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The Mick
IG: aj_mckenzie416
Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
IG: aj_mckenzie416
Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
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00:03...in the memory of millions who yearned for a vanished America.
00:08His speed could blur your eye, his swing could skip your heart,
00:12and when he smiled, girls giggled and boys caught the mischief in his eyes.
00:17Mickey Mantle, he was baseball's number one pin-up.
00:21However mutual the affair became, it took years for Mickey and the city to warm to each other.
00:30. . .
00:34Mantle did not at first react well to New York.
00:39Mantle was very much small town, Oklahoma.
00:43He didn't know how to play the media game at first.
00:47I go to the cage and I go to Mantle and I said to him,
00:49Mickey, can I get you on the interview show after the game?
00:55Why don't you interview him?
00:58He pointed to a utility infielder who was working at.
01:02He'd be sitting there at his locker and you'd be interviewing him,
01:04and when he had enough, he'd never say, excuse me, just get up and walk away.
01:11Burden expected it took Mitch Hunkoom,
01:13but the numbers on his top score didn't earn him the respect of the city enthralled by the mystique of
01:19Joe DiMaggio.
01:19Incredible.
01:20Finally, in 56, he won the Triple Crown, and people say, oh, finally, now here he is.
01:25He'll win the Triple Crown every year. Well, he didn't.
01:26First he was booed for not being Joe DiMaggio, which is something he never claimed to be.
01:32Then he was booed as a draft dodger because his knees kept him out of the army during the Korean
01:37conflict.
01:38And then he was just booed because they got used to booing him.
01:40Matt was booed a tremendous lot in Yankee Stadium until 1961.
01:45When Maris and he started going after the home run record, Mickey became the crowd's beloved.
01:52Oh!
01:53That ball is going!
01:54It is going!
01:58There's one!
02:00Off the top of the upper deck!
02:03He said that one!
02:05I imagine after all this is over, somebody may write a story about the month-long day-in and day
02:12-out excruciating pressure.
02:15From May through early September, Mantle and Roger Maris traded shots like a pair of heavyweights.
02:21As their respective home run totals reached into the 50s, the national eye fixed on their pursuit of Babe Ruth's
02:27cherished record.
02:29Meanwhile, a long-overdue transformation was in progress.
02:32By that time, Mickey Mantle had been around the Yankees for 10 years,
02:37and he became sort of the Babe Ruth of his time, the icon that everybody loved.
02:42We were all cheering for Mickey to break the record more than Roger.
02:46Mickey had the reputation of power and home runs.
02:50Roger didn't have the reputation when he was with Kansas City or Cleveland.
02:54Mantle had more color, more flair, more box office, more marquee value than Maris.
03:01During that home run streak, the fans and the press were, you know, came right out and said they'd rather
03:06Mantle win it than Roger.
03:08That's too bad.
03:11Number 51 for Roger Maris.
03:20At 10th, the People's Choice hit his 53rd homer to pull within three of Maris.
03:25Two days later, Mantle was in Lenox Hill Hospital being treated for an abscess caused by an injection meant to
03:32cure his cold.
03:33I remember the night when Mantle said to Maris, I can't do it anymore, Roger. It's up to you. Go
03:38get him.
03:39Fastball hit, keep the license.
03:41You got him.
03:42Hold on there.
03:44Hold on.
03:46Hold on.
03:47Hold on.
03:49Hold on.
03:53Hold on.
03:54With the fans on his side, he took on a new shine and the press started reconstructing his image.
04:00The Mick was the hottest interview in baseball.
04:03When they would first arrive on the scene, there were new faces. They were unknowns to him.
04:07He got much more comfortable in what to expect as he came to know the various people better.
04:15Mickey, all of a sudden, became a charmer. He was approachable and unhappable.
04:22Then he was the wounded hero. He always said the right things about Roger, never showed any jealousy towards him
04:26or bitterness.
04:27That established, for all time, Mantle's personality and his position as the...
04:35The worship of Mantle later really dates from the juxtaposition with Maris and not with the Mick.
04:42Of course, he was nice to Maris. Maris deserved it and Mantle was a good guy.
04:47Mickey Mantle will be fourth.
04:48Come on up, Mickey, and get back your family's baseball.
04:56By 1961, 47 million American households had televisions.
05:01And Mantle, with his near-perennial appearances in the Fall Classic, became prime talent for sponsors looking to cash in
05:08on his white-hot sports celebrity.
05:10I need energy. Lots of energy.
05:13You know what I do? I eat a hearty breakfast of hot pancakes and plenty of K-Rose syrup.
05:18It was the first time that the fans had an opportunity to see what the player was really like.
05:27He became the new all-star and superstar and MVP.
05:33When I was three years old and watching on a black and white TV back in Oklahoma, I looked at
05:38my dad and I said,
05:39You can be from Oklahoma and play in the major leagues?
05:43Of course you can.
05:43That's what I want to be.
05:45If the annals of baseball are filled with talented country boys, not many...
05:52...team, and even fewer, had a fraction of his skills.
05:55Mantle had the greatest natural ability of any player that ever played.
05:59They'll be hard!
06:01They'll be hard! They'll be hard! They'll be hard! They'll be hard! They're hard!
06:03You'll run as fast, throw it as hard.
06:05As far as country boys in baseball go, it's Maize, Aaron, who were from Mississippi and Alabama.
06:17Or, I think both were actually from Alabama. And then... Mantle.
