Mickey Mantle's 11th-Hour Miracle
by James L. Lambert
August 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Prior to 1949, Mickey Mantle was an unknown. But then Tom Greenwade, a New York Yankee scout, went to a semi-pro game in Kansas with intention of scouting another player from Mantle's team. Instead, the 16-year-old Mantle, an outfielder on the Baxter-Springs team, drew the attention of the veteran Yankee scout.The young Mantle dazzled Greenwade and the spectators that day. Incredibly, Mantle hit two very long home runs while playing with and against baseball players several years older than the aspiring switch-hitter from Commerce, Oklahoma.
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Mickey Mantle |
Greenwade was surprised when he found out Mantle's age. He knew he couldn't offer the talented teen a professional contract until he had finished high school. Still, he promised he would return when Mantle graduated. Greenwade knew the player he had found was as talented as any young prospect he had ever seen. Sure enough, the Yankee scout returned to Oklahoma by the time Mantle graduated from high school and signed him to a professional baseball contract.
By this time, rumors of Mantle's athletic abilities and baseball skills were well known within the Yankee organization. Casey Stengel, World Series manager, made a strong case to New York Yankee management to promote the young outfielder to the major league club. Joe DiMaggio was in the waning years of his career and the Yankee organization was looking for future stars.
By the end of 1951, Mantle had played in the first of many World Series appearances. During the next 14 years, the Yankees made it to the Championship series 12 times, winning seven of them. In 1956, Mantle won the coveted "Triple Crown" and the first of his three Most Valuable Player awards in the American League.
Filling a Void
It was during this period of stellar performance that Mantle became close friends with Bobby Richardson, the Yankee's second baseman from 1955 to 1966. During a recent interview from his South Carolina home, Richardson stated that from the first moment he met Mantle they "started a friendship that lasted a lifetime."
Richards says he always had the ear of his good friend Mantle. "On numerous occasions Mickey would help me on various [outside] interests that I was involved in," recalls Richardson. Mantle, he says, participated "in sports banquets, fundraisers [for the YMCA] and even a baseball instructional film event" from the University of South Carolina where Richardson was head coach.
Autographed photo of (left to right) Mickey Mantle, Bobby Richardson, and Whitey Ford | |
During their years with the Yankees, the seven-time All-Star second baseman had many opportunities to share his faith with Mantle. It appeared during these times that Mantle never really took Richardson's words of spiritual encouragement to heart. Most everyone closely associated with the slugger from Oklahoma at this time knew he had a reputation for playing hard, partying even harder, and struggling with alcohol. After 18 seasons in Major League Baseball -- all with the New York Yankees -- he retired from baseball in 1969.In 1993 Mantle asked to be admitted into the Betty Ford Center for Alcohol Rehabilitation. Richardson says he thinks sports personality Pat Summerall was responsible for persuading Mantle to undertake their care. Summerall played in New York too, but as a legendary placekicker and tight end for the New York Giants. He later became the signature voice for many nationally televised NFL games shown on CBS.
Several years before Mantle admitted himself into the Betty Ford Center, Richardson remembered hearing Mickey mention in a television interview that he had "a void in his heart" after his friend and fellow Yankee slugger Roger Maris died unexpectedly in 1985. Clearly, this made Mantle aware of his own mortality. From Richardson's perspective, he also became more open to the message of Christ. Once Mantle finished his treatment at the Betty Ford Center, he was an outstanding spokesman to people everywhere who were suffering from alcoholism.
By 1995 Mantle's health had taken a turn for the worse when it was discovered that he had traces of cancer in his body. It didn't take long for Mantle to call his friend Bobby Richardson to ask for prayer. Richardson found out later that Mantle had heard a Christian testimonial tape from the great basketball player Pete Maravich. Richardson suspects that this powerful tape was instrumental in guiding Mickey to God.
Richardson vividly remembers visiting Mantle a few weeks before his death. One of the first things Mantle wanted to tell him, he recalls, was that he now trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior. Mantle assured Richardson that he truly believed he was Christ's by quoting the famous Bible salvation verse, John 3:16.
Ten years have passed since Mantle died on August 13, 1995. Richardson says he is still amazed at all the opportunities he gets to share his own testimony with various baseball organizations across the country. But while the media appears reluctant to shine the light on Mantle's 11th-hour miracle, Richardson takes comfort in knowing that he will see his teammate again someday.
James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to AgapePress, is the author of Porn in America (Huntington House), which can be purchased through the American Family Association. He is a licensed real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.
