WILKES-BARRE — Several years after Mickey Mantle retired, I met him at a news conference in the Poconos.
A group had brought Mickey in to speak at a dinner in the Poconos, and they had a press briefing.
I got to meet Mickey, shake his hand, and I told him a story. After hearing the story, Mickey gave me two autographs — one for me and one for my Aunt Betty.
It was a thrill of a lifetime. That’s why when I visited Commerce, Oklahoma, in the late 1990s, I went to see Mickey’s childhood home. The current residents invited me in, and I actually stood in Mickey’s old bedroom.
I often think about the days on my front porch, flipping Topps baseball cards and playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball.
I was born a Yankee fan because my dad loved all sports teams from New York — the Yankees, the football Giants, the Knicks, the Rangers.
My favorite player was Mickey Mantle — No. 7 of the Yankees. The switch-hitting centerfielder was a power hitter who hit for average. He could run like the wind, and he always hustled.
Unfortunately, “The Mick” was often injured, and his statistics suffered as a result. But he always played hard and with a total love and respect for the game.
When I tell you that I had multiple Mickey Mantle cards for every year of his career, I am not lying. They were my most treasured possessions. I kept them in a separate shoe box in my closet. I used to love to read the backs and marvel at Mickey’s statistics. I also got a kick out of the facts listed and the cartoons.
My mom, dad, and I traveled to New York often to attend weekend Yankees series. My Aunt Betty, Dad’s sister, was an even bigger Yankee fan than I, and she adored Mickey Mantle.
One time, we arrived for a Friday night game versus the Red Sox. We were staying for all four games — Friday night, Saturday night, and a doubleheader on Sunday.
So when the Yanks were trailing by two runs in that Friday night game, Dad asked me if I wanted to leave in the 8th inning. I looked at my impeccably kept scorecard and saw that Mickey was due up sixth in the bottom of the 8th.
So we left, much to Aunt Betty’s chagrin.
When we got back to the Yankee Motor Lodge, we heard Aunt Betty screaming from the adjoining room. Mickey Mantle had hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
I thought I might not make it til morning.
Mickey laughed when he heard that story, and I think he realized just how idolized he was by so many fans — like Aunt Betty, me, and my parents.
The other day, I had a conversation with one of those childhood friends who played Strat-O-Matic Baseball on my front porch. Strat-O-Matic Baseball involved dice and lineup cards that had three rows of options that, depending on the throw of the dice, a player would get a hit, ground out, fly out, strike out, hit a homer, or walk. The options were calculated somehow, and all data was based on the player’s individual statistics from the previous baseball season.
All in all, it was pretty darn accurate.
We would each take our favorite team’s cards, formulate a lineup, and “play ball!” or “throw the dice.” It was great fun. We kept detailed stats and standings, and we played a specific schedule. We would also compile our lineups based on which pitchers we were facing — righties versus lefties.
We played other games too. One was flipping our Topps baseball cards with winner taking all. And these were baseball cards of the early 1960s — big stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Richie Allen, Bob Gibson, Willie McCovey, Lou Brock, Eddie Matthews and many more.
We would take the cards and flip them against the wall of the house. The closest card won, and the kid would get to keep the cards. We never cared which cards we used — they were plentiful back then. We never gave a thought to the future value of these cards because of so many Hall of Fame players.
It was a game. It was fun. If we lost a Mantle or Mays, we would go to Jack’s Market or some other store and buy some more packs of Topps Baseball Cards. And as we looked through the pack, we would enjoy the bubble gum that was inside every package.
This was fun, and we never considered what the future value of the cards would be. Heck, we would even put baseball cards in the spokes of the tires of our bikes to make a cool sound. That function was usually reserved for our most favorite players.
A few years after Hurricane Agnes washed away most of our valued personal possessions — like classic vinyl records and Topps baseball cards — I purchased a set of replica baseball cards of all those great baseball stars of my youth. I still have them and occasionally look at them and recall those days on my front porch.
The replica cards I have are great — I’m glad I have them.
But the memories I have will always be real, and that is what really counts.
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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.