06:26Harden hit him further
06:28Mano coming to the plate
06:30Mano running the bases
06:31Here's a white boy that runs like a horse
06:34I don't know anybody
06:35That has gone to first base
06:37As fast as he could
06:40Mano wails it into the left field
06:42For another home run
06:43Mano hit those home runs over those monuments
06:46And you remember Mano just
06:52One of the first things they told me when I went into Griffin Stadium is
06:54There's where Mickey hit that ball
06:56Out of the ballpark, hit off the sign
06:58And went out of the stadium
07:00Into the yards of houses across the street
07:03It's got to be one of the longest home runs I've ever seen hit
07:06Arthur Patterson
07:08Who was the Yankees PR director
07:10Went chasing after the ball
07:11He said he went across streets and lawns
07:13Finally found him
07:14And he gave the measurement 565 feet
07:17Which nobody questioned
07:19That day we sat there
07:20And Mickey got up left handed
07:22Against Pedro Ramos
07:23Hit a ball off the facade
07:26And I remember
07:27It just kept going
07:28And just grazed the facade
07:30As it went
07:30And hit
07:31And then it came back
07:31And filled
07:32And everybody just went
07:35Mick had been chasing
07:36Home run number 500
07:38As we rode to the stadium
07:40He said that he had called Merlin
07:41Back in Dallas
07:43And it was Mother's Day
07:44And he told her
07:46He said I'm going to try to get number 500 today
07:49As a present for you
07:51And sure enough
07:53He hit number 500
07:56Here's the playoff bet
08:08A decade earlier
08:10While the Cold War raged across the globe
08:12New Yorkers from Harlem to Canarsie
08:14Hotly debated the merits of three local baseball heroes
08:17Each at the center field
08:19We had Mays up at the Polo Gramps
08:21We had the Duke over at Ebbets Field
08:24And we had Mantle at Yankee Stadium
08:26Every three corner it was
08:28Well who's the best center field
08:29The Yankee fans
08:30The Giant fans
08:31The Dodger fans
08:32Were comparing the numbers
08:34To the three of us
08:36And getting into very heated arguments
08:38We created an award called
08:40The Willie Mickey and the Duke Award
08:41When Mickey Mantle got up
08:43He said
08:43There was always this great big argument
08:46Over who were the best
08:47He said
08:47I want to tell you Willie
08:48For the record
08:49I'm glad to be tied with Duke
08:51For second place
08:52Mantle was the most humble man
08:54That I've ever met in sports
08:59For all his humility
09:01The Mick's off-field behavior
09:02Was reminiscent of another Yankee
09:04Whose nocturnal exploits
09:06Were more suited to confidential magazine
09:08He was a lowercase babe root
09:09He just loved to party
09:11Mickey, Whitey Ford
09:12And Billy Martin
09:14Had an all-night binge
09:15And a taxi cab ride
09:16Rolling the windows down
09:17And throwing up
09:18And then drinking some more
09:19Next day
09:20Leary-eyed
09:21Couldn't talk
09:22He had cotton in his mouth
09:23He plopped down on the bench
09:24And Casey came in
09:25Took one look
09:26He said
09:26Get your ass out there
09:27Now
09:28So then
09:29He smacked the home run
09:31And crawled home
09:32When he reached the dugout steps
09:34And puked all over Casey
09:35Jeez
09:36He was a true
09:38Mythological sports figure
09:39Back in those days
09:40You know
09:41A man who could go out
09:42Play the game hard
09:43Win the game
09:44And then drink in corrals
09:46All night
09:47And would be a champion
09:48In a bar as well
09:49I thought that that was
09:50A special gift
09:51Why shouldn't he be able
09:53To drink more
09:53And do these things
09:54Look at all the other things
09:56That he's exceptional at
09:57We were not willing
09:59Because of our athletic background
10:00I think the macho image
10:02That we thought we had
10:03To say
10:04Hey I've got a problem
10:05I need to do something about it
10:06If he didn't drink
10:08And he didn't act
10:09The way he did
10:10And he didn't stay out late
10:11Like he did
10:12He may have been
10:13The greatest player
10:14Who'd ever played the game
10:15Maybe
10:20There weren't enough hours
10:22In the day for Mickey
10:23He played the game hard
10:25On and off the field
10:26Men liked Mickey
10:27Because he was a man's man
10:29He conducted himself
10:30Like a guy would
10:32When we hooked up
10:33In the evening
10:34Hey
10:34Another
10:35Partying New York athlete
10:38With bad knees
10:40Very sociable
10:41You know
10:42I mean
10:42It was a fun time
10:43Women threw themselves
10:45Off of nine story buildings
10:46To Mickey
10:47He had that
10:48Beautiful
10:49Young
10:50All American face
10:51He enjoyed women
10:53No matter where he went
10:55If you would go to the mule box
10:57Where they stayed in Kansas City
10:59You couldn't believe
11:00How many women
11:01Would be up on that floor
11:03As the father of four sons
11:05And still married
11:06To his teenage sweetheart
11:08Mantle sacrificed his family
11:10On countless bar stools
11:11And illicit beds
11:12It was a behavior
11:14Kept from the public
11:15By a journalistic code of ethics
11:17Prevalent at the time
11:18There seemed to be
11:19A general feeling
11:20That it was the media's duty
11:23To let these players
11:25Be lionized
11:26Idolized by the young fans
11:27And not be disillusioned
11:29By some of their habits
11:32But in 1970
11:33Jim Bounton's best-selling
11:35Ball four
11:36Delivered a play-by-play
11:37Glimpse of life as a Yankee
11:39Mantle was portrayed
11:40As a man-child
11:41Emotionally immature
11:43And self-centered
11:44For his kiss-and-tell effort
11:46The former Yankee pitcher
11:48Was deemed a pariah
11:49Ball four represents
11:50One-tenth of the gathered material
11:52I spent a page and a half
11:54On Mickey Mantle
11:55If I was looking to get
11:56Back at somebody
11:57I certainly
11:58Would have spent
11:59More than a page and a half
12:00On it
12:00There was a feeling
12:01You know that
12:01Bounton had violated
12:03The code
12:04Do you know what
12:05The Yankee ballplayers did?
