May 19, 2011
PICHER, Oklahoma -- Other than giant chat piles left over from its mining days, there isn't much left in Picher, Oklahoma. The town is mostly abandoned.
Severe environmental pollution prompted the EPA to buyout homeowners. Picher is now a modern day ghost town.
"It really hurts to drive through Picher and see that it is no more," Jim Ellis said.
The homes left in Picher are forgotten and will be demolished, except for one. It's an old five room, wood framed house. Part of the floor had rotted and it's certainly seen better days.
"We got her up, it was a challenge, but we got her up," Henry Hart, with B & L Trucking, said.
So why is the aging house being saved? It's where Mickey Mantle married his wife in 1951.
Mantle played 18 years with the New York Yankees. He's regarded by many as the best switch hitter of all time and is a member of the baseball hall of fame. The Yankee slugger has deep roots in Oklahoma.
Even though its only traveling less than ten miles to Mantles' hometown of Commerce, it will go a long way toward making the Commerce Sports Authority's goal of creating a Mantle monument park a reality.
One possible location for the house is near a statue that honors the Commerce Comet, outside the high school baseball field.
"We just thought it would be another added attraction for the area and it would be a shame to let it be destroyed," Brian Waybright, Commerce Sports Authority, said.
It will take a lot of work to restore the home, but many say it's worth it. While Picher's heyday is long gone, at least a small part of baseballs glory days will live on.
Specific plans for the sports park are still in the works so it's not known yet when the house could be open to the public.
Oklahoma State University Students Design Project to Honor Mickey Mantle
Brian Waybright, chairman of the Commerce Sports Authority; Jim Long, Commerce city councilman; Bob Crawford, member of the Commerce Sports Authority, and Jeb Jones, Commerce Public Works director, stand in front of the Mickey Mantle statue in Commerce, where Oklahoma State University students helped design a city project.
May 9, 2010
COMMERCE - When some Oklahoma State University students were asked to design a city project in honor of a legendary baseball slugger, they performed like their inspiration, Mickey Mantle.
They touched all the bases.
"The students were highly motivated because this is kind of an Oklahoma hero," OSU Professor Charles Leider said. "We're tying all of this together."
Composed of fourth- and fifth-year students, Leider's recreation planning class presented its design last month to city officials of Commerce, where the Spavinaw-born Mantle grew up and played high school sports.
The comprehensive plan consists of Mickey Mantle Monument Park, built around the existing Mickey Mantle Field, an adjacent sports complex and a street routing plan to guide tourists to Mantle's boyhood home and other points of interest.
Commerce city councilman Jim Long Jr. wanted a way for the community to complement Mantle's 9-foot statue, unveiled in June and funded with $75,000 by the Oklahoma Centennial Project. A former Kansas State University faculty member himself, he sought the help of Leider, a landscape architecture professor.
OSU's fee of about $4,000 was thousands less than that of a typical landscape architecture firm, Leider said. The students' work impressed Long so much that he wrote a letter to OSU President Burns Hargis, praising the students and the professor.
"This was a tremendous experience for these kids," Long said. "I made a point of telling President Hargis that I really felt compelled to give Charles Leider credit. On the academic side of it, he could have created a theoretical park and a theoretical city, and it would have essentially been everything he was supposed to do for that class.
"But he gave these kids real-world experience. That kind of stuff is invaluable. You learn in school, but once you get out of school, the real education starts."
A career New York Yankee, Mantle was a three-time Most Valuable Player and won the Triple Crown in 1956 by topping the American League in home runs, batting average and runs batted in. He led the league in home runs four times, hit 536 home runs during his career and was part of seven World Series championship teams.
His proposed namesake park will implement the town's commemorative brick and tile program and will include a picnic area, landscaping, informational murals/kiosks and pathways to the statue. Signage detailing Mantle's life and baseball career will be anchored by a design that accentuates the player's famous No. 7 jersey. Also, the house where Mantle was married is scheduled to be moved from Picher to Commerce.
Work on the initial phase is expected to begin in a matter of weeks, and initial funding is expected to come from the brick-and-tile program, said Brian Waybright, chairman of the Commerce Sports Authority.
The proposed routing plan would direct tourists to places such as Mantle's youth football and baseball fields and include enhanced signage and lighting. City officials also want to build an adjacent sports complex that would include a baseball field and four to five Little League and softball fields.
"It's going to be nice," Waybright said. "It's already drawing a lot of attention. Hopefully, we'll get where we need to get and get people involved in it."
Nude Mickey Mantle Photo Shows Up On Prison Website
October 11, 2010
Mickey Mantle doesn't belong on HotPrisonPals.com, the Web site Sam Wagner founded featuring incarcerated criminals.
But Wagner posted a black-and-white photo of a man he claims is Mantle — in the prime of his Hall of Fame career with the Yankees — standing in front of his locker fully, frontally naked.
"It was sent to me by a photographer who is very famous and I doubt would send me something not authentic," Wagner told Page Six.
"Mickey was such a big slugger. Damn."
Mantle Hit Home Run With Joplin Motel
JOPLIN, Mo. — By the mid-1950s, families were touring the United States by automobile. In fact, former President Harry S. Truman and first lady, Bess, gave it a whirl in their Chrysler New Yorker during the summer of 1953.
Without any assistance from the Secret Service, they traveled round trip 2,500 miles, from Independence to New York City. The Trumans and tens of thousands others were experiencing the ever-improving interstate system. Dispersed along these auto arteries were the beginning of motel franchises for all those tired transients.
