Just watched the documentary "Mantle" on HBO

corvette1340

For anyone that hasn't seen this, you are doing yourself a disservice. Like many here, I didn't get to witness Mantle's playing days first hand. I've heard and read about several Mantle stories, myths, legends, etc... This documentary encapsulates all of those for anyone wanting to know more about the life of The Mick instead of just seeing him on expensive pieces of cardboard.

When I was a kid I didn't understand the entire aura around Mickey Mantle but I knew who he was, knew his stats, knew that he was a baseball legend. I also knew that his cards were the most coveted in baseball card collecting and I strived to get a few Mantle cards even when I was 9-10 years old. Talking to my dad, grandfather, etc..I kind of got a little feeling as to how good he was but it's still hard to fathom without seeing it first hand. This show tells and shows how good Mickey really was. It also stresses the fact that if not for injury and self inflicted abuse, he would have been the best to ever live. He may have been already, tallent wise, but his stats would have bore that also.

It also made me sad. The fact that he lost his dad at an early age and always carried that around with him. The abuse he put on himself thereby cutting his career short and having all those injuries also made me sad. It makes me rethink some of the choices I've made or will make.

Like I said, if you haven't seen it you need to. I'm sure it's probably on youtube or available for download. It puts into perspective what an icon and American legend Mickey really was. A+++

lsutigers1973

I saw it. It was pretty good. I too never saw him play since he retired 5 years before I was born. I have listened to the stories from my mom of all people about Mickey. She even said she had a ton of Mantle baseball cards when she was a kid. Wish she hadn't told me that part.

I even have a dog named Mickey that I named after Mantle. The dog looks like a reversed Yankees jersey. He's black with white pinstripes.

PoppaJ

Tommy,

thanks for the post .... I plan on watching the documentary later this evening.

As a kid growing up in the Bronx back in the 50s, I went to every home game I could, just to see Mantle play. It was either that, or listen to the radio to catch the game. Yankee fans back then were Mantle fans, but not all Mantle fans were Yankee fans. He was a phenom that could do it all. When he stepped to the plate, the crowd rose to its' feet everytime. It didn't matter how many outs there were, what the score was, or what inning it was. Everyone wanted to see Mantle blast the ball out of the park.

To this day, whenever I'm asked why Mantle is still the most popular baseball player ever to grace the game ..... I just tell them that "you had to be there!". There's no better explanation. If you didn't live back then, you have no idea.

PoppaJ

p.s. I'm glad my mother let me keep my cards!

revmoran

I enjoyed the documentary on HBO and it brought back many memories from growing up in New York City in the 1950s and going to Yankee Stadium to see the games. I was especially struck by the comments of his son that they could not go out together as a family because people would swarm around and Mickey would just want to go home. I think it was one of the Everly brothers who said that from the inside fame looks like work - and it's got to be much worse today.

skilow

How was this compared to Billy Crystal's movie *61?

corvette1340

<< <i>How was this compared to Billy Crystal's movie *61? >>



Two totally different animals. The movie was good but didn't chronicle Mickey's life story from childhood to death like the documentary does. It also concentrates on Roger as much or more than Mickey whereas the documentary is all Mick. Billy Crystal, Bob Costas, Ed Harris, and several other celebrities do commentary and tell stories of Mickey in the documentary as well as Whitey, Yogi, Moose Skowron, etc...