12:07They took Bounton's uniform
12:09They threw it into the toilet
12:11And defecated on it
12:13If ball four exposed
12:15Mantle's social misbehavior
12:17To the public
12:18It was no surprise
12:19To a family
12:20Frozen in the silent
12:21Void of addiction
12:22The first thing
12:24In an alcoholic family
12:25Was communication
12:26And our family had
12:28Zero
12:29The only way we could
12:30Ever communicate
12:31Was when we were all drinking
12:32The first conversation
12:34I ever actually had
12:35Was
12:36I was probably 16
12:3717 years old
12:38When I was actually able
12:40To start going out
12:41And having drinks
12:42The alcohol
12:43The alcohol actually helped us
12:44Get to know one another
12:46Mickey was an absentee father
12:48Mickey couldn't wait
12:50To leave home
12:50Because the proverbial
12:52Girl in every port
12:53Was at his disposal
12:54There was never a town
12:56That he ever hit
12:56That he didn't have some
12:58Luxurious moments
12:59With female companions
13:01Often leading the way
13:03On Man Martin
13:03And Whitey Ford
13:04These were people
13:06Who were
13:07Eternal
13:0716 year olds
13:09Whitey was often
13:10The catalyst
13:11He was the brains
13:12Behind the operation
13:13They reached the conclusion
13:14That there ought to be
13:15An easy way
13:16Of chasing women
13:17So they decided
13:18They would just walk
13:19In a bar
13:19And each one
13:20Pick them out
13:20A girl
13:21And say
13:22Would you like
13:23To F word me
13:28A lot of the women
13:29But
13:30I've never
13:31Amazing
13:31Metal Ford
13:33Billy Martin
13:37That's two
13:38Hall of Famers
13:39And
13:42Manager
13:43Who should be
13:44In the Hall of Fame
13:45Would have left Mick
13:46I loved him dearly
13:48I adored him
13:48I really think
13:50Mick was my
13:50Addiction
13:51Because
13:51No matter
13:53What he did
13:54I always went back
13:55For more
13:57While the Yankees
13:58Protected their
13:59Less than perfect
14:00Stars from public
14:01Scrutiny
14:01Their general manager
14:03Kept close tabs
14:04On them
14:04For future reference
14:05Especially
14:06Mickey Manor
14:07George Weiss
14:08Hired private detectives
14:09To follow the players
14:11Around
14:11When the players
14:13Would leave the bar
14:14With a girl
14:15The detective
14:16Would follow the player
14:17To wherever they went
14:18Maybe the girl's apartment
14:19Or maybe a motel room
14:20And he would write
14:21All these things down
14:22And he would give them
14:23To George Weiss
14:24Mickey
14:26Had asked for a raise
14:27And George Weiss
14:28Said to him
14:29Mickey I'm not going to
14:30Give you that kind of money
14:31You don't deserve it
14:32What?
14:33And Mickey said
14:33Okay
14:33I'm not going to play
14:34I'm not going to play
14:35And Weiss said
14:36What the hell
14:37Makes you think
14:37You're this important
14:38And he took some
14:40Interesting photos
14:41Of Mickey
14:43In stages of things
14:44That Mickey
14:45Didn't want
14:46He said
14:46You want me to show
14:47These to the newspaper guys
14:48I know that they would
14:50Have people watching him
14:51And they're drinking
14:52But I really didn't know
14:55They had a file on him
15:01In the early morning hours
15:02Of May 16th 1957
15:04A half dozen Yankees
15:06Including Mantle
15:07Ford
15:07Martin
15:08And Hank Bauer
15:09Were celebrating
15:10Martin's birthday
15:11At the Copacabana
15:12A popular New York City
15:13Nightclub
15:15There was also
15:16A bowling team
15:17In the Copa
15:18At the same time
15:20This big heavyset guy
15:22Came by me
15:23And he says
15:23Don't touch your luck
15:25Too far tonight Yankee
15:27And he kept loving me
15:29And pretty soon
15:29He went back
15:30To the restroom
15:31And Billy and Mickey
15:32Followed him back there
15:33And somebody said
15:35The wrong thing
15:36And somebody got belted
15:37Well
15:38Next morning
15:39Dan Topping
15:39The other owner
15:40Called us in
15:41And the first thing
15:42He said
15:42I warned you
15:43He says
15:44Hank
15:45Whitey
15:46Mickey
15:47Yogi
15:48Billy
15:48Cost you a thousand bucks
15:50A piece
15:51The incident
15:52Consted Mantle
15:53Much more
15:53A month later
15:54Martin was traded
15:55To the Kansas City Athletics
15:57George Weiss
15:58Didn't like Billy
15:59Before that
16:00But that was
16:00The last straw
16:01They said
16:02That Billy
16:03Was a bad influence
16:04On Mickey
16:05With Billy
16:06They won the pennant
16:07In 55
16:08And they won the pennant
16:09In 56
16:10And they won the pennant
16:10In 57
16:11How bad an influence
16:12Could Billy Martin
16:13Possibly
16:14Invaded
16:15Martin did little
16:17To change Mantle
16:18Whose self-destruction
16:19Seemed preordained
16:20From those early days
16:22As a boy
16:22Under the fierce eye
16:24Of his father
16:24I don't know
16:26How much Mantle
16:27Was following his own dream
16:28Or how much
16:29Was he following
16:30The dream
16:31That Mutt Mantle
16:32The semi-pro
16:33Had dumped