In 1952, Charles Kemmons Wilson built his first Holiday Inn motel in Memphis, Tenn. With Wilson’s successful overnight stay formula, Holiday Inns began staking claims throughout the Midwest. During this time, Joplin waited patiently to be the next location for this thriving motel chain. Joplin was rewarded in October of 1957 when three days were set aside for the grand opening of a Holiday Inn at 2600 Range Line.
New York Yankee legend Mickey Mantle wrote a book in 1985 recalling his involvement with the Joplin motel. In his book, ”The Mick,” Mantle said he and local businessman, friend and financial adviser Harold Youngman “formed a corporation, sold stock to some of his wealthy friends, and gave me 25 percent of a motel he was building in Joplin at the end of the Oklahoma turnpike. We called it Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn. I paid 5 cents a share for my stock.”
First sports bar in Joplin
The original Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn contained 53 guest rooms. The $500,000 motor lodge offered a slew of amenities including a “pleasure-eating” restaurant, a meeting room for 150 to 175 people, and a $15,000, 55,000-gallon swimming pool.
Also in the plan was an intimate lounge known as the Dugout Club. This became Joplin’s first sports bar. The lounge offered soft lighting, small round tables, and the walls were lined with sports memorabilia. The sports theme was further enhanced with some outstanding artifacts from Mickey Mantle himself.
The Joplin Globe reported that two display cases were constructed just for Mantle’s awards. One case contained the 1956 Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year Award. Valued at over $10,000, this impressive alligator-skin belt was accompanied by a solid gold buckle, a four-carat diamond and 26 gem chips. In addition, the case contained a silver bat for winning the batting championship in 1956, and a 600-foot tape measure that was given to Mantle for hitting a 585-foot home run at Washington, in May of 1956. The other showcase exhibited a silver cup from The Associated Press for Athlete of the Year in 1956, and the ball from his 1,000th hit dated July 2, 1957.
Additionally, the motel offered bonded baby sitters, house physicians, room service, valet service, 24-hour switchboard service, bellhop service and free advance teletype reservation service. The Holiday Inn and American Hotel Association credit card system was in place, which enabled all room, food and beverage bills to be charged to the individual’s room. Each guest room had its own radio, telephone, 21-inch television and a private all-tile bath with a sliding glass door.
Complimentary ice
A total of 75 people were employed during the first year. It took an army of folks to run the operation, with some of them delivering complimentary ice. Holiday Inn had instituted a “free ice policy” that involved a bellmen ritual of bringing a pitcher of ice to every occupied room.
According to The Joplin Globe, the furnishings and decorations of the ranch style facility were supplied by the Newman Mercantile Co. Albert Newman and Fenton Huff combined their decorative skills to further embellish the design. Huff had recently joined the Newman staff in January of 1957. He was formerly with John A. Brown Co. of Oklahoma City.
Night visitors traveling down the two-lane Range Line road were alerted of the motel with its highly recognizable 10,000-pound sunburst yellow and green lit entrance sign. The $12,500 sign contained 1,500 feet of neon tubing and 500 light bulbs.
After months of construction and much anticipation, grand opening ceremonies began at 3 p.m. Oct. 18. Tom DeArman, manager of the Joplin Chamber of Commerce, acted as master of ceremonies. Joplin Mayor Freeman Johnson, as well as D.D. Stokes of Gideon International, who presented Bibles to the new motor inn, were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Mantle and several of his baseball colleagues — New York Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford, Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer, Kansas City Athletics pitcher Ralph Terry and Milwaukee Braves 21-game winner and recent World Series champion Warren Spahn — were also part of the celebration.
Door prizes such as autographed baseballs from the New York Yankees along with free gift certificates for dinners at the restaurant were given out randomly throughout the day. Lucky dinner winners looked forward to chef Cal Holden’s specialty known as the “Flaming Shish Kebab” served at the table in dramatic fashion on flaming swords.
‘Substantial profit’
Although the Holiday Inn was the first franchise motel on Range Line, it was not the first motel on the street. The 1957 Joplin city directory listed four other properties: The LaSiesta, Twin Oaks, Elms and Rancho all provided refuge to travelers as well. It is interesting to note that businesses did not dominate the landscape during this period. Of the 41 structures listed in the directory from 20th Street to 32nd Street, 19 of them were family residences.
Mickey Mantle and Harold Youngman stayed connected with the Holiday Inn corporation until the mid-1960s. Mantle later clarified the relationship in his book, stating, “We ran the motel eight years, then turned it over to a group of investors from New York, making a substantial profit. I collected $100,000 down, in addition to a payment plan of $1,000 a month over the next 20 years.”
The Holiday Inn franchise stayed at the 2600 Range Line location until 1980. Today, the Lowe’s Home Improvement warehouse occupies the former Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn site.
Brad Belk is the director of the Joplin Museum Complex.
Mantle Mantle Holiday Inn
From the back of the card: Holiday Inn of Joplin, Missouri. Operated by Mickey Mantle. Mickey's baseball trophies displayed in the lobby.
Your host from coast to coast.. Motels, 1950s-1970s During the gas rationing of World War II and the subsequent curtailment of automobile production, business at the popular motor courts declined as well.
They rebounded briefly following the war, although another major development in the evolution of temporary housing would take place within the next decade. As cabin courts fell out of favor, a new form of roadside lodging took their place-the motel.
