0407 - Tom Catal
Tom Catal is Mickey Mantle’s former autograph agent, and was the founder and curator of the Mickey Mantle Museum in Cooperstown, New York. During our conversation, he referenced a handful of things and people upon which you may want to do more research. Consider this page to be your “liner notes” for the episode so you can follow along.
Me and Tom Catal after recording our interview at his apartment in Cooperstown
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A Great Pitcher
Tom Catal was a great pitcher for St. Agnes Cathedral in high school in New York. His career was so impressive that he was inducted into the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tom signed to play professionally and played three seasons in the minor leagues for the Braves organization before a car accident ended his playing career.
Tom put on the very first Mickey Mantle autograph show on September 9, 1978, paying The Mick $3,000 for three hours of his time to sign.
Duke Snider
Eventually, Tom began representing other players at autograph shows, like Duke Snider, and he became more and more respected within the industry he helped elevate to levels previously thought to be unreachable.
Mickey Mantle Museum
After a move to Cooperstown, Tom bought a building and founded the Mickey Mantle Museum, which he curated. In the past couple of decades, he has sold much of his collection, but at one point, Tom had, by far, the world’s biggest collection of Mickey Mantle memorabilia.
Unique Inscriptions
Tom’s collection includes hundreds of autographed baseballs from the greatest players to ever play the game. Some of them even became close personal friends over the years. Among his many autographed baseballs, Tom has a handful which were lovingly inscribed by his buddies.
Gil Hodges
Tom grew up a Dodgers fan in New York.
“Gil Hodges was my favorite player … until I saw Willie Mays play.”
Even a Dodgers fan couldn’t deny the greatness on display when Willie suited up.
Willie Mays
“I’ve seen other great players that I liked, but nobody had the flair that Willie had.”
Can’t argue that.
Tim Raines
Tim Raines was a seven-time All-Star, four-time stolen base champion, and National League batting champion, Raines is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in baseball history.
Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza was a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner at catcher, he produced strong offensive numbers at his position; in his career, he recorded 427 home runs—a record 396 of which were hit as catcher—along with a .308 batting average and 1,335 RBI.
Hanley Ramírez
Hanley Ramírez was a three-time MLB All-Star and received the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Ramírez established himself as an elite hitter during his prime years, winning the 2009 batting title with a .342 average, and was a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He finished top-10 in MVP voting three times in his career.
The Yankees
Tom hates the Yankees so much that he couldn’t even bring himself to root for them when one of his favorite players of all time, Tim Raines, played for the team from 1996-1998.
In 242 games with the Yankees, Raines batted .299, collecting 237 hits and 130 walks, and scoring 154 runs in 940 plate appearances.
Willie, Mickey, and The Duke
Tom’s favorite player was Willie Mays, but he also felt that Willie was the best player of the famous New York center fielders.
While Tom didn’t like Mickey Mantle, he respected Mickey as a player, and felt he was second best of the group, followed by Duke Snider.
National League All-Star Dominance
The National League dominated the All-Star Game from 1950 to 1985, going 32–7–1.
In a stretch from 1963 to 1982, the National League won 19 of 20 All-Star Games, losing only the 1971 contest at Tiger Stadium 6-4.
Tom was inducted into the Nassau County High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
Sandy Koufax
Tom was a great high school pitcher who threw multiple no-hitters and set records in his county, so he is somewhat of an authority on great pitching, and what it takes to be a great pitcher.
As a Dodgers fan, you would think he would have been enamored with Sandy Koufax, especially growing up in the peak of Sandy’s dominance. But Tom actually thinks Sandy is a bit overrated.
I’m not sure if Sandy was overrated. I never saw him pitch. But I will say, it was difficult to pick out which picture to use for this entry, because there are multiple images of him holding trophies or pointing to a scoreboard full of 0s after his multiple Major League no-hitters.
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw is actually Tom’s favorite Dodgers pitcher. And like, yeah, I get it. Kershaw is a 10-time All-Star, a 3-time Cy Young Award Winner who finished top-5 in seven consecutive seasons, an MVP Award winner (as a pitcher!), a 5-time ERA title winner, a pitching Triple Crown winner, and a Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award winner. Add in a couple World Series, and that’s a pretty decent looking resume.
Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competitive nature, Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average.
A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez, nicknamed "the Dominican Dandy", played from 1960 to 1975, mostly with the San Francisco Giants.
Known for his high leg kick, variety of pitches, arm angles and deliveries, pinpoint control, and durability, Marichal won 18 games to help the Giants reach the 1962 World Series. He went on to earn 191 victories in the 1960s, the most of any major league pitcher.
He won over 20 games six times, on each occasion posting an ERA below 2.50 and striking out more than 200 batters. He became the first right-hander since Bob Feller to win 25 games three times, and his 26 wins in 1968 remain a Giants franchise record.
Tom Seaver
Tom’s all-time starting rotation is a pretty good one: Koufax, Kershaw, Gibson, Marichal, and Seaver. A combined 1,182 career wins, 11 Cy Young Awards, 15 ERA titles, and 3 MVP Awards. Not a bad collection of talent and accomplishments.
With the Mets, Tom Seaver won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and won three NL Cy Young Awards. He was a 12-time All-Star and ranks as the Mets' all-time leader in wins. During his career, he compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts, a 2.86 ERA, and he threw a no-hitter in 1978.
Tom’s Own Pitching Career
Tom signed to play professionally and played three seasons in the minor leagues for the Braves organization before his career was cut short by an automobile accident on the Southern State Parkway.
Tom compiled a record of 7 wins and 6 losses with a 3.88 ERA in his 37-game career with the Gulf Coast Braves, Jamestown Braves, and West Palm Beach Braves.
Tom’s minor league statistics
1967 Jamestown Braves
The Jamestown Braves of the New York-Pennsylvania League ended the 1967 season with a record of 39 wins and 41 losses, finishing fourth in the NYPL.
Spring Training
Tom had a chance to play in Spring Training with Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Joe Torre.
This photo of the heavy hitting trio was taken March 5, 1965 at West Palm Beach, Florida.
