Rating: 
Summary: The Mick
Review: "The Greatest Player on The Greatest Team In Baseball"
He was the country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, who had to replace the great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio. In his career spanning two decades, Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs, won three MVP awards, and won the Triple Crown in 1956. He played in 20 All Star Games and was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. But Mickey Mantle not only hit tape measure home runs, he played even while he was in great physical pain. Mickey always gave 110 % and around him a Yankee dynasty was built...
Rating:
Summary: The Mick
Review: "The Greatest Player on The Greatest Team In Baseball"
He was the country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, who had to replace the great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio. In his career spanning two decades, Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs, won three MVP awards, and won the Triple Crown in 1956. He played in 20 All Star Games and was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. But Mickey Mantle not only hit tape measure home runs, he played even while he was in great physical pain. Mickey always gave 110 % and around him a Yankee dynasty was built...
Rating:
Summary: The Mick
Review: "The Greatest Player on The Greatest Team In Baseball"
He was the country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, who had to replace the great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio. In his career spanning two decades, Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs, won three MVP awards, and won the Triple Crown in 1956. He played in 20 All Star Games and was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. But Mickey Mantle not only hit tape measure home runs, he played even while he was in great physical pain. Mickey always gave 110 % and around him a Yankee dynasty was built...
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Mantle tells a sad simple story.
Review: As a lifelong baseball fan, I am well aware of the legend of Mickey Mantle. I was born just as his career was fading, and he retired three years before my first Little League game.
But the name "Mickey Mantle" always meant something. Like DiMaggio or Musial or Ruth, he represented a certain type of baseball "hero" that doesn't exist anymore.
Mythic. Ethereal.I decided to read this book in order to learn more about Mantle, and I have to say I learned quite a bit.
Not all of it good.
The book is written as if Mr. Mantle dictated it into a tape recorder, and was transcribed with minimal embellishment.
He comes across as a plain, simple and often humble man. Not very bright, and not terribly insightful. The language is plain and monosyllabic. Fractured sentences and unfinished thoughts are sprinkled throughout the tome. Knowing what we know now about his alcoholism and eventual death from liver failure, it's a little embarrassing to see him downplay these problems. Shockingly, his drunk driving accident that put his wife "through the windshield" and led to his wife needing "a lot of stitches in her head" is briefly mentioned in a half a page, as really "scaring" him. That's it. There are passages where he is almost boastful about his drinking...which are a little uncomfortable. The book is slight and short. I found myself longing for more information, more detail, more of what it must have been like to be a Yankee at that glorious time in baseball history. Twelve pennants and seven Series in fourteen years? The Yanks OWNED baseball. There are many enjoyable anecdotes regarding his fellow ballplayers...pranks, stunts, arguments, fights...that are the clear highlight of this book. He really doesn't have a bad word to say about anybody. Except maybe George Weiss.
And that leads to the one thing I DIDN'T like about this book. Mickey Mantle comes across as a little whiny. Especially about two things: his salary and his injuries.
And you don't ever want to think of Mickey Mantle as "whiny". I realize the book was written in 1985. Things WERE totally different in the 50's. But to put so much emphasis on the annual salary negotiations, and to leave out so much good stuff about the actual game itself, is just plain wrong. There's no perspective. Injury after injury gets recounted, with the same "aw-shucks" manner that infuses his less-detailed accounts of his MVP years; it's a bit numbing. Since he's gone, we may never know what it must have been like to be Mickey Mantle. Perhaps had he involved his co-writer Herb Gluck more, or had Gluck been able to draw more out of Mantle, we'd have a better book. There's too much pity if you will and not enough glory. Believe me, Mantle had enough "glory" in his life for half a dozen Hall of Famers. He truly is one of those legends whose reality justifies the myth. Maybe he wasn't the best person to write a book about Mickey Mantle, strangely enough.
Did he ever understand how awesome...I use that word carefully and precisely...how truly awesome he really was to a whole generation? I consider this merely a taste, a tantalizing glimpse, into the life of Mickey Mantle. I need to read more...I HAVE to.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Mantle tells a sad simple story.
Review: As a lifelong baseball fan, I am well aware of the legend of Mickey Mantle. I was born just as his career was fading, and he retired three years before my first Little League game.
But the name "Mickey Mantle" always meant something. Like DiMaggio or Musial or Ruth, he represented a certain type of baseball "hero" that doesn't exist anymore.
Mythic. Ethereal. I decided to read this book in order to learn more about Mantle, and I have to say I learned quite a bit.
Not all of it good.