These sleek single buildings, made up of a series of rooms, had the advantage of being less expensive to construct and to maintain. Travelers found them clean, modern, and economical.
Joplin's motels, which signaled the demise of the old downtown hotels, were located on the outskirts of town, on Highways 66 (7th Street), 71 (Range Line), and 43 (Main Street).
Like their tourist court forerunners, motels tried to attract guests with exterior ornamentation and gimmicks-for example, the Rocket Motel, the Mickey Mantle Holiday Inn, and the Bob Cummings Motor Hotel.
A major factor in the phenomenal growth of the motel industry was the 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act, which called for 42,000 miles of modern highways linking all parts of the United States.
In 1958, after the Joplin stretch of Interstate Highway 44 opened, more motels appeared in the city.
And as more people traveled further distances, they demanded greater comfort, convenience, and security.
Affluent travelers wanted standardized accommodations and brand-names they could trust.
They required amenities such as air-conditioning, television, swimming pools, restaurants, etc. Corporation-established national chains eventually replaced the independently-owned operations.
Endorsements from travel-related organizations, such as AAA, and advertisers accelerated the trend as well.
Mantle Birthday Celebration a Hit!
The Mickey Mantle Birthday Celebration turned out great, all three days were filled with
Mantle fans and guests enjoying they're favorite Mantle story.
Special thanks to Mr & Mrs Max Mantle for coming down and helping celebrate the past with us!
Mickey Mantle Birthday Celebration
In Mick's Birth-Town of Spavinaw, OK"
Wednesday, October 20th &
Saturday, October 23rd
From Noon til 5:00pm
In Spavinaw, OK where Mickey was born and lived until he was 3 years of age!
Enjoy pictorial, video and audio highlights on the widescreen
Memorabilia on loan from the Mickey Mantle Memorial
Also free cake, cookies, coffee and punch!
For information please call
Terry Hembree at 918 791-9665 or Charlotte at 918 589-2890
Mickey Charles Mantle Statue in Hometown
"The Commerce Comet"
Photos By Terry Gene Hembree
Danny Mantle was on hand Saturday, June 12th, as the City of Commerce, OK unveiled a 9' tall, 1100 pound statue of their hometown hero, Mickey Mantle.
The statue is the first phase of Mickey Mantle Monument Park which sits behind centerfield of the high school baseball field (Mickey Mantle Field).
One side of the statue's base is inscribed "Mickey Charles Mantle" and "A Great Teammate" is inscribed on the other side.
Local artist, The statue was designed by the late Dr. Nick A. Calcagno, a local artist.
About the Artist
Nick Calcogno presents Mickey Mantle Memorial owner/curator Terry Hembree
his personal prototype of the Mickey Mantle statue prior to Mantle's death
Photo by Nick's son inside Nick's studio in Welch. OK
Nick A. Calcagno, Ph.D., retired as Chairman of the Art Department at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami, OK.
He received his BA from St. Bonaventure University, Olean, New York, and MA from Seton Hall University, Orange, New Jersey.
He received his training in the arts at Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles and finished his Ph.D. at Western Colorado University.
Calcagno received many awards and professional achievements during his lifetime including grants from Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities for the following programs
New Deal Murals in Oklahoma, The Artist Who Never Left Home (C.B. Wilson), and Search for the Purebloods (Wilson).
In addition to publishing his book 'New Deal Murals in Oklahoma,' he developed programs on Thomas Hart Benton and Regionalism and also authored a chapter on the Oklahoma Art Center in Art in Action.
Commerce Unveils
Mickey Mantle Statue
Nick Calcogno in his Welch, OK studio with Hembree's prototype of the Mickey Mantle statue
in Commerce, OK where the statue was erected on Mickey Mantle Blvd./Route 66
June 12, 2010
COMMERCE, Okla. — The unveiling of a statue honoring baseball’s Mickey Mantle was a bittersweet moment for his son, Danny Mantle, who said it was a something he wished his father could see.
“He accomplished so much, but he never wanted to take it,” he said. “All he wanted to be remembered as was a good teammate.”
And it looks like that will be the case: The 9-foot-tall statue, unveiled Saturday night at Mickey Mantle Field in Commerce, features a replica of Mantle swinging. One side of the base reads “A great teammate,” while the other side notes Mantle’s nickname, “the Commerce Comet.”
Mantle’s family members said they were eager to finally see the statue.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Max Mantle, who grew up in Commerce with his cousin Mickey, who was three years older.
Ray Mantle, Mickey’s brother and a 1954 graduate of Commerce High School, said that in addition to witnessing the statue unveiling, it was nice to reconnect with his family and to visit Commerce again.
“I’m proud to be here,” he said.
Because the unveiling coincided with the reunion of Commerce High School graduates from 1945 through 1955, several of Mantle’s former classmates and teammates were present at the ceremony.
Leroy Bennett, a childhood friend, said he played baseball with Mantle when they were young, and he watched through the years as Mantle developed the skills that would later make him one of the country’s most well-known baseball players.
Mantle remains somewhat of a legend in Commerce today. Kasey Ng, a baseball player and senior at Commerce High School, said Mantle is a “hometown hero” to him.
“It’s just cool that he was so big and so famous, and from our town,” he said.
Ng’s father, Willie Ng, assistant baseball coach at Commerce, said he was amazed with the statue.
“We think it’s neat,” he said. “We’re going to pass (the statue) every day on the way to school.”