Rico Carty
Tom actually formed a good relationship with Rico Carty. Rico’s batting averages in his first six full seasons were .330 in 1964, .310 in 1965, .326 in 1966, .255 in 1967, .342 in 1969 (after missing the 1968 season with tuberculosis), and .366 in 1970.
Carty led the Major Leagues in batting average and on base percentage (.454) in 1970, was named to his only All-Star Game, and finished 10th in MVP voting.
Henry Aaron
Tom struck out Henry Aaron on three straight curveballs in spring training.
From a very early age, Tom had a great curveball.
Collecting Mickey
After his baseball career ended, Tom went to work with E.F. Hutton as an options broker on Wall Street, and that’s when he really started to collect baseball memorabilia in earnest.
Even though he was a bigger fan of Willie Mays, Tom understood that collecting Mickey was where the money was, so that’s what he started to do.
Hindsight is 20/20
Tom once sold a 1952 Willie Mays that was in great condition. At the time, the book price was $10, but because of its condition, Tom held out for $15 from his buyer. The buyer agreed.
Today, a 1952 Willie Mays Topps card #261 in a PSA NM-MT 8 holder is worth somewhere between $100,000 and $165,000.
One in a PSA Mint 9 holder is worth somewhere between $250,000 and $1.1 million.
1951 Bowman Mays
After selling my house in South Carolina, the very first thing I bought was a 1951 Bowman Willie Mays rookie card.
T206 Wagner
Over the course of his collecting career, Tom has owned THREE different copies of the T206 Honus Wagner card.
Tom sold two of the Wagners to Louis Avon, and eventually sold his third Wagner to Richard Gelman.
If you’re new to the show and haven’t had a chance to hear our previous episode with hobby pioneer and SABR’s 2020 Jefferson Burdick Award winner Michael Aronstein, save THIS LINK in your bookmarks now so you can go back after you finish listening to this episode with Tom, and then listen to that episode with Michael and his son, Andrew.
Idlewild Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in 1948 as New York International Airport and was commonly known as Idlewild Airport. It was built to relieve LaGuardia Field, which had become overcrowded after its 1939 opening.
Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Idlewild was renamed in tribute to JFK.
A Big Score
In 1981, Tom bought a collection with hundreds of T206 cards, including two different Wagners, over a dozen Ty Cobbs, and a Christy Mathewson “you coulda cleaned your teeth” with for a total of $8,000.
Today, even a PSA Poor 1 graded copy of a green background Ty Cobb card is worth nearly $4,000. So, all in all, you could say this was a pretty good score.
Tom was great at buying large collections and quickly flipping them for a quick profit, even if that sometimes meant leaving some money on the table.
Mickey’s First Show
Tom put on the very first Mickey Mantle autograph show on September 9, 1978 at Hofstra University. Mickey charged $3 per autograph, as stipulated in a contract that paid him $1,000 per hour for three hours.
A Little Help From My Friends
Tom and his friends Bob Ragonese and Vinnie Trocino put on the show. Tom’s opinion was that to have a successful show on Long Island, "we had to have a superstar as an attraction."
Back then, show promoters and collectors were happy to have former or current players from the local major league team as the signers.
Tom called Pete Rose and also considered Willie Mays. The final decision was that The Mick would be the best drawing card, considering the location.
“The Mantle Shows”
Collector and hobby historian Frank Barning wrote:
“I remember standing with [Tom Catal] at his first Mantle show, at Hofstra, prior to Mantle's arrival. He was as nervous as a bridegroom a few minutes before his wedding. Catal was scared to death that the great Yankee would be a no show and that refunds to the long line of collectors would have to be made, plus his table holders would have screamed. The Mick did arrive on schedule and for the hobby the rest is history.”
Tony Spaneo and Harmon Cooper soon became part of the group headed by Tom Catal, along with Bob Ragonese and Vinnie Trocino.
“The Commerce Comet”
Mickey was born in Commerce, Oklahoma, which begat one of his nicknames, “The Commerce Comet.” It was rare that Mickey would sign a baseball or photo with that as an inscription, but he would do it for Tom.
If you want one for your own collection, you can buy THIS ONE for a little over $63,000.
“The Oklahoma Kid”
Even more rare than Mickey signing “The Commerce Comet” are examples of him inscribing “The Oklahoma Kid.” But, again, he would do it for Tom.
HERE is an example you can add to your collection for about $25,000.
Roy J. True
Mickey said, “I never cared about business matters. I didn't have to handle my finances because my attorney, Roy True, took care of all that. Even though I didn't like it, over the years Roy would go over business matters with me, and I'd half listen for about 20 or 30 minutes at the most.”
Reserve Life Insurance Company
In 1972, after his playing career had ended, Mickey began working with the Reserve Life Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas, given the title Director of Public Relations.
He would often answer fan letters and autograph requests sent to him there.
Ed Kubina
A collector named Ed Kubina brought his daughter’s entire girl scout troop to that first autograph show in 1978, and had Mickey sign 18 different pictures, one per scout, with Mickey making them all out “To Ed.” At one point, Kubina (pictured here, with Mickey) had over 700 autographs from Mickey.
Hundreds of Autographs
Tom bought a couple hundred Mickey Mantle autographs back from Ed Kubina’s daughter at one point, knowing that they were all legitimate since he had gotten them all in person at shows that Tom put on.
Tom Brady Signing
Collectors like Ed Kubina could afford hundreds of Mickey Mantle autographs because players back then were charging $3 per signature.
Tom Brady superfans who shelled out thousands for the retired NFL star’s autograph at a Miami event were outraged after they say they were left with illegible scribbles on their valuables.
“I would have much rather him not sign it than what we got. He defaced our stuff,” complained Glen Gagnon, who was among about 100 people who forked over $3,600 for VIP tickets to the weekend business conference where Brady was one of the speakers.
The signatures people received left many wondering if they’d be able to later get the autographs authenticated, and others trying to wash off the signatures they fear might just devalue their collectables.
Mickey’s Humility
“What’s the big fuss?”
You’re Mickey Mantle!
