Long before Mickey Mantle was born, his dad, a miner from northeast Oklahoma dreamed about having a kid who would escape the mines and grow up to be a great professional baseball player. Nicknamed Mutt, Mantle’s dad, shared his dream more than once with the woman he married.
At a year-old Mutt was trying to figure out what kind of athlete the baby would turn out to be. At six-years-old a young Mickey Mantle came home from school and found his father and grandfather in the yard. They had a small bat and several tennis balls.
“Just try to hit the balls we throw,” Mutt said. The boy swung. It was a smooth, natural right-handed swing.
“When I throw the ball, you go ahead and swing the way you’re doing now,” Mutt added. But when Grandpa throws the ball, I want you to turn around and swing the other way.”
With two devoted coaches the young Mantle learned to drive the ball left-handed with the same power he did right-handed. Mutt understood even then that if his son was going to make it in the Big Leagues he needed an edge.
Mantle found it..
On April 29, Grey Flannel Auctions, Westhampton Beach, N.Y., featured the earliest known Mickey Mantle, game-used and autographed Home pinstripe flannel jersey.
Mantle signed the left front tail in black marker. The signature is vintage and large. The 1952 jersey sold for $188,318. It came with a 16 inch by 20 inch autographed photo of Mantle wearing the same shirt.
A sweet piece of baseball history.
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