Clint Kissee, the school’s head baseball coach, said Saturday was an “awesome” day for Commerce.
“Everybody knows who Mickey Mantle is,” he said. “(The high school baseball team) all know who he is, and they look up to him.”
Brian Waybright, director of Commerce’s annual Mickey Mantle Classic baseball tournament, said work at the field is far from over.
He anticipates a parking lot and a sidewalk that leads to the statue. The sidewalk would feature milestones in Mantle’s career as well as memories from his former teammates, he said.
No timeline has been set, Waybright said, but he plans to open the project up for bids soon.
Mickey Mantle Statue
Heading For Home
Special to the Star-Telegram
Monday, May. 10, 2010
ARLINGTON -- In the distant shadow of Cowboys Stadium stands a 9-foot bronze statue of a right-handed baseball player swinging for the fences.
Like the mega stadium a half-mile down Collins Street, the 1,100-pound piece of art Joe Schaefer helped cast is larger than life.
Fitting, because New York Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was not your average ballplayer.
Widely regarded as the greatest switch hitter of all-time, Mantle played in 12 World Series during his 18-year career with the Yankees and won seven of them.
His hometown of Commerce, Okla. -- hence the nickname "The Commerce Comet" -- thought it was time to honor its former star with a statue.
With help from a $75,000 grant from the state, Commerce residents will get a chance to see the statue on May 20 and during an unveiling July 5 when the statue is set atop a platform behind the center-field fence of Mickey Mantle Field.
Schaefer, owner of Schaefer Art Bronze Casting, spent four months constructing the detailed piece, which includes the famed Bronx Bombers pinstripes, Yankees emblem on the front and No. 7 on the back.
Artist Richard Thompson was also heavily involved.
"The artist, Nick Calcagno that came up with the original idea sculpted a small version of this a few feet tall," Schaefer said.
"We've been casting for him for several years. He was going to do the big one as well but he died. So his widow asked us to get it done."
Calcagno's name is written at the base of the statue, which will be hooked up to an uncovered trailer and taken to Commerce, about 90 miles northeast of Tulsa.
With a population around 3,000 and 0.8 square miles, Commerce had planned to use the money toward a museum.
But Bryan Waybright, who runs the town's wooden bat "Mickey Mantle Classic," said plans have shifted toward making a walking museum around the statue.
The 1956 Triple Crown winner, Mantle lived in Dallas with his wife Merlyn and sons Mickey Jr., David, Danny and Billy. He died in 1995 at 64.
Mickey Mantle Statue
To Finally Be Erected
Shown above is a rendering of the 9 foot, 900 pound larger than life statue that will soon sit behind the center field fence of Mickey Mantle Field!
The statue features The Commerce Comet swinging from the right side.
Cast from an original piece of art by Mr. Nick Calcagno, the statue sits completed in Texas waiting for the 24 x 24 platform and 10 x 5 base to be completed.
Above the statue is shown from the north side. The south side of the statue serves as the entryway and will feature a large number 7 on the platform.
A parking lot and sidewalk to the statue will follow in phase 2.
One side of the statue base is be engraved Mickey Charles Mantle, and the other side
“The Commerce Comet” with smaller wordings below each.
The unveiling ceremony was originally scheduled to take place during the Mickey Mantle Classic.
Due to the weather the ceremony has been postponed to a later date. We invite you to join us at the unveiling when that date is announced.
Ground Has Been Broken
On April 5, 2010 the foundation was poured for the 9 ft Mickey Mantle statue at Mickey Mantle Field!
After the concrete has had time to settle next will come the actual base for the statue, and eventually the platform.
Once the project started it was estimated by Neece Construction we would be ready to mount the statue in 3 weeks.
Pictured above at the statue site are members of the Mickey Mantle Classic Staff, Commerce Schools administration, and MMT.
Please check back with us for a date coming soon for the unveiling ceremony.
Lettering In Place For Statue Base
Letters are being put on the inside of the base so when the concrete is poured the letters will be engraved on the base.
Keep checking back with us on this exciting project!
Next step: Pour Base!!
Erection Has Begun
The foundation for the base has been poured and the base framed.
The base for the statue will be approximately 5 foot tall and 11 foot long.
Once the wording for the base has been added to the form, the base will be poured next.
Keep checking back with us on this exciting project!
LINKS
Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar
42 Central Park South - New York City
212.688.7777
"Mickey Mantle Steakhouse"
The Beautiful Mickey Mantle Steakhouse In Oklahoma City
New Mickey Mantle Suite At Hope Lodge
Mickey Mantle - Hembree Collection
Mickey Mantle Sightings
David Mantle Appearance At The Last Game At Yankee Stadium
Randall Swearingen’s New Book A Great Teammate
Stories & Memorabilia From A Lifetime With The Mick
David & Danny Mantle A Big Hit At Topps Fanfest Booth
Randall Swearingen Purchases Mantle History From Families Auction
Mantle Boys Present "The Mickey Mantle Award Of Excellence" To Josh Beckett
Mantle Memorabilia Exhibited At The George Bush Presidential Museum
SportsRobe Releases The Mickey Mantle Robe
Grove Man Builds Tribute To Former Baseball Great
The Only Official Mickey Mantle Web Site
Owned & Operated By The Mantle Family
Do you have memories about Mickey Mantle that you would like to share? ...