16:34On the shoulders
16:35Of his gloriously
16:36Gifted kid
16:44When Mickey Mantle
16:45Joined the Yankees
16:46In the spring
16:46Of 1951
16:47He was country shy
16:49And baseball brilliant
16:51Bill Dickey
16:52The year before
16:52Said
16:53Wait
16:53Do you see
16:53This kid
16:54We got
16:54Down at Joplin
16:55When Mickey
16:56Came to New York
16:57I don't know
16:58What kind of
16:58Pants he had on
16:59But they were
16:59Rolled up
17:00At the bottom
17:01And he had
17:02White sweat socks
17:04On him
17:04And he wore
17:05Hush puppies
17:05And he had
17:07A tie on
17:07And it was
17:08About that wide
17:09And it had
17:10A big peacock
17:11On it
17:12First time
17:13You ever went
17:13To the Yankee
17:13Stadium
17:14And my locker
17:16Is right next
17:16To Joe DiMaggio's
17:18And I'm having
17:19A hell of a time
17:20Just getting used
17:22To being
17:22Next to Joe DiMaggio
17:24And all of a sudden
17:25I got 20 guys
17:27Standing around me
17:28Asking me questions
17:30Like I'm the
17:31President of the
17:32United States
17:33The Yankees
17:34Did a very cruel
17:35Thing
17:35They put number
17:37Six on his back
17:37Now Ruth
17:38Was gone
17:39Gehrig was gone
17:40They'd retired
17:40Numbers three
17:41And four
17:43DiMaggio was wearing
17:43Number five
17:44And you knew
17:45That was going to
17:45Retire as soon
17:46As he stopped
17:46Playing
17:48Now here's this kid
17:49Hasn't played
17:49A major league game
17:50Yet
17:50And they put
17:51Number six
17:51On his back
17:52Advertising the world
17:53Okay this is
17:54The next DiMaggio
17:55Huh
17:56Mitch
17:58Explore this
18:04He had such
18:05High goals
18:06Set for himself
18:07And when he
18:09Didn't measure up
18:09To those goals
18:10Then I think
18:12You know
18:12It made his
18:13Self-esteem
18:14Think he isn't
18:14Doing what he
18:15Needs to do
18:16They fed upon
18:17His own self-hatred
18:18His own self-fury
18:19And they booed him
18:20When he struck out
18:21He was losing
18:22His confidence
18:23So they sent him
18:24Back to Kansas City
18:32Bat right-handed
18:33He'd make him
18:34Bat left-handed
18:35At 14
18:37Mantle was kicked
18:38In the shin
18:39During football practice
18:40A medical examination
18:41Of the wound
18:42Led to a diagnosis
18:44Of osteomyelitis
18:45An infection
18:46Of the bone
18:47The prognosis
18:48Was scary
18:50His mother and father
18:51Drove him to the hospital
18:52The doctor there
18:53Took one look at it
18:54Told the mother and father
18:55That it may have to come off
18:57And the mother
18:58Almost pulled his hair out
18:59And the father
19:00Was quaking
19:01Because that's the end
19:02Of Mickey's career
19:03He was one sick boy
19:05He was really sick
19:06I'm amazed
19:07He didn't die
19:07At that time
19:09Penicillin came into being
19:10In World War II
19:11Now Mickey of course
19:13Having been given
19:14The penicillin
19:15The infection
19:16Was essentially controlled
19:17Having survived
19:19Childhood illness
19:20And the later disapproval
19:21Of his father
19:22In that Kansas City
19:23Hotel room
19:24Mantle returned to New York
19:25Wearing number seven
19:26For the final two months
19:27Of the 1951 season
19:29But in game two
19:30Of the World Series
19:31His young career
19:32Suffered another bad twist
19:34And the ball drilled
19:35That's on right field
19:36Look at Willie Mays
19:38Hit a fly ball
19:38Between DiMaggio
19:39And Mantle
19:41And DiMaggio
19:41At the last minute
19:42Said I got it
19:43And Mickey caught a spike
19:44Against the drain
19:46When he stuck his foot
19:47And spikes got caught
19:48In the drain
19:49And that knee popped
19:50You could hear it
19:51Like a cannon shot
19:52It was awful
19:53Mantle said DiMaggio
19:54Could have called it early
19:55But he wanted to make sure
19:58He could look good
19:59Catching it
20:00And he called it late
20:02And that's why
20:03I had a break so hard
20:04And that's why
20:05I tore apart my knee
20:06Joe resented Mickey Mantle
20:08He just wondered
20:09Whether there was
20:10Anyone else in the outfield
20:11With him
20:12Whether he would have
20:13Been called off
20:14Joe should have
20:15Called him off
20:16At that particular time
20:17Because if I was
20:17Playing center field
20:18I would have caught
20:19The ball coming in
20:23And then a very traumatic
20:24Thing happened to Mantle
20:25His father was dying
20:26Of cancer
20:27And they were put
20:28In the same room
20:30And after the series
20:32They got out
20:32And of course Mantle
20:34Could barely walk
20:34So as he was stepping
20:35Into the taxi
20:36He leaned on his father
20:38And his father collapsed
20:40Under Mickey's arm
20:42So how traumatic
20:43Must that be
20:44You're in pain
20:45And you lean on your father
20:46And your father isn't there
20:49By spring
20:50Mutt was gone
20:51At just 39 term
20:53He joined his father
20:54And two brothers
20:55All of whom succumbed
20:57To various forms of cancer
20:58Before Mickey
