You Choose (part 2)

Comments

[jim c]

Mantle.

[Emily Fragos]

Mantle.

[jim c]

Emily, you might already have read this, but B. H. Fairchild has a TERRIFIC poem, "Body and Soul," that recounts a legendary story about Mantle. The best baseball poem I ever read, and just one of the best poems.

[Emily Fragos]

Thanks, Jim. I look forward to reading it. When I was a tiny tot, my father would take me to Yankee Stadium to see Mantle, Maris, Berra, Richardson, Boyer, Howard, et al. I had such a good time! I still love those ascribed sayings of Yogi. Don't forget, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

[jim c]

My absolute favorite Yogi-ism! All of them are wonderful, but "taking the fork in the road" speaks to the human condition! I grew up in Cleveland and my dad would take me to Municipal Stadium to see the hated Yankees. So I saw M & M et al from the other side, mashing my peanuts in frustration. I once saw a ball go through Ted Williams's legs in left field (we were in the bleachers) and I remember thinking, So that's what the books mean when they say 'his neck turned brick red.' Ted was VERY pissed off. Ha. Ellie Howard, Clete Boyer, Bobby Richardson catching Willie McCovey's line drive for the final out of the '62 Series; I was sick. Bill Skowron, Whitey Ford. I still haven't forgiven Gil McDougald.

[Emily Fragos]

How in the world did I forget Whitey Ford.
I don't watch sports anymore, although I so admire the great sprinters in the Olympics; but I do enjoy a good, well-played World Series. I'm a New Yorker, so it's "Go Yankees. Go Aaron Judge."

[JCK]

<<< Not an easy choice, but I think I'd pick Joltin' Joe, even though Mantle had more raw power and speed, and was a fine outfielder. DiMaggio''s lifetime average was much higher (Mantle's last 5 seasons pushed him just below .300); his RBI totals were higher; and in the same year Joe D. hit 46 HRs and batted .364, he only struck out 37 times. Amazing. Joe was probably a better team leader, in a quiet way, though Mantle was certainly more fun, I expect. As a fan, for whatever reason, I warm more to Mantle. Maybe because I got to see him play a lot and always rooted for him, even when I was a fanatic Orioles fan. On the other hand, one of my best moments at the Stadium was on Old Timer's Day in 1970: DiMaggio, then in his mid-50s and still looking very fit, came to the plate to a great roar from a crowd of over 70,000. Oh, to see that graceful, sweeping swing just once! And on the first pitch No. 5 cracked a line drive all the way down the left-field line. He jogged easily to second as the Stadium went bananas. I'm still smiling. >>

[jim c]

Can't disagree with your choice. Though their career RBI totals were close (1537 to 1509), Joe's monster years were out of science fiction: 167, 155, 140 top his nine years of 114+). Mantle's postseason record is better by a fair amount--18 HRs and 40 RBIs and a .908 OPS--and his WAR is quite a bit better. But what kills me about DiMaggio, Williams, and even Musial, is their war service. Joltin' Joe and Teddy Baseball lost THREE FULL YEARS to wartime service (Stan the Man lost one). And these were prime years! And that damn drainage pipe screwed up Mantle's knee early on. Anyway, different times, different pitching philosophies, whatever, DiMag, Williams, and Musial, and maybe Mantle, make up the Mt Rushmore of the '40s and '50s, I would say.

God, I love baseball!