Mickey Mantle Suite at Hope Lodge
Danny and David Mantle were in New York City on September 29th with former NYC Mayor, Rudy Guilliani at the ribbon cutting of the Mickey Mantle Suite at Hope Lodge. The Hope Lodge houses families of cancer patients while the patients undergo their treatment.
Left to Right: Don Distasio (CEO ACS Eastern Division), Joe Goryeb (donor of funds for Mickey Mantle Suite), patient, Rudy Guilliani, David Mantle, Danny Mantle
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ANNOUNCING
THE MICKEY MANTLE - HEMBREE COLLECTION
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"I feel very blessed to have been able to spend time with Mick' sketching off
his stories and Yankee history as only he could tell in often dramatic imagery.
After visiting with baseball great Mickey Mantle how could one's creative juices not flow onto the pages of one's sketch book
Time with Mick' is some the most exciting times I have ever had and it's time to offer the renderings to the public!"
All money raised from the sale of this One Of A Kind' artwork will be spent
100% on purchasing more Mantle related items to display in
The Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit.
Thank you for helping keep the memories of Mickey Mantle alive for future generations, together we can make it happen!"
Terry Gene Hembree, Esquire
Click HERE for further information on the
Mickey Mantle - Hembree Collection
The Lord's Baseball Game
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Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing
Satan's team.
The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of
the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped
up to the plate named 'Love.'
Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because 'Love never fails.'
The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single
because Faith works with Love.
The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom.. Satan wound up and threw
the first pitch.
Godly
Wisdom looked it over and let it
pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly
Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan
throws..
The bases were now loaded.
The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now
going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace.
Freddy said, 'He sure doesn't look like much!'
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Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace.
Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch.
To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen!
But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by.
He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head
and sent him crashing on the ground;the roaring crowds went wild as the ball
continued over the fence . . for a home run!
The Lord's team won!
The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why
Love, Faith and Godly
Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game.
Freddy answered that he didn't know why.
The Lord explained, 'If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on base
but only My Grace can get you Home:
'For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.' Ephesians 2:8-9
Mickey Mantle Sightings
Click HERE For Our Top Choices Across The Country For Mantle Memorabilia
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David Mantle Appearance At The Last Game At Yankee Stadium
On September 21st, 2008, the New York Yankees played the Baltimore Orioles in the last Major League game ever to be played in Yankee Stadium.
Before the game, a moving ceremony was held on the field where Yankees, or a surviving family member, took their position out on the field.
David Mantle proudly represented his dad in centerfield and wearing #7 on his flannel pinstriped uniform.
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Randall Swearingen’s New Book
"A Great Teammate"
REVIEWS
THE MANTLE FAMILY: MERLYN, DAVID & DANNY
It was very important to our dad that he be remembered as a great teammate and this book does an excellent job of explaining why he was admired, not only by the fans but his teammates and opponents as well. Randall went to great lengths to research the relevant details of key events in dad's career in order to show the magnitude of dad's courage, competitiveness, loyalty, determination, athleticism and perseverance both on and off the field. Randall spent time with dad and his teammates at the Mickey Mantle fantasy camps and his knowledge and love of dad really shows in this book. Reading the book brought back many great memories and magically transported us back in time to our childhood. The Mantle family gives this book a big "thumbs up" and wishes to extend our heartfelt thanks to Randall for writing this inspiring and enjoyable book that beautifully echoes our deep love and respect for our dad. "A true teammate".
TONY KUBEK
“Randall Swearingen’s book A GREAT TEAMMATE documents, alongside poignant anecdotes, the legend of the most admired and dynamic athlete of his era. The accounts are an in depth, enlightening and entertaining read for Yankee fans and sports nuts alike. It does much more than tell of his Herculean homeruns, Mercurial speed and World Championship rings. For the non-sports fan, the Mick’s life experiences and determination will surely inspire. This book is filled with previously uncovered historical nuggets. For those who were his Yankee teammates, his legacy is surpassed only by his humility and caring attitude toward us all. It's a wonderfully written tribute.”
JOHNNY BLANCHARD
"The best book ever written about Mickey. Swearingen proves that he knows more about Mickey Mantle than just about anybody."
BOB TURLEY
"For a guy like me who was with Mickey a lot of his career, it was exciting for me to relive a lot of the great games and home runs of Mickey. With A Great Teammate, I think you've got a real winner on your hands, especially to a Yankee fan. It really shows Mickey in his baseball life."
BOBBY RICHARDSON
"This book is fantastic and truly inspiring. It reveals Mickey Mantle's greatness as a Hall of Famer with the New York Yankees. But his greatest victory was when his heart took over in that final inning of his life."
Published by Sports Publishing LLC. 246 page soft back (with flaps) with beautiful 8 page color photo insert. Even though it is a soft back, it is very unique. The flaps on the front and back covers give it the feel of a hard back.
MICKEY MANTLE:
Stories & Memorabilia From A Lifetime With The Mick
Some say he was the greatest ever—a rare combination of power and speed who made acrobatic catches and never failed to get a hit when his team needed it most. The son of an Oklahoma miner, he was the anchor in center field for a Yankees team that won seven world championships. He was three times the league MVP, he won the Triple Crown in 1956, and in 1961 he dueled teammate Roger Maris in a thrilling race for the single-season home run record. He was so famous that to identify him people didn’t even bother to say his last name or even all of his first. He was simply "The Mick".