Tom Greenwade
Yankees' scout Tom Greenwade signed Mickey for $1,100 after he graduated high school. Other players were making as much as $50,000 in signing bonuses at the time, so Mickey and his dad really left a lot of money on the table. That was the first of many financial deals and negotiations throughout his life that saw Mickey lose out.
Allan Savitt
On April 15, 1951 a hustler named Allan Savitt called the rookie Mantle at the Concourse Plaza Hotel, where Mickey was living.
Savitt told Mantle that he could get him a contract with an organization that would secure him testimonials and endorsements. He promised Mickey that he could get him $50,000 a year in endorsements and personal appearances.
Mantle would receive one-half the profits. The organization would receive the other half. Mantle agreed and signed a two-year contract with the firm. Savitt was now Mantle's agent.
When Yankees traveling secretary Frank Scott asked Mickey if he had consulted a lawyer, Mantle responded that "...this fellow had a lawyer for me."
This article appeared in the December 9, 1952 issue of The New York Times.
This March, 1957 issue of Confidential Magazine details the story of Mickey’s financial relationship with Holly Brooke, at least, according to Brooke.
Here is the article from that March, 1957 issue of Confidential Magazine.
Greer Johnson
Greer Johnson said that when she met Mickey Mantle, she was looking for a career change. "He had known that I wanted to do something in the business world, so one day he asked me if I had ever thought about being an agent for celebrities," Johnson said. "I just laughed...But he kept at it."
Johnson took her new work seriously. As a "celebrity agent," she represented Mantle and a number of his old teammates like Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. But her main client was always Mickey.
"It was a Cinderella story in the beginning. I traveled, met people, did things I never imagined would be possible in my life."
While the line of division between romance and business was missing, Greer saw him from the start through very different eyes. "I traveled with him all the time... He was like a little boy to me; he was very nave and totally inexperienced when it came to business.”
Merlyn Mantle
While attending high school, Merlyn Johnson met Mickey Mantle, two years before his MLB debut. Mickey was a baseball player at Commerce High School, while Merlyn was a cheerleader at rival Picher High School. Their first date took place at a movie theater along the famed Route 66 in Miami, Oklahoma.
On December 23, 1951, Merlyn married Mickey, following his rookie season with the Yankees. The couple had four sons: Mickey, Jr., David, Billy, and Danny. The couple remained married for 43 years, until Mickey''s death in 1995, although they were estranged during his final years.
Welcoming To Young Teammates
There are many stories about Mickey being very welcoming to young players when they first came up to the Yankees.
Here he is, showing teammate Bobby Richardson around the stadium when Bobby was in his first week with the team.
Bobby Richardson, the 1960 World Series MVP, was our guest for Episode 5 of Season 2. You can listen to that episode HERE.
Joe DiMaggio
They may both be smiling in this photo, but one of them is thinking “I don’t care what Casey Stengel says… if I can get to a ball, it’s MINE, kid. And don’t you dare forget it.”
I love the writing on the back of Mickey’s glove here, spelling out “M-I-C-K” vertically across the fingers.
A Great Teammate
Tom described Mickey as “a teammate,” which was a very important word to Mickey.
Mickey didn’t feel like Joe DiMaggio was a good teammate to him, and made it a point to never make a young player feel the way Joe had made him feel. Mickey always tried to be a good teammate, on and off the field.
Babe Ruth’s monument in Yankee Stadium describes him as “A great ballplayer. A great man. A great American.”
Lou Gehrig’s describes him as “A man. A gentleman. And a great ballplayer.”
Mickey’s describes him as “A great teammate.”
Mickey’s Grave
Even Mickey’s grave makes sure to use that word, calling him “A magnificent New York Yankee” first, but then the very next thing is to say Mickey was a “true teammate,” even before mentioning he was a Hall of Famer, or the most popular player of his era.
It was important to Mickey that his teammates thought of him that way, and it was important to him that regular people saw him that way, too.
That’s one of the qualities which made Mickey so special.
Joe DiMaggio and Barry Halper
Originally part of the Barry Halper collection, this piece contains an inscribed signature by Joe DiMaggio which reads "Barry - You have quite a collection. Best Wishes. Joe DiMaggio."
The Stage Deli
The Stage Deli first opened in 1937 on Broadway & 48th Street by a crude, gravel-voiced Russian immigrant named Max Asnas who would be dubbed the "Corned-Beef Confucius" by Fred Allen thanks to his "Asnas-isms," for example: "Money is something you make in case you don't die.”
The Stage deli was a New York institution, and while playing with the Yankees, both Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle regularly ate there. Each became good friends of the owners, Max and Hymie Asnas, and their families. The Asnas brothers often made the players special meals that were not on their menu.
In Mickey’s rookie season, the Asnas brothers even housed Mantle and some teammates in an apartment above the deli. Joe started to see his celebrity being challenged by Mickey. The Stage had been his place. Max was his friend. But now, here comes this highly-touted rookie not only poised to take his spot on the team, but also in New York? Joe hated that.
Lefty Gomez
Joe DiMaggio loved reading Superman comic books, but he was so protective of his image that he didn’t want anyone to see him buying them, or knowing that he read them. So Joe would have his teammate and roommate, Lefty Gomez, go out and buy them for him.
Sometimes when Gomez bought the comic—and DiMaggio always had him get it the very day it came out—he would goof around by calling out to DiMaggio, who hovered off to the side, "You mean this comic book, Joe? Or this one, the Superman?" DiMaggio would scowl and turn his back and walk off a few paces.
Protective Of His Image
Joe DiMaggio never wanted anyone to take his photo unless he was fully dressed in his uniform, or fully dressed in a suit. This photo is one of the rare occasions in which we get to see him in the locker room getting dressed.
MVP Awards
Mickey finished first or second in MVP voting during six seasons, winning the award in 1956 (the year he won the Triple Crown), 1957, and 1962.
Mickey finished second in MVP voting behind Roger Maris in 1960, and then again in 1961. While Roger broke Babe Ruth's record in 1961, Mickey's stats were pretty clearly better overall compared to Maris' that year.
