Mickey Mantle Was An American Hero › American Greatness Growing Up, The Mick & Johnny Unitas were my heroes.
I ran into Mickey in a Tampa hotel quite a few years back. I was at a conf. and he was doing a memorabilia show. We were in the hotel store area and he noticed my name tag. He asked if my father was Bruce Henry, and when I affirmed he commented,"great guy". Made my day, and many thereafter! As many have commented, as great as he was, the injury and lifestyle issues hampered him.
In the movie 61* it's mentioned that when the Yankees were in St Pete for spring training a restaurant wouldn't let Elston Howard in the actual restaurant, when that happened Mantle got his food in a to go box and went to the bus to eat with Elston Howard. I hope that story is true, shows character.
He was the reason I wore #7 the whole time I played baseball. I could have been something if I had his size...and could run like him...and hit like him...and throw like him...and field like him. Other than that we were just alike...except I didn't have his looks. Actually, I guess we weren't that much alike.