But his incredible stats and familiar image don't tell the whole story. His legend rests not only on all that he achieved during his career, but also on what he was to American embodiment of strength, athleticism, youth... and a reminder of our love of the game. His legacy is captured in more than his ball playing; it lives on in his family and his friends.
Covering his entire life, from his impoverished childhood to his glorious career to his poignant sunset years, Mickey Mantle features rare photos and never-before-seen memorabilia, including removable facsimiles of Mickey's contracts, membership cards, letters, and other personal items. It also includes intimate stories collected over the years by his sons and his friend, writer Mickey Herskowitz: stories that paint a portrait of the man - The Mick - adored by countless fans.
Mickey Mantle is the first-ever illustrated biography published with the support of the Mantle family. Covering his entire life from his impoverished youth to his glorious career to his poignant sunset years, it features rare photos and never-before-seen memorabilia, with 10 pull-out, removable facsimiles. It also includes intimate stories collected over the years by his sons and his friend, writer Mickey Herskowitz— stories that will be new even to the most avid Mantle enthusiasts. This book is an absolute must for Mantle fans of every stripe, Yankees fans, and baseball fans in general.
Published by Steward, Tabori & Chang. 176 page hardback with numerous color and black & white photos.
David & Danny Mantle A Big Hit At Topps Fanfest Booth
Topps invited the sons of Mickey Mantle (David and Danny) to sign autographs in their booth at the 2008 FanFest. The Mantle boys were well received as the lines were continuous for the duration of the signing sessions from Noon to 4pm Monday and Tuesday. Eager fans got their items signed and shared their memories of The Mick. All were thrilled to have met the sons of the Yankee legend and some were moved to tears as they reminisced about their hero.
Randall Swearingen Purchases Mantle History From Families Auction
Randal Swearingen of Swearingen Software in Houston purchased numerous Mantle pieces at the recent Mantle family auction
Among some of the pieces was Mick's 1955 American League Championship ring, his 1956 Player of the Year Award, his 1961 Yankee warm-up jacket and a custom Harley Davidson softtail motorcycle that was designed by Mickey's son, David, as a colorful and touching tribute to his father.
Congratulations my friend...
I'm very proud of your friendship, your want to help keeping Mick's memory alive, your continuous mission to preserve Mick's historic pieces even though I'm extremely envious over your collection, if I can't have it, I don't know who I'd rather have it as besides you, and I know your intentions and Mantle loyalty is one hundred percent!
Danny & David Mantle Present "The Mickey Mantle Award Of Excellence" To Josh Beckett
Houston, TX - January 19, 2008: Danny and David Mantle (along with their families) were present at the Recycled Baseball Items (RBI) Annual Awards Dinner here tonight. Over 750 supporters attended the event, which was held at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston. David and Danny are shown here presenting the "Mickey Mantle Award of Excellence" to Josh Beckett. This is the first year for this award which is to become an annual tradition at the event.
Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox) presented the "Josh Beckett Award" to six high school baseball/softball players of the year. David Aardsma (Chicago White Sox) presented the "David Aardsma Award" to three college baseball/softball players of the year. Josh and David are both products of the Houston area. Baseball coaching legend, Charlie Maiorana, presented the "Charlie Maiorana Award" to the high school baseball and softball coaches of the year. The RBI Foundation Awards Dinner is the only one of its kind that recognizes outstanding female athletes in addition to male athletes.
The RBI Foundation is a 501c3 organization that collects used baseball/softball equipment, refurbishes it and distributes to inner city children in the Greater Houston Area to help keep them off the streets, out of gangs and off drugs. The Foundation also grants scholarships to local area students who are involved in the great sport of baseball.
Mickey Mantle Memorabilia To Be Exhibited At The George Bush Presidential Museum
Beginning March 1, 2008 and running through July 20, 2008, the George Bush Presidential Museum will showcase an exhibit titled "Born to Play Ball" which will look at some of baseball’s most famous players. This exhibit is being produced together with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. It will open in College Station, Texas, and then travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Along with one-of-a-kind objects from private collectors, the National Baseball Hall of Fame is contributing numerous artifacts, photographs, and interactive programs. Beginning with a brief history of the evolution of the game and equipment, the exhibit features outstanding players representing each of the nine positions. It will also take a look at the Negro Leagues, Women's League, as well as Presidents and their special relationship to this most American game.
This exhibit will knock the ball out of the park!
The Mickey Mantle items exhibited will include his 1955 American League Championship ring, his 1956 Player of the Year Award, his 1961 Yankee warm-up jacket and a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle that was designed by Mickey's son, David, as a colorful and touching tribute to his father.
These Mickey Mantle items are from the personal collection of Randall Swearingen.
SportsRobe Releases The
Mickey Mantle Robe
1952 Mickey Mantle SportRobe
Mickey Mantle Signature on the right sleeve.
Authentic 1952 Yankees Anniversary patch on the left arm.
Both the 7 on the back and the interlocking NY made of felt material like the jersey back in 1952.
What greater way to relax around the house or watch the Yankees on TV. Go back in time to 1952 when the number 7 adorned the Yankee pinstripes between the big broad shoulders of Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle!
Wear this robe and you can't help but smell the peanuts and hear the powerful crack of the bat that regularly launched tape measure shots in the baseball cathedral known as Yankee Stadium.