Had Mickey won one of those MVP awards, he would have retired with a then-record four career MVPs.
Regret
Mickey batted .255, .288, .245, and .237 for a combined .254 average from 1965 through 1968. Those last four years dropped his career average to .298, down from the .309 lifetime average he'd had after the 1964 season.
Mickey said his only regret from his playing days was that he didn’t retire with a .300 average.
The M&M Boys
Mickey was always publicly gracious about losing the 1961 home run chase to Roger Maris, and he always said that the right person broke Babe's record that year, but for a while that season it was looking like a possibility that they might both break it.
Beating The Babe
Mickey's father said his goal was for Mickey to be the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. Mickey knew that, so that became Mickey’s goal, too.
Injuries
Mickey’s body began to break down in the latter half of his career. Here, Mickey bandages his leg in the locker room before a game in June of 1965.
Drain Cover
In Game 2 of 1951 World Series, the 19-year-old rookie injured his knee on a drain cover in right field. His knee exploded, and he missed the rest of the Series. He would never be the same.
Other Injuries
Mickey had plenty of injuries over the course of his career.
Mickey is shown on crutches here in 1963, after his latest injury, a broken bone in his foot, which was caused when his spikes caught in the fence while chasing a Baltimore homer.
Mantle’s other illnesses or injuries from head to toe include:
- Tonsillectomy, 1956
- Injured right shoulder, 1957
- Rib cage injury, 1963
- Abscess of right hip, 1961
- Fractured right index finger, 1959
- Pulled right thigh muscle, 1955
- Sprained left knee, 1956
- Fell heavily on left knee, 1962
- Cartilage operation on injured right knee, 1951
- Re-injured right knee requiring another operation, 1952
- Osteomyelitis in left ankle and shin, 1947
- Last night’s accident, breaking the metatarsal bone in the left foot.
The 31-year-old switch hitter has been plagued since his youth when he suffered a form of infantile paralysis that weakened his legs.
Travel Accommodations
The Yankees didn't start traveling by plane until the 1956 season. Before that, they traveled exclusively by train.
Here, Mickey is helped from a plane upon arrival from Baltimore after he broke his left foot crashing into the outfield fence while trying to catch a home run hit by Brooks Robinson.
Switch Hitting
Mickey Mantle’s father was Elvin Charles “Mutt” Mantle. He worked in lead and zinc mines and also played semi-pro baseball himself.
He and his father, Charles Mantle, taught Mickey how to play baseball. Mickey batted left-handed against his father when he pitched right-handed to him. And Mickey would bat right-handed when his grandfather, Charles, pitched left-handed to him.
Mickey’s Mom
Mickey Mantle’s mother was Lovell Mantle (nee Richardson). She was a homemaker, but she was knowledgeable about baseball, too.
According to Mickey, his dad asked his mom to make a baseball bat for him when he was in the cradle. She also made his first baseball uniform by cutting down his father’s baseball uniform.
She and Mickey studied over his first contract from the New York Yankees together.
Mickey’s Own Family
Mickey often worried that he was a bad father. His friends would try to convince him that there wasn’t much more Mickey could do, since he was away from home so often due to his job.
Mickey’s Immaturity
Mickey wasn't criticized too much because he was just so great, but when he was criticized, it was because of his perceived immaturity, especially in the first half of his career. The famous story about Phil Linz and his harmonica comes to mind.
Playing Through Pain
Mickey played in every game he could, and probably played in many games he shouldn’t have played in.
Babe’s Called Shot
In a career of larger-than-life achievements, Babe’s Called Shot in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series is probably his signature moment.
This photo shows Babe Ruth after hitting that mammoth home run, being greeted at home plate by Lou Gehrig. Looking on is the Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett.
The Catch
As of the end of the 2024 season, there have been over 217,042 regular season MLB games played, including games from the National League (1876-2018), American League (1901-2018), and other leagues that no longer exist.
In all of those games, with all of the outs which have been recorded, there is one play great enough to be known as “The Catch.”
Willie May’s incredible play in the 8th inning of Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, with the score tied 2-2, off the bat of Cleveland Indians slugger Vic Wertz.
Mickey thought his catch in the 1956 World Series was the best play of his career.
Preserving Perfection
Mickey got a good jump on Gil Hodges' line drive to left-center before catching it in stride for the second out of the fifth, preserving Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
A Great Teammate
Mickey knew that he was in a better financial situation than most of his former teammates, and he also knew that he had the pull to make some demands. Often times, Mickey’s participation at an autograph signing was contingent upon the event also allowing his former teammates - like Hank Bauer (left), and Moose Skowron (right) - to also come along and make some money.
Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb, who was an early investor in Coca-Cola and was worth over $12 million when he died, reportedly sent monthly checks to retired baseball players who had fallen on hard times, demonstrating a compassionate side beyond his on-field persona.
Forged Signatures
Even though Mickey signed enough autographs to fill an abyss, his autograph remains one of the most heavily-forged signatures of all time. It has been said that somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of the Mickey Mantle signatures on the internet are fakes, like this one shown here.
How Many Are Out There?
Tom estimates that Mickey signed more than half a million baseballs in his life, but notes that Mickey actually didn’t sign too many during his playing career, especially from 1956 through 1960.
Katie Jackson
Shoeless Joe Jackson never went to school a day in his life, and never learned to read or write. When fans would send in for an autograph, it was actually Joe’s wife, Katie, who would sign his name.
Clubhouse Signatures
Mickey very rarely put his autograph on team-signed baseballs. Those were usually done by clubhouse attendants, secretaries, or bat boys.
If fans would request signatures through the mail directly from Mickey, Tom says it was often Mickey’s family who was signing on his behalf.
Prolific Forgers
Master forger Gregory Marino, who could perfectly copy signatures on sight and worked 15 hours a day to produce forgeries, estimated that he made over a million Mickey Mantle forgeries.
An FBI investigation uncovered $100 million worth of fraud into forged celebrity autographs and sports memorabilia in the United States.
Tom also mentioned Michael Bertolini as a possible prolific forger, and Ron Dross.
