|
|
Post by 1955nyyfan on Jan 7, 2024 11:37:01 GMT -5
It’s kind of sad when you get older and you find out he was kind of an a-hole. But without #7 and the insignia on that hat (Stan Williams was wearing it the first time I liked it) I might have grown up an Orioles fan, or maybe a Phillies fan. I think if I went back to about age 6 or 8 if someone told me Mantle could fly or walk in water I would have believed. At least he wasn’t an a-hole to (most) team mates. That was the only world he really lived in. When you realize he was a shy kid you also realize the changes he had to live through because of his fame. That wasn’t easy. I was a shy kid too, and I could barely take the attention I got because I worked in the local Western Auto… Was Mantle that bad? He seemed polite in the interviews I've seen, but that was long after his playing days were over. He could be, particularly when drinking he did some mean things. One of the books I read about him went into this, it might have been The Last Boy. Later in life he acknowledged his bad behavior and seemed remorseful. |
|
|
|
Post by 1955nyyfan on Jan 7, 2024 11:47:09 GMT -5
My five would probably change each time I was asked the question and limiting it to players I saw play I would say:
Jeter
Stottlemeyer
Mattingly
Munson
O'Neill
|
|
|
|
Post by chiyankee on Jan 7, 2024 12:11:48 GMT -5
 Great story Bumper. Joe D. was my Dad's favorite too. Joe used to have relatives that lived in the town that I reside in. One Sunday morning I stopped in the local grocery store to grab some doughnuts. I turned to walk down one of the aisles and who is coming the other way, Joe D. He's dressed in a nice pair of blue slacks and a red sweater. He's holding the hand of his grandson as they walk toward me. I am wearing a Yankee ball cap. For a brief second we make eye contact and then he quickly looks away. I can tell he is fearful I will bother him so I just walk by without saying anything. When I make my way to checkou, he is in front of me checking out. After he pays and leaves the store I ask the lady who is checking me out if she knew who that was? She said, yep that was Joe Dimaggio, he often stops here after church with his grandson. I never saw him again, think I did the right thing by not bothering him and hope he apreciated it. You did the right thing, especially with his grandson with him. I saw Joe D at a couple Old Timers games that I went to but I was never that close to him or any other Yankee legend. |
|
|
|
Post by kaybli on Jan 7, 2024 12:13:10 GMT -5
Anyone else had any encounters with Yankee players past or present they'd like to share?
|
|
|
|
Post by azbob643 on Jan 7, 2024 12:18:59 GMT -5
Was Mantle that bad? He seemed polite in the interviews I've seen, but that was long after his playing days were over. He could be, particularly when drinking he did some mean things. One of the books I read about him went into this, it might have been The Last Boy. Later in life he acknowledged his bad behavior and seemed remorseful. I think it was "The Last Hero" (David Falkner) |
|
|
|
Post by inger on Jan 7, 2024 12:34:52 GMT -5
I separated Mantle the player from Mantle the man many years ago… Talent is talent. Morality is morality. We’re all human and subject to temptation… I had a hard time with DiMaggio after reading Richard Ben Cramer's book on him. There's plenty of other stories out there about what a "prickly" person the Clipper was. But, same as you, I've learned to separate the man from the athlete. What an ego he had… |
|
|
|
Post by inger on Jan 7, 2024 12:40:53 GMT -5
I can’t do that for the cheaters though. They wrecked the numbers that used to be so precious to me. I usually can separate actors from their lives as well. Who cares? If they entertain, they entertain… Who are your favorite actors? Let me guess. Clint Eastwood? 😂 🤠 I honestly don’t pay much attention to who is playing a particular part, but Eastwood is definitely on my list. I like how he acts with few words, using body language and facial expressions. DeNiro had some good stuff before he started playing father figures in comedies. Jack Nicholson had some good work. Nick Cage can be good. So that’s four. Johnny Depp and Leonardo might tie for fifth… |
|
|
|
Post by 1955nyyfan on Jan 7, 2024 12:42:56 GMT -5
I had a hard time with DiMaggio after reading Richard Ben Cramer's book on him. There's plenty of other stories out there about what a "prickly" person the Clipper was. But, same as you, I've learned to separate the man from the athlete. What an ego he had… Yep, I think I read that at Old Timer's games he would only appear if he was introduced last and had to be referred to as "the greatest living ballplayer". |
|
|
|
Post by azbob643 on Jan 7, 2024 12:44:36 GMT -5
I had a hard time with DiMaggio after reading Richard Ben Cramer's book on him. There's plenty of other stories out there about what a "prickly" person the Clipper was. But, same as you, I've learned to separate the man from the athlete. What an ego he had… It's easy to forget that pro athletes, even our "heroes", are for better or worse just people who've reached the pinnacle of their chosen sport. That's one reason I never "trash" players, and have little tolerance for those who do. |
|
|
|
Post by inger on Jan 7, 2024 12:46:57 GMT -5
