Comments on: Emails: More on the Sooners & Mickey Mantle http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2008/10/06/emails-more-on-the-sooners-mickey-mantle/ Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel | NewsOK.com Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:29:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Larry Adler http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2008/10/06/emails-more-on-the-sooners-mickey-mantle/comment-page-1/#comment-4676 Larry Adler Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:50:39 +0000 http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2008/10/06/emails-more-on-the-sooners-mickey-mantle/#comment-4676 Great point about Mantle. "Reality was good enough." My thoughts exactly. The national media loves to play the "what-if" game regarding the Mick, like he was some sort of one- or two-year phenom. He played 18 seasons with the Yankees, and was the best and most famous player on the best and most famous team. As flawed as he might have been as a human being, it has always amazed me how his former teammates always came (and still come) to his defense, and speak of him in reverential tones, even guys like Bobby Richardson, one of the great Christian ballplayers who certainly didn't endorse Mantle's lifestyle. I remember reading a quote by Al Kaline after being told once by a young fan that he wasn't half as good as Mickey Mantle, "Son, NOBODY is half as good as Mickey Mantle." Great point about Mantle. “Reality was good enough.” My thoughts exactly. The national media loves to play the “what-if” game regarding the Mick, like he was some sort of one- or two-year phenom. He played 18 seasons with the Yankees, and was the best and most famous player on the best and most famous team. As flawed as he might have been as a human being, it has always amazed me how his former teammates always came (and still come) to his defense, and speak of him in reverential tones, even guys like Bobby Richardson, one of the great Christian ballplayers who certainly didn’t endorse Mantle’s lifestyle. I remember reading a quote by Al Kaline after being told once by a young fan that he wasn’t half as good as Mickey Mantle, “Son, NOBODY is half as good as Mickey Mantle.”

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