The book is written as if Mr. Mantle dictated it into a tape recorder, and was transcribed with minimal embellishment.
He comes across as a plain, simple and often humble man. Not very bright, and not terribly insightful. The language is plain and monosyllabic. Fractured sentences and unfinished thoughts are sprinkled throughout the tome. Knowing what we know now about his alcoholism and eventual death from liver failure, it's a little embarrassing to see him downplay these problems. Shockingly, his drunk driving accident that put his wife "through the windshield" and led to his wife needing "a lot of stitches in her head" is briefly mentioned in a half a page, as really "scaring" him. That's it. There are passages where he is almost boastful about his drinking...which are a little uncomfortable. The book is slight and short. I found myself longing for more information, more detail, more of what it must have been like to be a Yankee at that glorious time in baseball history. Twelve pennants and seven Series in fourteen years? The Yanks OWNED baseball. There are many enjoyable anecdotes regarding his fellow ballplayers...pranks, stunts, arguments, fights...that are the clear highlight of this book. He really doesn't have a bad word to say about anybody. Except maybe George Weiss.
And that leads to the one thing I DIDN'T like about this book. Mickey Mantle comes across as a little whiny. Especially about two things: his salary and his injuries.
And you don't ever want to think of Mickey Mantle as "whiny". I realize the book was written in 1985. Things WERE totally different in the 50's. But to put so much emphasis on the annual salary negotiations, and to leave out so much good stuff about the actual game itself, is just plain wrong. There's no perspective. Injury after injury gets recounted, with the same "aw-shucks" manner that infuses his less-detailed accounts of his MVP years; it's a bit numbing. Since he's gone, we may never know what it must have been like to be Mickey Mantle. Perhaps had he involved his co-writer Herb Gluck more, or had Gluck been able to draw more out of Mantle, we'd have a better book. There's too much pity if you will and not enough glory. Believe me, Mantle had enough "glory" in his life for half a dozen Hall of Famers. He truly is one of those legends whose reality justifies the myth. Maybe he wasn't the best person to write a book about Mickey Mantle, strangely enough.
Did he ever understand how awesome...I use that word carefully and precisely...how truly awesome he really was to a whole generation? I consider this merely a taste, a tantalizing glimpse, into the life of Mickey Mantle. I need to read more...I HAVE to.
Rating:
Summary: This book was a pleasure to read.
Review: At first, I just got this book because I had to do a book report, and since I like baseball, I thought that this book would be interesting. Although I neither liked the Yankees or really knew much about Mantle, this book had a good amount of information about his life before and with the Yankees, and turned out to be pretty good. Everything was from his point of view, of course, but that didn't make the book any less interesting. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about baseball or just Mantle and the Yankees in particular.
Rating: 
Summary: The Mickster
Review: Mickey Mantle grew up in small town in the Kansas, Oklahoma line area. As Mickey would say "Indian territory". Mickey's father had a passion for baseball and started Mickey off at an early age. This is where he learned to switch hit. As a young man he met a woman named Merlyn. They met at a friend's house one night and asked her out. "We were together ever since then", said Mickey. Mickey was brought up to the Yankees with a series of lucky events. Scouts would be looking at other players and noticed that Mickey was the one who stood out. Mickey was first suited up in 1951, he was just a kid. Mickey started a habit with drinking on the off seasons. Mickey said he never really got to know his own family. Mickey's father died a few years into his career. This was a huge blow. His 18 year career was played with many injuries. He'd be known for playing injured on most occasions. Behind his award-winning career, Mickey said that the most important award to him was the Most Valuable Player award. "This award let you know that you were the best player in baseball for that year", he had said. In 1969, Mickey said goodbye to baseball. Baseball had treated him good and it was time for him to leave. Mickey said it was the worst day of his life except for the day his dad died. His baseball was all Mickey knew. He slowly walked away from baseball, but he had a short announcing career that wasn't for Mickey even though he saw his close friends become very good at it.
Mickey would tell you many stories about the past and good times with his friends. The jokes they play with each other and late nights spent at the bars. Mickey seemed to be a person that i'd get along with. Mickey would also tell stories about the Yankee players and give you a little insight on the team. He told each person their strengths and weaknesses. He would talk about old pals and what kind of trouble they'd get themselves into and they'd find a way to get themselves out.
There wasn't much that I didn't like about the book. I thought on some subjects he wouldn't get into too much detail and it felt like he left you hanging. He also would go back in time and go ahead and confuse you.