Great story Bumper. Joe D. was my Dad's favorite too. Joe used to have relatives that lived in the town that I reside in. One Sunday morning I stopped in the local grocery store to grab some doughnuts. I turned to walk down one of the aisles and who is coming the other way, Joe D. He's dressed in a nice pair of blue slacks and a red sweater. He's holding the hand of his grandson as they walk toward me. I am wearing a Yankee ball cap. For a brief second we make eye contact and then he quickly looks away. I can tell he is fearful I will bother him so I just walk by without saying anything. When I make my way to checkou, he is in front of me checking out. After he pays and leaves the store I ask the lady who is checking me out if she knew who that was? She said, yep that was Joe Dimaggio, he often stops here after church with his grandson. I never saw him again, think I did the right thing by not bothering him and hope he apreciated it. There are some similarities there for me the day I met Joe Cocker. It was at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison near Crawford, CO, where he lived. I was aware he lived there, but not expecting to run into him. I’m looking into an over look and it’s just breath-taking when I see a fellow nearby. I say “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”. He replied “Yes, it is.” I glance up and notice who it is. I see that same fear in his eyes, so go back to looking. Next time I look up it’s like he vanished into thin air. I’m sure he knew of a secret trail nearby that he could duck into. I had read of his love for the peace and serenity of that canyon. |
|
|
|
Post by inger on Jan 7, 2024 12:49:35 GMT -5
It's easy to forget that pro athletes, even our "heroes", are for better or worse just people who've reached the pinnacle of their chosen sport. That's one reason I never "trash" players, and have little tolerance for those who do. I’m not one to get too excited about celebrities. They’re people. If you look deep enough you’ll find something wrong with them. Just look away… |
|
|
|
Post by pippsheadache on Jan 7, 2024 13:00:42 GMT -5
Anyone else had any encounters with Yankee players past or present they'd like to share? Kaybli, as you know I had my share as a kid because I just made it my business, but I did want to chime in on a few things here (although writing a few hours before I have to catch a flight and be gone for nearly two months is probably not an ideal condition.) For all the Yankee players I was able to hound for an autograph, one I could never get near was the one I most wanted, Mickey Mantle. Wherever he was, there was a mob, yelling, pulling at his shirt, blocking his path. When I read about negative encounters people had with him -- and I read them even as a kid, Mantle being short with fans -- he was in a different category from almost any other baseball player. So many fans acted as if they had a pre-emptive right to his time, and unlike today he wasn't as shielded from fans as a guy of his stature could be. It's tough to compare what he was dealing with to what say Clete Boyer or Moose Skowron or Tom Tresh was dealing with. Nobody could ever make the claim that Mantle lived the kind of life you would want from your father or husband or son. Mantle himself acknowledged this, I think with great sincerity, later in his life. But there had to be some reason the people who presumably knew him best -- his teammates -- were nearly unanimous in their affection and admiration for him. And that includes absolute straight arrows like Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek and Elston Howard and Al Downing. They led lives almost the polar opposite of Mantle's, but they were still drawn to him and he sought to improve himself by drawing from them as well. You don't get anymore upright than Bobby Richardson, but those guys were very close. There was clearly something compelling about Mickey Mantle -- why his plaque says "A Great Teammate." He was known for going out of his way to welcome and help the 25th man on the roster and make them feel like a part of the team. If he were nothing more than a drunken, entitled, surly jerk, it wouldn't matter if he were a great player, and he would not be worthy of our admiration. But obviously there was more to it than that. I'm pretty sure we all have people in our lives whose flaws are maddening and destructive, but we care for them nonetheless. I think Mantle was one of those people. He was not naturally gregarious, like Babe Ruth, who was energized by mobs and having kids crawl over him. Not many people are that way, and of course Babe himself had many of the sins that Mick gets called out for -- a drinker, temperamental, unfaithful to his first wife. But virtually everybody loved Babe, and understandably so. I wouldn't care how good he was, if all the negative portrayals of Mickey Mantle told the whole story, he sure wouldn't be my favorite player. But he is, not just because at the end he became remorseful and heartbreakingly honest about his many mistakes, but because he was such a compelling and at times even courageous figure. Mick will always get my vote, warts and all. BTW I thought Jane Leavy's book was trash. She emphasized only the worst in Mantle and attempted to make herself a central figure in his life. I didn't like her book on Koufax either, for some of the same reasons. Quick note on Whitey Ford, with whom I spent roughly 20 seconds in 1961. I evaded security long enough to work my way down to the Yankee dugout when I saw him in the corner before the game. I leaned over the fence and tried to hand him my yearbook to sign. Right about then a security guard caught up with me, but Ford motioned him off, and signed his page in the yearbook and said "there you go." I already was a huge fan, but that sealed the deal. |