Barry Halper
Barry Halper owned one of the most extensive baseball memorabilia collections ever assembled. Halper, a limited partner in the New York Yankees, amassed some 80,000 items. A portion of it was acquired by Major League Baseball and donated to the Hall of Fame in 1998.
In October 2010, Hall of Fame spokesman Brad Horn told the New York Post that a Halper-donated jersey, supposedly worn by Shoeless Joe Jackson, was a fake. Issues of authenticity have been raised with other auctioned items, including items purported to belong to Cy Young, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, and others.
Barry Halper had so many jerseys in his collection, he needed to install a dry cleaner’s laundry carousel in his house.
1952 Topps Mantle PSA 6
Tom had two PSA 6 copies of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card at The National a few years ago. To say those cards are valuable would be putting it lightly.
Signature Changes
Mickey’s signature is magical. His autograph is one of the most coveted signatures in the hobby. Collector and historian Kelly Eisenhauer put together this incredible article for Sports Collectors Digest with dozens of examples of Mickey’s signature throughout the years, showing the major (and minor) changes over time.
I pulled out examples from his player contracts from every few years during his actual career, but I urge you to actually go read the article and see all of the different examples Kelly put together to show the decades of change in Mickey’s signature.
Mickey’s 1951 Signature
In 1951, Mickey was not quite 20 years old, but was a member of the World Champion New York Yankees. Making his debut on April 17, 1951, the Mick’s surroundings were new, as was his signature. This example shows a very rare autographed Mickey Mantle Fan Club postcard dated May 18, 1951.
Bad Signatures
Some players just don’t take pride in their signatures the way players did in years past. A few examples which came to mind for Tom and me during our interview:
Darryl Strawberry’s SABR Biography
Mickey Mantle gifted this cardboard sheet with 99 of his signatures on it to business partner Joseph Timmerman in 1991. It sold for $247,144 in August of 2024, an average of $2,496 per signature.
Tom’s Autograph Shows
Tom put on dozens of shows with superstar ballplayers like Duke Snider, such as this show from December 5 and 6, 1981. The reaction people had over seeing and meeting Mickey Mantle was unlike anything else.
A Craze
The boys sticking their arms over the dugout roof to sneak an autograph from Mickey during his career in the 1950s and 1960s were the men attending the autograph shows in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The only difference was, now they had the money to spend on autographs, and a chance to meet their hero. But Mickey was still their hero.
Cool
Tom said multiple times in the interview that he was lucky, in regards to his friendship with Mickey. And you can hear it in his voice. Tom may not have thought Mickey was the best ballplayer ever, but he was in awe of him as a person. Tom could feel the confidence and coolness Mickey exuded, and saw with regularity the effect it had on other people.
Here, Mickey is surrounded by the press after a 1960 World Series game.
Mickey’s Temper
There are stories of Mickey being short with fans sometimes, but Tom explains that by saying those fans came into the interaction acting too familiar with Mickey, asking for too much, or asking for it at the wrong time (like if Mickey was eating a meal and didn’t want to be bothered at that moment).
But Mickey would usually end up feeling bad about his initial reaction, and would often do what he could to make it up to the fan he had originally spurned.
Mickey’s Shyness
There are countless stories about how shy Mickey was when he came to the Yankees, and even into his career. But Tom said Mickey learned to accept his stardom over the years, and especially later in life.
A Great Guy
Tom said over and over how lucky he was, calling Mickey a great guy, and reiterating how generous Mickey was, specifically to Tom.
This game-used glove from 1967 was one of the pieces in Tom’s collection, which was on display at the Mickey Mantle Museum when Tom ran it.
Mental Health
Mickey dealt with depression and anxiety all his life. There was a particular episode on a flight back home to Dallas after a card show in April of 1987 when paramedics had to meet Mickey's plane at Dallas' Love Field because they thought he was having a heart attack. It turned out to be a panic attack, but Mickey continued to internalize stress, which was only exacerbated by his drinking. In 1993, Mickey admitted that at times, he had thought about killing himself.
In an essay titled “I Was Killing Myself” in an April 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated, Mickey said, “I always took pride in my dependability when I was doing public-relations work, endorsements and personal appearances. I always wanted to do my best. It was when I had no commitments, nothing to do or nowhere to be that I lapsed into those long drinking sessions.”
Alcohol As A Crutch
Mickey said he used alcohol as a crutch. To help him overcome his shyness and make him feel more comfortable before personal appearances. “I'd forget what day it was. What month it was. What city I was in. There were dozens of personal appearances and card shows that I had agreed to be at, but when the time came to go, I'd argue that I had never agreed to the commitment in the first place. But I always made the appearance. I'm still proud of that.”
Pete Rose
In addition to Mickey and Duke Snider, one of Tom’s bigger clients who he sometimes represented at autograph shows was Pete Rose, who also became a close personal friend over the years.
Guaranteed Success
When talking about putting on autograph shows, Tom once said “Mickey Mantle guarantees success. I’ve been doing these shows for five years, and every year, he gets more popular. In Detroit, he almost caused a riot. Same thing in Kansas City. Mickey Mantle can outdraw God. By 50 percent.”
Was Mickey’s Career A Failure?
To a normal person, of course not. How could you call what Mickey accomplished a failure? But Mickey’s dad set the goal for Mickey to be the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. And, close as he may have come, Mickey didn’t accomplish that goal.
Willie, Mickey, & The Duke
For decades, it was “Willie, Mickey, and The Duke.” All three of them, nearly always mentioned together. Even immortalized as a trio in a song by Terry Cashman.
Duke Snider was the first to kind of fade into obscurity, and then it became “Mays and Mantle” whose names were inextricably linked.
“The Greatest Living Ballplayer”
For years, Joe DiMaggio insisted on being referred to and introduced as "The Greatest Living Ballplayer" but most people seemed to understand that that was a title fitting only either Willie or Mickey.
But now, 30 years after Mickey has passed away, it seems like his status as one of the inner circle Hall of Famers has kind of slipped a little, and today most people consider Willie Mays to be the greatest all around ballplayer who ever lived.
