a stiff walk.

I saw him again at Yankee Stadium opening day game. 1985. He was reinstated into baseball after a rude suspended by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Mickey needed money so he worked for the Claridge Resort Casino. He had not been paid for his baseball playing career the way today's players are paid. Peter Ueberroth became commissioner and fixed the unfair mess. The cheers in the stands when Mickey Mantle took the field lasted many minutes. I cried and cheered.

One day while reading the Newark Star Ledger, I got an invitation to finally meet Mickey Mantle. It was about time! He was making an appearance to promote his book The Mick at a housing development in New Jersey about 50 miles from my home.

My husband said that he did not wish to go with me to watch me drool over another man. I had a great framed picture on the wall by my bed of Mickey Mantle when I met Charlie. He had advised me once we married that he really disliked watching me wake up and smile at Mickey's picture. Of course, I moved it the my Mickey Mantle wall in the basement.

None of the children wanted to waste a Saturday driving with me to see an old man. Only, my old dog Bubba went with me. Bubba would go any where any time.

The day was gray and snowing. The car was slipping all over the traffic lanes. I should have turned around and headed home. But I didn't.

There was a crowd at the clubhouse with all kinds of things for Mickey to sign. I found a seat in the fourth row and waited. When he entered the room, tears pooled in my eyes. He could hardly sit down. His knees were in bad shape. The announcer said that Mickey would speak for a few minutes and than sign one item for each person present.

Mickey was a funny man. He thanked everyone for coming and then told a story. It is one he told many times but was still funny.

"One day, Billy Martin was staying with me in Texas and wanted to go hunting. I have a good friend with a ranch and he had issued an open invitation to hunt on his grounds when ever I wanted.

So we get our guns, get the truck and drive out to the ranch. I parked and told Billy that I just wanted to let my friend know that we are here.

My friend came to the door and said of course you may hunt today. But Mickey would you do me a huge favor. See that old horse over there. He needs to be put down and since you have a gun would you do it for me?

Gee I had protested do I have to? Mickey it would be a great favor. I love that horse and hate to do it myself. So I agreed.

On the way back to the car, I decided to play a trick on Billy. When I got to the car, I told Billy that that mean rancher refused to let us hunt on his grounds. I am going to get back at him and shoot his horse give me my gun. Billy said no Mickey you don't want to do that. I told him oh, yes I do!

We argued for a few moments and I took the gun, walked over to the horse and shot him.

In the next seconds, I heard pop, pop, pop. I turned and looked and Billy shouted look Mick, I got us 2 more.

The joke wound up being on me after I reimbursed the rancher for the two dead horses."

Then a line formed with each person holding several items to be signed. I was amazed but one person told me that these people show up all the time to get an autograph and then sell it for the money.

I held back and got into the end of the line. I had my Mickey Mantle Scrapbook with me along with a program from 1965 Mickey Mantle Family Day Yankee Program. When it was my turn, I told Mickey that I brought my scrapbook with me. He said lets look at it and we did.

The page open with a picture of Mickey Mantle's leg wrapped in a bandage and a package on his lap. I told him that the picture had been in the New Orleans newspaper and a fan had sent him the present.

He looked a me kind of funny. I have heard him say that a times he was surprised that fans knew so much about him. Then he asked what did I want signed. I really just wanted to shake his hand but I gave him the program.

While he was signing the program, I told him thank you and how much I enjoyed meeting him. He reached out his hand for me to shake.

Well, I can still see him and hear his voice.

Driving in the car on December25, 1989, we heard that Billy Martin was killed in a car crash. I cried who is going to tell Mickey?

I have the program from Mickey Mantle's funeral. A friend of my sister was his friend and brought a copy for me.

I miss him as do most baseball fans who watched him hit a homer. My ebay name is mickeyg7714. I was called Mickey for years by close friends. I still miss him.