SportRobe also offers:
The 1956 Mickey Mantle “Triple Crown” SportRobe
The New York Yankees Customized Authentic Team Color SportRobe
One size fits all - Made of 100% cotton
MEMORIES OF MICKEY
Grove Man Builds Tribute To Former Baseball Great
By Clint Branham, Communications Specialist
Major League Baseball great MIckey Mantle was born in Spavinaw and grew up in Commerce. So why does his memory live in Grove?
Only Terry Hembree knows for sure.
Hembree, a Grove businessman who juggles Hollywood At Home Video, The Grand Lake Visitor publication and Action Advertising Agency, has taken it upon himself to construct a rather thorough memorial to arguably the greatest baseball player to ever play the game
The exhibit is located in the front of Hembree's Hollywood At Home Video Store at 536 West Third Street in Grove. There is no charge to browse the mini-museum and it is open to the public during the store's hours of 1PM to 9PM Monday through Thursday and 1PM to 11PM Friday through Saturday.
Call ahead at 000-0000 to schedule a tour of the museum for larger groups.
"This is free, we're not charging and we're never going to charge," said Hembree, who said he didn't feel it would be right to profit from a deceased professional athlete. "There are people out there making more money from one item than waht Mickey made in one season playing baseball."
Hembree became aquainted with Mickey about 15 years ago while working on Mantle's Make A Wish Celebrity Golf Classic at Shangri-La Resort. It was then that he began accumulating items personally autographed by the Hall of Famer. Many of these items sat in Hembree's private office in the back of the store and visitors to the business would often inquire about them.
"I had things that he had given me, but I had no value on them... I didn't know what they were worth and didn't care," said Hembree. "But everyone always wanted to come in the office and check things out."
While recovering from a stroke in 1999, Hembree found the time to seek out other collectors from around the world and participate in online auctions in search for more Mantle memoarabilia. The number of items now housed in the three wall length display cases is, quite simply, staggering.
Hembree has, it seems, every commemorative plate, statue, ball, card, button and coin ever made or minted that depicts Mantle. And that's just for starters.
The display originated with a 4 foot by 8 foot glass case. But Hembree's frequent acquisitions soon resulted in expansion. Coy Mayfield of Noel, Missouri based Minuteman Machine donated the labor necessary to complete the cases as they appear today.
Hembree's creative touch is evident with the three dimensional arrangement of the display. He's also used mannequins to exhibit commemorative game jerseys. And, he's made the display interactive with audio and video presentations.
Hembree has spent thousands of dollars on merchandise that he now cumulatively estimates to be worth millions. That's the reason the display is protected by motion detectors and 24 hour surveillence equipment.
While all of the items currently on display in the exhibit belong to Hembree, he says he would be open to displaying items for others who own Mantle memorabilia.
"It may be something they've had over the years and they don't know what to do with it. They may know that it's worth something or means something to somebody," Hembree explained. "But if someone had something they wanted to put in the exhibit or sell, I would be happy to talk to them about it."
Admittedly, Mantle was not perfect. As he lived out his final years in a battle with cancer, he acknowledged a drinking problem and urged children "Don't be like me." Mantle ded in 1995, not long after the cancer was detected during a liver transplant.
Before his death, he established the Mickey Mantle Foundation to promote organ and tissue donations. It was during these final days that Hembree really began to admire Mantle.
"When he passed away, I seemed to get closer to him because of his comments," Hembree said, not taking anything away from thepure athleticism Mantle possessed.
"He played in bandages," said Hembree. "He played when he should have been in a room at the hospital. He was good at everything he did."
Mutt Mantle, Mickey's father, moved the family from pavinaw to Commerce when Mickey was four. Mutt went to work in the mines. Six months shy of his 20th birthday, Mantle signed with the Yankees, where he proceeded to hit 536 homeruns.
Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956 and helped lead the Yankees to the World Series twelve times.
But the Mantle that Hembree admires most isn't the one that was slugging tape measure homeers over the fences of ballfields across America. Or showing off his blazing speed around the basepaths. Or flashing his trademark smile after yet another World Series victory.
The Mantle that Hembree most admired was the one that admitted his shortcomings. The one that set his pride aside and said what needed to be said.
"When he was on TV in his robe with his Texas Rangers ball cap... it was after he had his surgery and he looked terrible... and he asked the kids not to imitate his lifestyle, that took a lot of guts on his part to get in front of the nation," Hembree said. "That really made me have a lot of respect for him."
And that's the real reason the memory of Mickey Mantle lives in Grove.
REC Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit April Feature Story
Click HERE To See The
Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit
Stevie Ray Vaughan "Lenny" Stratocaster Guitar
And The Mickey Mantle Connection
Limited edition guitar available from Fender® Dec. 12th
Lenora "Lenny" Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan's wife, gave this guitar to her husband on his 26th birthday (Oct 3, 1980). It is a 1965 maple-neck Fender Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard and the original pickups that, from the look of it, had obviously been refinished none too expertly at some point, and now it had a dark natural finish bearing an elaborately arty inlay behind the bridge. Stevie had previously seen it in an Austin, TX pawnshop, fell in love with it, but didn't have the $350 to purchase it.
Vaughan was invited to play the national anthem at the Houston Astros season opener, against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Houston Astrodome on Wednesday, April 10, 1985. The Vaughans were hastily flown to Houston, where Stevie confessed to his wife that he didn't know how to play "The Star Spangled Banner". She hummed it to him in the limo on the way to the game.
Watching her husband play the national anthem there to a packed house in the cavernous Astrodome, Lenora turned to the guy standing next to her and said, "You know, he didn't know how that went - I had to hum it to him on the way here."