Mickey Mantle Museum
Of the more than 20,000 players to have played Major League Baseball over the years, it seems like Mickey Mantle is a no-brainer to have his own museum.
Tom started the Mickey Mantle Museum in Cooperstown, which housed what was the world’s largest Mickey Mantle collection at the time. Tom’s.
“I Had So Much Stuff Then”
Here are some of the items Tom had on display at the museum, including advertisements, autographed baseballs, and products endorsed by Mickey.
More Stuff
Jerseys, magazines featuring Mickey on the cover, commemorative plates, figurines, buttons, pins, spoons, newspaper articles… you name it. Tom had it.
Cuff Links
In certain years, the Yankees gave their players cuff links in addition to World Series rings. They did it in 1950, and they did it in 1961.
Tom used to own Mickey’s 1961 cuff links, but recently sold them. Pictured here is Roger Maris’ set from that same year, as well as the tie tack.
Mickey’s Golf Bag
Tom has sold the vast majority of his collection over the past 20 years, and still has more than most Mickey Mantle collectors will ever own in their lives. One such item which is no longer in Tom’s collection is Mickey’s personalized golf bag, seen here when it was on display at Tom’s Mickey Mantle Museum.
The Collectability of Mickey Mantle
If anyone else goes golfing, they throw their scorecard away when they finish their round and that’s the end of it. When Mickey Mantle went golfing and kept a scorecard, people bid on it at an auction and it was worth hundreds of dollars. On multiple occasions.
“Wait … Don’t Get Rid Of That!”
When Mickey would be getting ready to bring stuff to an auction house to get rid of it, Tom would try to intercept it and give Mickey whatever amount Mickey was hoping to get for everything.
It saved Mickey the trouble, and helped Tom grow his incredible collection.
Tom’s apartment, full of all sorts of incredible baseball memorabilia he’s collected over the years.
Pete’s Suit
One of the more unique pieces Tom still owns is the suit Pete Rose was wearing when he was indicted.
Mickey’s Boyhood Home
Rally, a company which allows people to buy shares of various memorabilia including wine and sports cars, sold 47,000 shares of Mickey Mantle’s boyhood home in Commerce, Oklahoma for $7 each on October 27, 2023, ESPN reported.
The company saw a number of potential options for how to utilize the property, which Rally bought for $175,000 in 2022, and had been valued at $329,000.
Turning the house into a museum or an Airbnb-style short-term rental, the creation of a Little League field, and creating trading cards with pieces of the property embedded in them were all ideas which had been floated.
Pictured here is the charm bracelet that Lou Gehrig gave to his wife Eleanor on their fourth wedding anniversary. The bracelet is made up of 17 charms that represent Gehrig’s awards and achievements. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)
Your Buddy, Mick
No matter how comfortable Tom was with Mickey, and how down to earth Mickey was, it was impossible for Tom to forget that he was Mickey Mantle. His millions of fans were a constant reminder that Tom was in the presence of greatness, even if Mickey never made himself out to be more important than anyone else.
Some of the many Mickey Mantle cards and autographs Tom has on display in his apartment.
The Dugout Shot
These photos, autographed by Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Joe DiMaggio, and Whitey Ford, were the cause of some awkwardness between the friend group who signed them.
Old Homestead Steakhouse
Located in New York City’s Meatpacking District, one of Manhattan's trendiest neighborhoods for entertainment & culture, The Old Homestead first opened its doors in 1868 – making it the oldest continuously operating steakhouse in the United States and, one of the longest continually operating restaurants in America.
The steakhouse has made appearances in multiple television shows, including a 1995 episode of Seinfeld and a 2004 episode of The Sopranos.
Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant
Mickey would also take Tom to his own restaurant. Tom never had to pay.
Contracts
Mickey made somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.2 million during his career as a player.
If Juan Soto plays 150 games per season over the course of his 15-year contract with the Mets, he will make $1,020,000 every 3 games.
That’s One Way To Get Rid Of Cards You Don’t Want
Several years after producing the 1952 set, Topps executive Sy Berger decided to discard the unsold cards, literally dumping them into the Atlantic Ocean.
Little did Berger know that he was creating a smaller supply for the future secondary market, one that Berger and the rest of Topps did not even realize would come to fruition; with fewer cards, including the Mantles, available to future collectors, the card became rarer and more valuable.
The "finest known example" of a 1952 Topps Mantle sold at an auction with Heritage for $12.6 million in August of 2022. $12.6 million is more than 10 times what Mickey made as a player in his career.
The HOF’s Wagner
This copy of the T206 Honus Wagner card is on display in the Shoebox Treasures exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
While it is an ungraded copy, and the HOF has no interest in having it graded, I believe it may be the nicest example of the card in existence.
Luckily, it is in the permanent archives of the Hall, so it will be preserved forever. But a part of me is curious to know what it would sell for if it hit the open market.
Mickey’s Last Jersey
The jersey worn by Mickey Mantle when he played his final game as a New York Yankee on September 28, 1968, sold for $2.19 million in February of 2022.
It was also the jersey Mickey was wearing when Denny McLain served up what has become known as “The Gift,” essentially a batting practice fastball during the game on September 19, 1968, which Mickey hit over the fence for his 535th career home run.
#535 allowed Mickey to pass Jimmie Foxx and move into sole possession of third place on the all-time list, behind only Babe Ruth who had 714, and Willie Mays who had hit 587 at that point in his career. He hit one final home run on September 20, 1968, finishing his career with 536.
A Great Friend
Mickey signed that final jersey with a blue sharpie, and added an inscription which read “To Tom. A great friend. Always. The Mick.”
Sports Illustrated Covers
Mickey has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated 13 times so far, with seven of those covers coming in the first 11 years of the magazine’s existence.
The Hickok Belt
Mickey Mantle received the Ray Hickok jeweled belt in January of 1957 in recognition of Mickey being named the professional athlete of the year for 1956.
The belt was named in honor of the founder of the Hickok Manufacturing Company of Rochester, New York, which made belts, hence the choice of a belt as a trophy.
