Yankees History: Mickey Mantle an American Icon and Hero

While it is almost impossible to control the severity and number of times one gets hurt playing baseball, one can certainly stay in great shape throughout the year and avoid consuming too much alcohol. He realized this later in his life, prompting him to say, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

He eventually entered the Betty Ford Clinic to address his alcohol addiction problem. There always was a sadness about him, I remember, and he later admitted that he battled depression throughout his career. He never had another drink following his treatment. The Clinic reported that it never in its history received as many postcards and letters of support for anyone as it did for the Mick.

Yankees fans and New York City honored Mickey Mantle on June 8, 1969, at the old Yankee Stadium. About 71,000 people loudly cheered as his number 7 was retired, his plaque in Monument Park in center field was permanently enshrined, and his place in history was cemented. He was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1974, his first appearance on the ballot. He received 88.2 percent of the votes from the baseball writers.

While Mantle had his faults and may not have been the best role model given his style of living, he got along with his teammates (including Roger Maris in 1961) extremely well. He later said that the tremendous camaraderie that existed within the team was the major reason why the Yanks were able to play so well each year and for a long time. There was never any fingerpointing or destructive competition. Mick, himself, was gracious to his teammates, fans, and the media. He is a revered and iconic figure in the baseball world, and a true American hero…he was undeniably my hero growing up as a child in Brooklyn, New York.

Let’s thank Mick’s father for pushing him during his youth and not allowing him to quit baseball. Had his father not stepped in and strongly encouraged him to continue playing, we would have been denied seeing one of the most gifted athletes that has ever played the sport.

We must never forget what Mantle did for baseball and the country in the 1950s and 1960s, a time when the nation was rebuilding following World War Two and the Korean War and when the sport was truly America’s national pastime. His memory should live on for all Yankee fans.