Mickey Mantle-wiki

That probably sounds pretty outdated by now, but I don’t care because to me “The Mick” was the coolest guy around … and I never even got to see him play. Growing up in the 1970′s however, I had plenty of access to books on the Yankees legend even after his playing days wound down. Mantle too had worn down, finishing his career in being replaced by the not-so-immortal, but lovable Joe Pepitone.

Even with his troubles, and there were many with affairs and boozing incidents too numerous to mention, there was a greatness to Mantle that remains special to this day. He was, and still is, one of the most talented baseball players to ever take the field. After shaking off a slow start to his career, with Mantle nearly quitting the game in his first season, the Oklahoma product soon displayed all his skills: strong defense in the outfield, speed on the basepaths and the ability to hit for average and power.

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What made the day even more special is that the Rays beat the Jays to cut Beantown’s lead in the Wild Card race to 1 1/2 games. It’s true, the Greatest Team Ever is on the doorstep of a 2007 Mets-esque collapse.

Check out all my pics after the jump:

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