The actual belt was made from alligator-skin, had a solid gold buckle, an encrusted 4-carat diamond, and 26 gem chips.
Of the 27 winners between 1950 and 1976, 15 were baseball players.
Starstruck?
Tom said Mickey never got starstruck, even when rubbing elbows with some of the most famous people in the world.
Other Cool Items
Tom has owned multiple game-used jerseys from Mickey, game-used gloves, jewelry, trophies, and hundreds of autographed pictures and baseballs.
Tom’s apartment is full of cabinets like the ones in this photo. A handful of them are exclusively filled with Mickey Mantle-related items.
Ambassador Of The Game
Tom said that those who knew Mickey well lost someone special when he passed, but that the true ambassador of the game of baseball was Pete Rose.
Negro League Players
Tom has a great respect for Negro League players, and has gone out of his way over the past 30 years to meet former players, and collect what he can from their lives and careers.
Guys like Buck O’Neil, Ray Dandridge, Cool Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige.
Buck Leonard
Tom’s favorite Negro League player was Buck Leonard, who he had a chance to meet.
Leonard played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, batting fourth behind Josh Gibson for many years. The Grays teams of the 1930s and 1940s were considered some of the best teams in Negro league history. Leonard and Gibson are two of only nine players in league history to win multiple batting titles.
Leonard never played in the white Major Leagues; he declined an offer in 1952 of an MLB contract because he felt he was too old.
If He Liked You, He Loved You
Tom was one of the lucky ones who Mickey loved.
The Last Boy
Jane Leavy’s book, The Last Boy, is one of the best-researched books ever written about Mickey. Her other baseball books (The Big Fella, about Babe Ruth, and Sandy Koufax) are equally incredible.
America’s Prodigal Son
Another book Tom recommends was written by Tony Castro, who has written multiple books on Mickey and on the Yankees. Tom provided all of the photos for America’s Prodigal Son, Tony’s 2008 book on Mickey.
Safe At Home Ballpark Collectibles
Safe at Home Ballpark Collectibles is in the building at 91 Main Street in Cooperstown. In 2002, Tom bought that building with Andrew Vilacky, gutted it, and remodeled it.
Apartment
The second floor apartment of the building is normally where Pete Rose would stay during his annual pilgrimage to Cooperstown for induction weekend each year.
A pretty convenient spot, considering Pete would make public appearances and sign autographs on the first floor.
Mickey’s Place
Mickey’s Place, located at 74 Main Street in Cooperstown, is a building previously owned by Tom. He had Pete Rose there in about 1995 to sign autographs, and the two hit it off, which began their business relationship and friendship.
Japanese
The 2025 Hall of Fame induction weekend is expected to be the biggest in Cooperstown’s history, with Ichiro going in and drawing massive crowds from all over the world.
Pete Rose taught himself how to write “Rose” in Japanese Kanji, which he has done on the ball seen here.
You can buy one HERE.
My Favorite Player
I never saw Mickey play, but he’s my favorite player of all time.
Charlie Hustle
"It was 1963, my rookie year, and we were playing the Yankees in spring training," Rose told the Village News in 2018. "I came in as a pinch runner. I slid, head first, into third base.
“Then a guy hit a pop up that the shortstop (Tony Kubek) caught. I ran to home and slid head first. We won the game.
“After the game, Mantle told reporters, 'Did you see that Charlie Hustle beat us today?' The next day the headline in the papers was: Charlie Hustle Beats Yankees."
The Hit King
No one liked to remind people that Pete Rose was “The Hit King” more than Pete Rose’s biggest fan, Pete Rose.
Just a handful of Tom’s autographed baseballs from Pete Rose, each with a different inscription, ranging from “Best Wishes” and “Merry XMas” to “You Are A Real Asshole” “Fuck Off” and “Kiss My Ass.”
Ted Williams Spinning Reel
Ted Williams, “the greatest hitter who ever lived,” was also a star in the sport fishing world and a member of the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.
In the early 1960s, after his baseball career ended, he imported a line of spinning reels from Turin, Italy, that were sold under the Ted Williams, Inc. label out of Miami.
“Do You Collect?”
…nothing compared to this, but yeah, I’ve got some stuff.
Topps Contract
Tom’s incredible high school pitching career propelled him to a minor league career in the Braves organization. While in the minor leagues, Tom signed a contract with Topps which gave the rights to his name, image, and likeness for the use of baseball cards over to the chewing gum manufacturing company, should Tom have made it to the Major Leagues.
Close Friends
Mickey signed this autograph to Tom on the day Billy Martin passed away, dating it for posterity.
Idlewild Airport
The TWA terminal at Idlewild Airport, with its distinctive wing-shaped roof, boasted features now common everywhere —closed circuit television, a central public address system, baggage carousels, fancy clubs and lounges, and electronic arrivals and departures boards.
Autograph Shows
Tom was one of the pioneers of major autograph shows, striking gold with Mickey Mantle in 1978 when they worked together for the first time. This signed admission ticket from a banquet on March 27, 1982, is one of the many Mickey Mantle autographed pieces Tom still has on display in his apartment.
“Big” Contracts
For the time, Mickey was one of the highest paid players. This photo shows Mickey signing his first $100,000 per year contract in 1963. He had already won 3 MVPs and 7 World Series titles before the Yankees felt he had earned that big of a contract, but I digress.
Other players of the time who weren’t quite on Mickey’s level needed additional income from offseason jobs during their careers, and/or autograph shows after their playing days ended.
Life Insurance
Mickey manning the phones at his life insurance gig after his playing career. Even Mickey Mantle, who made $1.2 million during his playing career, got a job after he retired so he could bring some extra money in to provide for his family.
A Regular Guy
Mickey was just a down to earth guy who wanted to hang out and have some drinks and laugh with his buddies. It just so happened that he was one of the most gifted athletes to ever walk the earth. But unless you already knew that about him, you’d have never known that about him.
A Father
Mickey may not have always been the best husband or the best father, which are things he regretted during his life. But that didn’t mean he didn’t love his wife or his sons.
Jay Valentine
Our last episode was with Jay Valentine, who patrolled center field in 1977 and 1978 for the Indianapolis Clowns, the last of the Negro League baseball teams.