20:59Was out of his teens
21:00If you have a close
21:02Relationship with your father
21:03For all of your life
21:04And suddenly he's
21:05Taken away from you
21:07That has to have
21:08A profound effect
21:09On anyone
21:10I'm just like
21:11My dad and my uncles
21:32Manel was good to his word
21:34He captured the triple crown
21:36In 1956
21:37And for the first time
21:38Drew comparisons
21:39With the greatest Yankees
21:40But if he failed to reach
21:42That exalted level
21:43Of Ruth, Gehrig
21:45And DiMaggio
21:45His teammates testified
21:47To a special brand
21:48Of greatness
21:49Mantle
21:50The ultimate
21:51Player's player
21:52When you get a guy
21:53Like Mickey
21:53You know
21:54You put him up here
21:54He can do no wrong
21:55You know
21:55You just think
21:56That he's immortal
21:57He was just like this
21:59With his teammates
22:00They were all
22:01On the same level
22:01In the five years
22:02That I was in
22:03The Yankee clubhouse
22:04I never saw another
22:06Team mate
22:07Of Mickey Mantle
22:09That didn't seem
22:10To thoroughly enjoy
22:11Being associated with him
22:13Being on the same team
22:14With him
22:15And really kind of
22:17Hold him on a pedestal
22:18In awe
22:19Mantle was tremendously
22:21Popular with the other players
22:22He was much better like
22:24What Yankee teammates
22:25Than DiMaggio was
22:26He was a team player
22:27Always wanted to win
22:29Never played for himself
22:31He hated to lose
22:3262 was a year
22:34When I had my biggest honor
22:35I was voted runner up
22:36To Mickey Mantle
22:37For most valuable player
22:38And then he made the statement
22:40Bobby should have won it
22:41And to me
22:41That was better than winning it
22:43Mantle's classy words
22:44Came in the wake
22:45Of back-to-back
22:46World Series titles
22:47And a third MVP award
22:49Mick was reaping
22:50His just rewards
22:51You're now up to roof
22:53Which means $80,000 or more
22:55I guess this is the most
22:57Gratifying day of your
22:58Baseball life
22:59Yes it's a great day for me
23:02It's a big thrill
23:03To make that much money
23:04I just hope I'll earn it
23:06There's a fly ball
23:08Off the right field
23:09That ball is going
23:11It is out
23:13He was a superstar
23:15Who was so fragile
23:16And so vulnerable
23:17He was movie star handsome
23:19He looked perfect
23:22Very handsome
23:23Blonde
23:23Blue-eyed
23:24Muscular
23:26You know
23:26With a kind of
23:27Gee whiz personality
23:28So everybody identified
23:30With Mickey Mantle
23:32He had a very cool name
23:33Mickey Mantle
23:35He looked like
23:36A baseball hero should look
23:38Like a guy out of a
23:39Chip Hilton novel
23:41Or something
23:42I have to have orange juice
23:43With its vitamin C
23:44And energy
23:45To play my best ball
23:46If you said Mickey
23:47You didn't think about
23:49Mickey Mouse
23:49Or Mickey Cochran
23:51It was Mickey Mantle
23:52And it didn't have to be
23:53New York
23:55In the 1964 World Series
23:58Against St. Louis
23:58Mantle hit three home runs
24:00Though the Yankees lost
24:01Their second straight fall
24:03Classic
24:03Meanwhile
24:04Beneath his pinstripes
24:06Pain was radiating
24:07Through Mantle's
24:08Battered physique
24:09Yet he continued to play
24:11Without complaint
24:12I remember he put a pad
24:14On his leg
24:15And he was taking
24:15Batting practice
24:16And the blood was coming
24:17Out of the pad
24:18And into the uniform
24:19He beat out a hit
24:21To first base
24:24And there was blood
24:25Dripping from home plate
24:26Right to first base
24:27There's a quirk
24:28In American hero worship
24:30In that if you have
24:31Sort of a tragic weakness
24:34Or if you've been
24:35Humble a couple times
24:36People love you even more
24:37People love Mickey Mantle
24:40Because he had
24:40Those sore knees
24:43Mantle was also tormented
24:45By an increasing
24:46Dependence on alcohol
24:48He didn't have
24:50Sip a drink
24:51He gulped a drink
24:52You know
24:53So he'd usually drink
24:54Twice as much
24:55As anyone else
24:56If he was out
24:57Alcohol just
24:58Totally pickled his brain
25:02Probably 70% of us
25:03Were into the area
25:04Of alcohol abuse
25:05But that went unnoticed
25:07It was very hard
25:08For me to think
25:09Of Mick as an alcoholic
25:10For many years
25:10Because no matter
25:12How much he drank
25:13The night before
25:14He could always get up
25:16And do his job
25:16The next day
25:17He never missed
25:18The ball game
25:18But he would show up drunk
25:19He would take
25:21Listerine out in the field
25:23With him
25:24Just to make sure
25:25That nobody would
25:26Accus him of being drunk
25:27We had to wake him up
25:28To come to a game
25:29Mickey struck out
25:31Four times
25:32And he dropped
25:32A fly ball
25:33In center field
25:36And we got beat
25:37One to nothing
25:38And come in the clubhouse
25:39I remember Frank
25:41Was said
25:41He says
25:42That's our hero
25:45You'd be out
25:46And he was drunk
