Mickey Mantle would've turned 89 years old today. He's my favorite baseball of all time - even though he retired 4 years before I was born. There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said a million times better by people who actually saw him play - but I can still gripe that there's never been a truly definitive movie made about him, as ripe as it would be purely based on the truth:
Christ, is a more compelling baseball/human story even possible? Born into the Dust Bowl with a short life in the mines looming, a big country aw shucks hoss straight outta central casting showing up at the most storied sports team in the world in the biggest city in the country, coinciding perfectly with the halcyon days of New York City baseball. Even his name sounded made up, TOO dead on for the role. Brought in to replace a living legend, the revered DiMaggio. Becomes known as the greatest of teammates; idolized by teammates for both his play and his loving being one of the guys. Misses his first World Series due to the first of many injuries, stuck in a hospital bed next to his father who waits to die of Hodgkins at 39 like all the males in the family. Plays entire career in pain, with 17 surgeries and some duct tape barely keeping his body together. With the scepter of dying young always on his shoulder, hits NYC nightlife like a Mack truck, therein tainting his amazing Hall of Fame career with a stadium full's worth of "what ifs?" Worshiped by an entire generation of boys who would grow up to be men who never gave up their adulation. Set adrift after retirement in a sea of boozing, culminating in a stay at Betty Ford. Becomes sober, has a son die. Devoted to sober life, becomes born again, then boom! cancer. After so many lifetimes of home runs and standing ovations and sadness and loss, may have made his greatest play of all: looking at the cameras after his liver transplant and telling kids "This is a role model: Don't be like me. I blew it." Becoming one of the greatest of all time, all while on the run from the inevitability of early death and then spending his last years feeling like he let everyone in the world down. All while simply being Mickey Mantle. Jesus christ, is it even possible this actually happened?
In the meantime I'll let the man himself tell one of my all-time favorite stories (from what looks like what may the world's very first website.)
No comments:
Post a Comment