|
|
|
Post by donniebaseball23 on Jan 7, 2024 13:08:51 GMT -5
I had a hard time with DiMaggio after reading Richard Ben Cramer's book on him. There's plenty of other stories out there about what a "prickly" person the Clipper was. But, same as you, I've learned to separate the man from the athlete. What an ego he had… God, yes. I remember a story that he punched Billy Crystal in the gut for failing to introduce him as "the greatest living baseball player" at an event, a requirement Billy was unfortunately unaware of. |
|
|
|
Post by inger on Jan 7, 2024 13:12:44 GMT -5
God, yes. I remember a story that he punched Billy Crystal in the gut for failing to introduce him as "the greatest living baseball player" at an event, a requirement Billy was unfortunately unaware of. I wonder if Billy remained a fan? 😂…. But yes. Quite a jerk… |
|
|
|
Post by kaybli on Jan 7, 2024 13:41:12 GMT -5
Anyone else had any encounters with Yankee players past or present they'd like to share? Kaybli, as you know I had my share as a kid because I just made it my business, but I did want to chime in on a few things here (although writing a few hours before I have to catch a flight and be gone for nearly two months is probably not an ideal condition.) For all the Yankee players I was able to hound for an autograph, one I could never get near was the one I most wanted, Mickey Mantle. Wherever he was, there was a mob, yelling, pulling at his shirt, blocking his path. When I read about negative encounters people had with him -- and I read them even as a kid, Mantle being short with fans -- he was in a different category from almost any other baseball player. So many fans acted as if they had a pre-emptive right to his time, and unlike today he wasn't as shielded from fans as a guy of his stature could be. It's tough to compare what he was dealing with to what say Clete Boyer or Moose Skowron or Tom Tresh was dealing with. Nobody could ever make the claim that Mantle lived the kind of life you would want from your father or husband or son. Mantle himself acknowledged this, I think with great sincerity, later in his life. But there had to be some reason the people who presumably knew him best -- his teammates -- were nearly unanimous in their affection and admiration for him. And that includes absolute straight arrows like Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek and Elston Howard and Al Downing. They led lives almost the polar opposite of Mantle's, but they were still drawn to him and he sought to improve himself by drawing from them as well. You don't get anymore upright than Bobby Richardson, but those guys were very close. There was clearly something compelling about Mickey Mantle -- why his plaque says "A Great Teammate." He was known for going out of his way to welcome and help the 25th man on the roster and make them feel like a part of the team. If he were nothing more than a drunken, entitled, surly jerk, it wouldn't matter if he were a great player, and he would not be worthy of our admiration. But obviously there was more to it than that. I'm pretty sure we all have people in our lives whose flaws are maddening and destructive, but we care for them nonetheless. I think Mantle was one of those people. He was not naturally gregarious, like Babe Ruth, who was energized by mobs and having kids crawl over him. Not many people are that way, and of course Babe himself had many of the sins that Mick gets called out for -- a drinker, temperamental, unfaithful to his first wife. But virtually everybody loved Babe, and understandably so. I wouldn't care how good he was, if all the negative portrayals of Mickey Mantle told the whole story, he sure wouldn't be my favorite player. But he is, not just because at the end he became remorseful and heartbreakingly honest about his many mistakes, but because he was such a compelling and at times even courageous figure. Mick will always get my vote, warts and all. BTW I thought Jane Leavy's book was trash. She emphasized only the worst in Mantle and attempted to make herself a central figure in his life. I didn't like her book on Koufax either, for some of the same reasons. Quick note on Whitey Ford, with whom I spent roughly 20 seconds in 1961. I evaded security long enough to work my way down to the Yankee dugout when I saw him in the corner before the game. I leaned over the fence and tried to hand him my yearbook to sign. Right about then a security guard caught up with me, but Ford motioned him off, and signed his page in the yearbook and said "there you go." I already was a huge fan, but that sealed the deal. That's a great story on Whitey! Do you still have that autographed yearbook? |
|
Great story Bumper. Joe D. was my Dad's favorite too. 