25:46He would never let you
25:48Have the keys
25:49To drive home
25:49We'd been out to eat
25:51With Carmen and Yogi Berra
25:52And as
25:53We got in the car
25:54To drive away
25:55Yogi said to me
25:56Merlin
25:57I wouldn't ride with him
25:58If I were you
25:59Well
26:00I get in the car
26:01And we're going
26:01And he's speeding
26:02Bam
26:03We had a telephone pole
26:05And I went through
26:06The windshield
26:07We could have been killed
26:12Eight nights
26:13And chronic injuries
26:15Had claimed his talent
26:16I don't hit the ball
26:18When I need to
26:20I can't steal second
26:21When I need to
26:22I can't go from first
26:23To third
26:24Or score from second
26:25On base hits
26:26And I just think
26:27It's time that I
26:28Quit trying
26:30After 18 seasons
26:32Mantle finished
26:33With 536 home runs
26:35And helped the Yankees
26:36Win seven world series
26:37Ever since
26:38Writers have speculated
26:40On what might have been
26:41He realized that he had led
26:43Part of his youth
26:44Under a false premise
26:45Which was the belief
26:47That he would die young
26:48There was a movie
26:49At the time
26:50Called Knock on any door
26:51And the famous line was
26:53Live fast
26:54Die young
26:55And have a good looking corpse
26:56And I think Mantle
26:58Tried to get
26:58Absolutely as much
26:59Out of life
27:00As he possibly could get
27:02Before the inevitable
27:03Happened
27:04And then the inevitable
27:05Didn't happen
27:08Same
27:11The great
27:12Number seven
27:13Mickey Mantle
27:18On June 8th
27:191969
27:19One month before
27:21Neil Armstrong
27:22Embarked on his moonshot
27:23Mickey Mantle
27:24Was given his own
27:25Historic send off
27:26At Yankee Stadium
27:27To this day
27:29I don't think
27:29I've ever experienced
27:30The same chills
27:31That I did
27:32You know
27:33On Mickey Mantle day
27:34He always
27:35Felt that
27:36Such a day like that
27:38He would come up
27:39Inadequate
27:39Because he thought
27:40Everybody would be
27:41Inadequate
27:42With whatever they said
27:43After Lou Gehrig
27:45Made his remarks
27:46On his day
27:48I've often wondered
27:49How a man
27:50Who knew he was going to die
27:52Could stand here
27:53And say that he was
27:54The luckiest man in the world
27:56But now I think
27:57I know how Lou Gehrig
27:58Felt
28:15That was a big day
28:16For the family
28:18But also a very sad day
28:20Because after Mick retired
28:22We both got ulcers
28:23From worrying about
28:24What are we going to do now
28:26He'll take one last
28:27Turn around Yankee Stadium
28:29New commercials
28:35The celebration
28:37At Yankee Stadium
28:37Was wonderful
28:38But the aftermath
28:40Of the retirement
28:41Was a nightmare
28:43When he was through
28:44And the crowds
28:46Weren't there
28:46And the aura
28:47Of being the greatest
28:48Player that ever lived
28:49Wasn't there
28:49And it started
28:50To dissipate
28:50And in the business
28:52He lost money
28:52After Mantle
28:54Became a flack
28:55For an Atlantic City
28:56Casino in 1983
28:57For which he was
28:58Banned from baseball
28:59For two years
29:00He met Greer Johnson
29:01A young attractive
29:03Georgian
29:03Who took his career
29:04In hand
29:05Being the public
29:07Relations person
29:08For the casino
29:09Was really not
29:10What Mickey Mantle
29:13Was about
29:13In the mid 80's
29:15Is when the
29:16Baseball card shows
29:18The memorabilia industry
29:19Really started to grow
29:20It was very easy
29:22For me to
29:23Improve Mickey's
29:25Appearances
29:26His value
29:27Because he was
29:29So loved
29:29Greer Johnson
29:31Saw money
29:32When she saw
29:33Mickey the first time
29:34He was so
29:35Head over heels
29:37With sex
29:38And her
29:39She had him
29:40In the palm
29:41Of her hands
29:42She made deals
29:43That he wasn't
29:43Even aware of
29:44Until it was over
29:46That didn't mean
29:47That she was
29:47Stealing anything
29:48She was just
29:49Doing what she thought
29:50Was right
29:51For him
29:52We had a great
29:53Relationship
29:54We had fun
29:55It was ten of the
29:56Best years of my life
29:57And it really
29:58Doesn't matter to me
30:01What other people
30:02Might think
30:03I know in my heart
30:05What we had
30:06And I know the love
30:08That we had
30:08And that's all
30:10That's important to me
30:12Although Mantle's
30:13Extramarital affair
30:14Is a matter of
30:15Public record
30:15Merlin did not
30:16Seek a divorce
30:17Not even when
30:18Johnson became
30:19Mickey's manager
30:20And companion
30:21In the mid 80's
30:22She said
30:23I'll divorce you
30:28Fine
30:29Go get a divorce
30:31And I'll cut you off
30:32From every penny
30:33You'll have nothing
30:34You'll have no house
30:36You'll have just
30:37The clothes on your back
30:42I knew that it was
30:43Hurting her
30:43But all of us
30:45Had starved for
30:46Dad's attention
30:46For so long
30:47That we didn't
30:49Want to say
30:49Nothing to her
30:50Because we thought
30:52That might jeopardize