This book was one of the best books that I ever read. I also love the game of baseball and look up to players like Mickey Mantle. You hear stories about ball players and they sound almost as good as hearing it from the man himself. I enjoyed reading about Mickey and if you're a baseball lover, like me, you'll love this book. If you like sports this is also a good book and if you're a Yankees fan, you'll be sure to like this book too.
Rating:
Summary: The Mickster
Review: Mickey Mantle grew up in small town in the Kansas, Oklahoma line area. As Mickey would say "Indian territory". Mickey's father had a passion for baseball and started Mickey off at an early age. This is where he learned to switch hit. As a young man he met a woman named Merlyn. They met at a friend's house one night and asked her out. "We were together ever since then", said Mickey. Mickey was brought up to the Yankees with a series of lucky events. Scouts would be looking at other players and noticed that Mickey was the one who stood out. Mickey was first suited up in 1951, he was just a kid. Mickey started a habit with drinking on the off seasons. Mickey said he never really got to know his own family. Mickey's father died a few years into his career. This was a huge blow. His 18 year career was played with many injuries. He'd be known for playing injured on most occasions. Behind his award-winning career, Mickey said that the most important award to him was the Most Valuable Player award. "This award let you know that you were the best player in baseball for that year", he had said. In 1969, Mickey said goodbye to baseball. Baseball had treated him good and it was time for him to leave. Mickey said it was the worst day of his life except for the day his dad died. His baseball was all Mickey knew. He slowly walked away from baseball, but he had a short announcing career that wasn't for Mickey even though he saw his close friends become very good at it.
Mickey would tell you many stories about the past and good times with his friends. The jokes they play with each other and late nights spent at the bars. Mickey seemed to be a person that i'd get along with. Mickey would also tell stories about the Yankee players and give you a little insight on the team. He told each person their strengths and weaknesses. He would talk about old pals and what kind of trouble they'd get themselves into and they'd find a way to get themselves out.
There wasn't much that I didn't like about the book. I thought on some subjects he wouldn't get into too much detail and it felt like he left you hanging. He also would go back in time and go ahead and confuse you.
This book was one of the best books that I ever read. I also love the game of baseball and look up to players like Mickey Mantle. You hear stories about ball players and they sound almost as good as hearing it from the man himself. I enjoyed reading about Mickey and if you're a baseball lover, like me, you'll love this book. If you like sports this is also a good book and if you're a Yankees fan, you'll be sure to like this book too.
Rating:
Summary: The Mickster
Review: Mickey Mantle grew up in small town in the Kansas, Oklahoma line area. As Mickey would say "Indian territory". Mickey's father had a passion for baseball and started Mickey off at an early age. This is where he learned to switch hit. As a young man he met a woman named Merlyn. They met at a friend's house one night and asked her out. "We were together ever since then", said Mickey. Mickey was brought up to the Yankees with a series of lucky events. Scouts would be looking at other players and noticed that Mickey was the one who stood out. Mickey was first suited up in 1951, he was just a kid. Mickey started a habit with drinking on the off seasons. Mickey said he never really got to know his own family. Mickey's father died a few years into his career. This was a huge blow. His 18 year career was played with many injuries. He'd be known for playing injured on most occasions. Behind his award-winning career, Mickey said that the most important award to him was the Most Valuable Player award. "This award let you know that you were the best player in baseball for that year", he had said. In 1969, Mickey said goodbye to baseball. Baseball had treated him good and it was time for him to leave. Mickey said it was the worst day of his life except for the day his dad died. His baseball was all Mickey knew. He slowly walked away from baseball, but he had a short announcing career that wasn't for Mickey even though he saw his close friends become very good at it.
Mickey would tell you many stories about the past and good times with his friends. The jokes they play with each other and late nights spent at the bars. Mickey seemed to be a person that i'd get along with. Mickey would also tell stories about the Yankee players and give you a little insight on the team. He told each person their strengths and weaknesses. He would talk about old pals and what kind of trouble they'd get themselves into and they'd find a way to get themselves out.
There wasn't much that I didn't like about the book. I thought on some subjects he wouldn't get into too much detail and it felt like he left you hanging. He also would go back in time and go ahead and confuse you.
This book was one of the best books that I ever read. I also love the game of baseball and look up to players like Mickey Mantle. You hear stories about ball players and they sound almost as good as hearing it from the man himself. I enjoyed reading about Mickey and if you're a baseball lover, like me, you'll love this book. If you like sports this is also a good book and if you're a Yankees fan, you'll be sure to like this book too.
Rating:
Summary: a great book
Review: The Mick was a very good book. It showed a great insight of the life of Mickey Mantle, one of the best baseball players ever to live. He told about his views on life and baseball.
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