Mickey Mantle - 30 Years Gone

Two of the best Ocala.

 

Clemente and Koufax were mine.

Not a big football fan, but Unitas was really good.

 

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.

 

C

Clemente is my all time favorite

 

Back when QB's called plays

 

This was the cover when he passed.
One of SI’s best.

 

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.

 

Think that would help?

 

Well, you would be getting into character!

 

I was also fortunate enough to attend the Colts/Giants "greatest game" at Yankee Stadium. Unitas to Mutscheler, Unitas to Berry, deadly. Tittle was the Giants qb.
I think the Colts tied it on a field and then won on an Ameche plunge (or visa versa)

 

I was just a young kid and saw it on TV. It made the NFL.

 

The timing between Unitas and Berry on that down and out was practically indefensible. When Berry planted his foot to go to the sidelines the ball was already there.

 

Should be a whole different category for all-time list of QBs who called their own plays. Unitas would be at the top.

 

Frank Gifford absolutely was stopped short of the first down the Giants needed to run out the clock. Spent the rest of his life whining he got robbed. Except for the year Chuck Bednarik erased.

 

I like my heroes flawed. They age better than the ones who believe they aren't.