30:53Our relationship
30:54With him
30:54I was asked one time
30:57How did I feel
30:58Being the other woman
30:59In Mickey's life
31:02And my true feeling
31:04Is I wasn't
31:05The other woman
31:05I was the woman
31:07In Mickey's life
31:08If I wanted to get
31:09Rid of this anger
31:10That I was going
31:11To have to pray
31:12For him
31:13And I can tell you
31:14At that time
31:16The only prayer
31:17I could think of
31:18Is that maybe
31:19He'd get hit
31:20With a Mack truck
31:22Because I
31:23I was so angry
31:25That I really
31:25Used to think
31:26About killing him
31:27There were times
31:28She wanted to
31:29Kill herself
31:29Because she felt
31:31So ashamed
31:32That she could live
31:33Under these conditions
31:34Never knowing
31:35From moment to moment
31:35What he was going
31:37To do or say
31:38To make her life
31:39Miserable
31:39In spite of everything
31:41She was committed
31:42To him
31:43Well
31:45Finally
31:46In 1994
31:47Mantle acknowledged
31:48He was killing himself
31:50With alcohol
31:50And began a personal
31:52Quest for forgiveness
31:53A little late
31:54He came to realize
31:55That he had the same
31:56Problem that I did
31:57He'd ask me
31:58What it was like
31:59At the Betty Ford Center
32:00Did I have any fun
32:01At the Betty Ford Center
32:02I said
32:03Mick you're not
32:03Going to have fun
32:04You're going to get well
32:05If you ever go
32:06What really kind of
32:07Worried us the most
32:08Though is you know
32:09Right after he got out
32:09Of Betty Ford
32:10Our little brother
32:11Billy passed away
32:11And when Billy
32:13Passed away that Saturday
32:14We were really worried
32:15That that might
32:17Send dad over the edge
32:18Again
32:18But he hung in there
32:20He said
32:20I want you to
32:21Promise me something
32:22And I said
32:23What
32:23He said
32:24When I get out of here
32:26If I ever take another drink
32:27And you see me
32:28Take another drink
32:28I want you to
32:29Promise you'll kill me
32:31And I said
32:32Mick
32:32You know
32:33You're asking too much
32:34There's only one person
32:35That can do that
32:35And he's a whole lot
32:37Bigger than I am
32:37It took a real man
32:39Like Mickey
32:39To say
32:40Hey
32:41What I did
32:42Was not good
32:42I can't tell you
32:44Why I did it
32:45But I did it
32:46Nobody made me
32:47I did it on my own
32:48I'll pay the price
32:50During a nationally
32:51Televised interview
32:52With Bob Costas
32:53The Mick
32:53Expressed regret
32:55For a life lived
32:56On the edge
32:57One thing
32:58That I really do feel
32:59I was not
33:00Not a good father
33:02Really
33:02I mean
33:03I was never there
33:06I liked him better
33:07Once his faults
33:08Became known
33:09I liked the fact
33:10That Mickey
33:11Had very visible
33:12Weaknesses
33:13I find a flawed
33:14Human being
33:14Much more appealing
33:16Than someone
33:17Who is or pretends
33:18To be perfect
33:19Really
33:21Coachelli said
33:22Our sweetest songs
33:23Are those that
33:24Tell of saddest thought
33:25The nature
33:26I would like
33:28To say
33:28To the kids
33:29Out there
33:30To take a good
33:31You talk about
33:32A role model
33:33This is a role
33:34Model
33:35Don't be like me
33:36You know
33:37I mean
33:38God gave me a body
33:40The ability
33:41To play baseball
33:41That's what I wanted
33:42To do
33:43Give me everything
33:44And I just
33:50I guess he was trying
33:51To say
33:51You know
33:52He made a mistake
33:53And he should have
33:53Been there
33:54And I think he was
33:55Wanting to say
33:56That you know
33:57I'm kind of sorry
33:58And I wish
33:58I could have
34:00Been there more for you
34:01Or maybe he was
34:02Just trying to make
34:03A statement for
34:03Maybe other fathers
34:05Too
34:05That you need to be
34:06There for your kids
34:13Seemed destined
34:14To die the same way
34:15He was given
34:16A liver transplant
34:17In June 1995
34:19Just days after
34:20Being diagnosed
34:21With cancer
34:22And placed on a waiting list
34:23The one who's the sickest
34:25With the highest acute risk
34:27Of dying
34:27Is the one who gets the first shot
34:29Nobody pulled any strings
34:31They can't put people
34:33In front of other people
34:34It was that he was
34:36The sickest person
34:38In Texas at that time
34:39I do not think
34:41Mickey Mantle himself
34:43Ever felt
34:44That there was
34:46Preferential treatment
34:47If he had felt
34:48He would have been
34:49The first one to say
34:50I don't want it
34:51Despite his new liver
34:53Mantle lasted just two months
34:55Not nearly enough time
34:57To exchange proper goodbyes
34:59I wrote him a letter
35:00And I put everything in it
35:01That I was feeling
35:02Thanking him
35:04For being so nice to me
35:05Through the years
35:06And just lots of things
35:08Like that
35:09I never got to read
35:10The letter to him
35:11I was
35:14Not allowed to go to the hospital
35:15And that's probably
35:19The thing that has made it hardest
35:25Are you serious?