The man replied, "Yeah, it's a hard song."
When Lenora asked the man if he know her husband, he nodded and said, "No, this is the first time I've ever heard of him. My name's Mickey Mantle."
Mantle was at the game to throw the first pitch; it was pure chance that Lenora found herself standing next to one of the greatest baseball players in history. When Stevie joined her minutes later, she introduced the two men.
"I don't know how to play that song," Vaughan confided to Mantle, to which the Yankees great replied reassuringly, "Nobody can play that song."
Lenora then sheepishly asked for Mantle's autograph, upon which Mantle asked where here baseball bat was. "Oh... oh... am I supposed to have a bat?" she stammered. Mantle explained that most autograph seekers bring a bat.
Lenora remembers that "I was looking around for a piece of paper of something, and Stevie said, 'Well I've got this bat right here - her name's Lenny.' And he took it out and said, "Why don't you sign this?' And Mickey said, 'It'd be my pleasure.'"
GOVERNOR'S COMMENDATION
The Great State Of Oklahoma
Governor Frank Keating
Governor's Commendation
Is Hereby Presented ToTERRY G. HEMBREE In Recognition Of
Your Efforts To Promote And Preserve The Legacy Of
Mickey Mantle Through The
Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit.
Frank Keating
Governor Of Oklahoma
April 9, 2002
STATE OF OKLAHOMA CITATION
Outstanding New Attraction - Less than $25,000 budget - Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit - Terry Gene Hembree
The Red Bud Award was accepted by the Grand Lake Association, the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Grove Area Chamber of Commerce during the Oklahoma Governor's Tourism Conference for Hembree as he was hospitalized at the OU Medical Center in Tulsa, OK due to a severe stroke
The Prestigious
Oklahoma Governor's Red Bud Award
Presented To
Terry Gene Hembree
For The Oklahoma Tourist Attraction Of The Year
Outstanding New Oklahoma Attraction
The Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit
Sporting News Book Released
Roadside Baseball
Uncovering Hidden Treasures From Our National Pastime
By Chris Epting
Forward By Joe Buck
A guide to more than 300 baseball shrines across the United States
Oklahoma Is Represented By Grove's
Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit
By Terry Gene Hembree, Esquire
Oklahoma
Shrine to Mickey Mantle
A video store in Grove celebrates the career of Mickey Mantle, who hailed from Commerce
City: Grove
Location: Hollywood At Home Video Store
537 West Third Street, Suite 7
Terry and Valerie Hembree were close friends of "The Mick"
For over 12 years they helped coordinate his marketing and charity efforts and over the years acquired numerous artifacts from their pal.
Today, this dedicated husband and wife make it possible for everyone to enjoy their one of a kind collection of Mickey Mantle memorabilia at the video store they run in Grove.
This exhibit features thousands of items dedicated to the memory of Mantle, including memorabilia from his younger days in Commerce and his pre-professional days with the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids.
Also highlighted are details of his New York career, numerous statues and figurines, balls, bats, gloves, jerseys, collector's items, autographed items and a variety of Mantle baseball cards from every era.
TV monitors play Mantle game highlights, with interviews and stories told by Mick' himself.
And keep your eyes open when you visit... you might see an old ballplayer or two, both former teammates and opponents who have been known to drop by unexpectedly.
Some Other Mantle Related Sites In Oklahoma...
- Mickey Mantle boyhood home, 316 South Quincy Street, Commerce
- Commerce High School at 420 'D' Street in Commerce. This is where Mickey attended high school. In 2000, a ceremony was held to name the baseball field "Mickey Mantle Field"
- Mickey Mantle Boulevard. This road which passes within a few blocks of Mantle's boyhood home is re-named section of US 69
- Portrait of Mickey Mantle at the State Capital Building in Oklahoma City. Several years ago a portrait of Mantle was unveiled at the Capital on the fourth floor rotunda of the building.
STATE OF OKLAHOMA CITATION
Citation Honoring Terry Gene Hembree
Whereras, being a close friend of Mickey Mantle, after his death
TERRY GENE HEMBREE
created the Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit & Museum in the
Hollywood At Home Video Superstores, later, after being forced to close the video stores
and family businesses, taking a room of the Hembree household and recreating the museum
there, to be shown by private appointment; and
Whereas, TERRY GENE HEMBREE has been the recipient of the prestigious
Governor's Red Bud Award as well as many other letters and tokens of recognition
of the fact that he is a most unusual man, who feels deep compassion for those who suffer and hurt
finding ways to help them, referring to what he does as "Projects Of The Heart," and
Whereas, the Oklahoma Legislature recognizes the extraordinary talent, compassion and
motivation that is the essence of TERRY GENE HEMBREE, that through illness has weakened his
body it has been unable to quench his spirit and determination to help others and express their
admiration and appreciation for TERRY GENE HEMBREE
Now, therefor, pursuant to the motion of
Representative Dog Cox, M.D.
Speaker of The House Chris Benge
and
Senator Charles Wyrick
The Oklahoma Legislature extends to
Terry Gene Hembree, Esquire
sincere congratulations and directs that this citation be presented
Representative Dog Cox, M.D.
Speaker of The House Chris Benge
and
Senator Charles Wyrick
Joplin Globe Newspaper: Mickey Mantle Memorial Exhibit
Grove Man Showcases Mantle Memorabilia
By
Special
