Well, let me tell you about this fella, Mickey Mantle, and his baseball. Folks say he was somethin’ special, a real whiz with that bat. They called him a “switch hitter,” meaning he could bat from both sides, like a two-headed snake, I guess. Don’t rightly know how they do that, seems unnatural to me.
Now, this Mickey, he wasn’t just some city slicker. He come from a small place, Commerce, Oklahoma, they say. Just like us, I reckon, he knew hard work. Played all sorts of sports in school, basketball and football too, not just baseball. Tough as nails, he was, or so they say. Heard tell he even got hurt playin’ football once, but that didn’t stop him none. Kept on swingin’ that bat.
Folks kept jabberin’ on about how good he was. They say in 1956, he was the best hitter, hit the most home runs, and got the most runs batted in. That’s what they call the “Triple Crown,” somethin’ fancy, I guess. Like winnin’ a blue ribbon at the county fair, but bigger.
And the Yankees, that’s the team he played for, they were always winnin’ everything. Seven World Series championships, they say! That’s more championships than old Bessie has had calves, and that’s sayin’ somethin’. And Mickey, he was right there in the middle of it all, hittin’ home runs like they were goin’ outta style. They even gave him somethin’ called a “Gold Glove” for his fancy catchin’ in the outfield. Sounded like he was a real show-off, but in a good way, I suppose.
- He played in somethin’ called the “All-Star Game” twenty times. That’s like bein’ invited to the biggest potluck supper in the whole country, every year!
- And in those World Series games, he hit more home runs than anyone, they say. Eighteen of ‘em! Enough to make your head spin.
Seems like everyone knew Mickey. He was a big deal, a real celebrity. They put him in somethin’ called the “Hall of Fame” in 1974. That’s like bein’ put on a pedestal for everyone to see, forever and a day. But even big shots ain’t immune to the troubles of this world.
Now, here’s the sad part. This cancer, that nasty disease, it got a hold of him. They say it spread all over his insides. Doctors tried their best, I reckon, but sometimes there ain’t nothin’ you can do. In 1995, at just 63 years young, Mickey passed on. Too young, if you ask me. Just goes to show, life ain’t always fair. But they say he left behind a good name, a “legacy” they called it. Somethin’ for folks to remember him by. Well, I guess that’s all any of us can hope for.
So that’s the story of Mickey Mantle, the baseball fella. A good hitter, a champion, and a fella who left his mark on the world. Even though I never saw him play, I can tell he was somethin’ special. Just like a prize-winning pumpkin at the state fair, some things just stand out from the rest.
Makes you think, don’t it? All that fame and glory, and in the end, we all go the same way. Dust to dust, as they say. But Mickey, he sure made a lot of noise while he was here. A real humdinger of a fella, that Mickey Mantle.
Tags: Mickey Mantle, Baseball, New York Yankees, Triple Crown, Hall of Fame, Sports Legend, Oklahoma, World Series, 1956, 1995