35:26Because I never knew
35:27He was passing away
35:30Why would you do that
35:31Into the hospital?
35:32At the hospital in his room
35:34The phone rang
35:36And someone was calling
35:38In her behalf
35:41And when the conversation ended
35:43After he had told them
35:46No, tell her
35:48I do not want to see her
35:49I do not want her to come here
35:54In the waning weeks
35:56Mantle informed his doctors
35:57He no longer wanted
35:58Updates on his prognosis
36:00Old teammates were beginning
36:02To arrive in Dallas
36:03The Mick had only days to live
36:07Hank and I would grab this hand
36:08And we said
36:09We love you
36:10He said
36:10I love you guys too
36:11He suffered
36:13Mickey suffered a lot
36:14He was all already
36:15Heavy in the legs
36:17And his stomach
36:18And he was already
36:19Yellow
36:21We didn't expect him
36:22To go that fast
36:23They all worked very hard
36:25To have a smile
36:26On their face
36:26Whitey brought him
36:28A baseball
36:31Signed
36:31By all of the members
36:33Of the present
36:34New York Yankee Club
36:35And Mickey reached over
36:37And got it
36:37And he said
36:38You know
36:39It's the first time
36:41Anybody ever brought me
36:44Something autographed
36:45By other people
36:45My dad had had a dream
36:47That he died
36:49And you know
36:51Was gone up to heaven
36:52And they told him
36:53Mick you know
36:55We can't let you in
36:56Because of the things
36:57You've done on earth
36:58But before you go
36:59Would you mind
37:00Signing these two dozen balls
37:01For God
37:04He called me one day
37:05And after he knew
37:07He was going to die
37:08He said
37:08Have you ever been baptized?
37:10What's it like?
37:11They use water on you
37:12Don't they?
37:13I said
37:13I think there's some water
37:14Involved
37:15And he said
37:16Well you know
37:16I can't swim
37:17You tell him
37:17I can't swim
37:19And in the closing days
37:20Of his life
37:21He was baptized
37:26Mickey Mantle
37:27One of baseball's
37:28All time greats
37:29Suffering cancer
37:30Mickey Mantle died Sunday
37:32At the age of 63
37:33Mick will be buried
37:34In Dallas tomorrow
37:35I shall continue to grieve
37:36Over the death
37:37Of Mickey Mantle
37:38As we all remember
37:41Mickey Mantle
37:44Someone like Mickey
37:45Passes on
37:46You know
37:47It was
37:47Kind of like a pinstripe
37:49Had fallen off the Yankees
37:50Mickey Mantle
37:51Was
37:53Family
37:54He was
37:55As important
37:57As uncles
37:58And cousins
37:59And nephews
38:00He was part
38:01Of our lives
38:02In a very
38:04Very meaningful way
38:08There's no one
38:09Who had the romance
38:10That this guy had
38:11You know
38:12With the public
38:13He was the American dream
38:15To this day
38:16They still live
38:20When he couldn't play ball anymore
38:22A whole generation felt older
38:24When he got cancer
38:25A whole generation felt
38:27With the fear of death
38:31I just hope God
38:32Has a place for him
38:33Where he can run again
38:35Where he can play
38:36Practical jokes
38:37On his teammates
38:38And smile
38:39That boyish smile
38:42Because God knows
38:43No one's perfect
38:48It's dangerous
38:49To make cardboard figures
38:51Out of people
38:52You're always going to be wrong
38:54He was neither entirely this
38:56Nor entirely that
38:57But there's always the possibility
38:59For redemption
39:00There's always the possibility
39:02That the better angels
39:03Of your nature
39:03Will take over
39:05In the end
39:07Just before he died
39:09Mickey Mayo
39:10Gave us a reason
39:12To love him
39:13He was willing
39:15To use himself
39:17As almost an anti-role model
39:19In a very heroic
39:22Way
39:25There's a picture
39:26And he was kind of like
39:27Hanging his head down
39:28And you can see him like
39:29Throwing his batting helmet away
39:30And for some reason
39:31I just sat there
39:31And I don't know
39:32How the words came to me
39:33But it just said
39:34Can I touch your face
39:35Can I hold your hand
39:36Can I give you a hug
39:38Again and again
39:38Can I say I love you
39:40You're also my friend
39:41My father
39:43And just seeing that picture
39:44I felt like
39:46I wish I could have been there
39:47Before him
39:47For that moment
39:48You know
39:48To
39:51You know
39:52Just kind of say
39:52That's life
39:53And to
39:54You're going to strike out
39:59The more people
40:00Wrote
40:02Questioning perhaps
40:03How he lived his life
40:05The more the general public
40:08Embraced him
40:09And wanted to say
40:10Hey
40:11He's still my hero
40:16Mickey Mantle
40:17Represented the 50s
40:19So evocatively
40:20Both he and the times
40:22Were a lot different
40:23Than they seemed
40:23And perhaps with his death
40:25The euphoric
40:26Barroom glow
40:27Of that era
40:28Has finally dimmed
40:29The two things
40:31Most truthful
40:31About Mickey Mantle
40:33Were the way he played
40:34And the way he died
40:36Well
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