You can listen to that interview, which was featured in Episode 6 of Season 4, by clicking HERE.
Bob Cerv
Bob Cerv and Mickey Mantle were teammates from 1951-1956, again in 1960, and for one more stint from 1961-62. Cerv saw Mickey before his first knee injury in the 1951 World Series, and when his body was still young enough to recover from his many injuries. Cerv said Mickey was one of the fastest players he’d ever seen. Mickey holds the record for fastest time from home to first, clocking in at 3.1 seconds.
During the 1961 season, Cerv lived in a $251-per-month (equivalent to $2,658 in 2025) apartment in Queens with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Cerv was having an affair with Angie Dickinson at one point during his career. Bob injured his knee during a game, so Angie came rushing to the hospital to check on him. When she arrived, she was greeted in the room by Bob’s wife, Phyllis.
A Player
It seemed like saying “no” to people was a problem Mickey had all his life. This personality trait led him to situations and circumstances that a person with a stronger will may not have found themselves in. Mickey regretted some of them, but his actions proved he didn’t regret them enough to stop.
Acclaim
All of Mickey’s accomplishments on the field led him to be celebrated by many off the field. Sometimes the acclaim he received was pure of heart. Other times, it may not have been.
People In Power
Not just in sports, but in all walks of life, if you’re a good looking person who is well-spoken and has some sort of power, opportunities will present themselves for you to be with people who aren’t your spouse.
Do you have the willpower and strength to maintain fidelity if and when those moments arise?
Thomas Jefferson
As great of a President as Thomas Jefferson may have been, there are moral dilemmas we may face when trying to admire Jefferson, the person. And while times may have been different, there are certain things which have always been seen as wrong.
Here, Beverly Frederick Jefferson (left), grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, is pictured with three of his sons, circa 1900. No images of Sally Hemings or her children are known.
Joe DiMaggio
When Mickey was originally called up to the Yankees, he was given number 6, not number 7.
Babe Ruth had been number 3. Lou Gehrig was the team’s next star and was number 4. Joe DiMaggio was next, and was given number 5. So when the team felt Mickey Mantle was in line to succeed Joe, they gave him number 6.
This 1951 photo shows Yankees clubhouse attendant Pete Sheehy hanging Mickey's rookie #6 uniform in his locker while holding Joe DiMaggio's #5 jersey.
The pressure was too much for Mickey to handle, and after being sent down to the minors to find himself again, he requested his now-iconic number 7 when he re-joined the big league club for good.
Fame Is Different Today
This is a photo of probably the best baseball player on the planet. 70 years ago, if you showed 1,000 average Americans a photo of the best baseball player on the planet, even if they weren’t dressed in uniform, probably 75% could tell you who it was.
I would venture to guess if you ran that same experiment today with this photo, the vast majority of people wouldn’t even be able to make a guess as to who this is, let alone tell you he’s an athlete, or what sport he plays.
Juan Soto
Same rules apply as above. How many average Americans out of 1,000 do you think could look at this picture and be able to tell you who is in it?
Even if you told them afterward, how many people would genuinely know who Juan Soto was, just by hearing his name? Most sports fans, sure.
But Juan Soto isn’t culturally famous the way players like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were. I believe those days are gone, for the most part.
Wendy Ward
Wendy Ward was a three-time All-American at Arizona State University. During her time in Tempe, she won the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur and represented the U.S. in the Curtis Cup that same year. She led the ASU women’s golf team to three consecutive NCAA national team titles (1993-1995).
As a professional, Ward won four times on the LPGA Tour, competed in 14 U.S. Women’s Opens, 10 R&A Women’s Opens, and was selected for Team USA on three Solheim Cup teams (2002, 2003, 2005).
Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch is an actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2013, Lynch received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Out of all of her achievements, she may be most well known for going to high school with my mom.
Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson is a Yankees legend who played 2B for the team from 1955-1966, and was teammates with Mickey every year he played. Bobby was an 8-time All-Star, a 5-time Gold Glove Award winner, a 3-time World Series champion, and the 1960 World Series MVP.
He was our guest on Episode 5 of Season 2, which you can listen to HERE.
Given Grace
Bobby was a very religious man his whole life, and although he didn’t agree with the way Mickey was living his life off the field, he still opened his heart to Mickey and the two became friends. Later in life, as Mickey turned to religion, Bobby was there for him. Bobby even gave the eulogy at Mickey’s funeral.
Say Hey!
You wanna know how great Willie Mays was?
As much as the Dodgers and Giants hated each other, and as much as their fans hated each other, it was acceptable to be a Dodgers fan and have your favorite player be Willie Mays. Because who could argue with that? He was the best.
Banned From Baseball
In 1979, Willie Mays had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was severing as the New York Mets’ hitting instructor when he signed a contract to be a “goodwill ambassador” for the Bally’s Park Place hotel and casino in Atlantic City. It was not a full-time job. Mays’ job was basically, to show up and be famous while doing meet-and-greets at corporate and charity events.
But his ties to a casino prompted Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to prohibit Willie from any baseball-related employment.
Similarly, Mickey took a position at the Claridge Casino Hotel in 1983, which resulted in his own ban from the sport.
Pete Rose on a HOF Ballot?
Now that he has passed away, I think it’s going to happen.
And, yes, you are seeing this picture correctly. Pete Rose actually signed a copy of John Dowd’s Report To The Commissioner outlining Pete’s ties to gambling for Tom Catal.
If you’ve never read the report and find yourself wanting to, you can do that HERE.
It’s 228 pages, and let me warn you that Pete doesn’t come out of it smelling like a rose.
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Now that Pete Rose has passed, I believe that opens the door for Joe Jackson to be included on a Hall of Fame ballot, as well.
Whether he gets inducted or not is a different question, but there should technically be no more barriers in the way of him at least being considered for induction again.
Peter Ueberroth
In March of 1984, the Major League Baseball owners hired Peter Ueberroth to be their new Commissioner.
Ueberroth had spent the previous five years as the head of the committee that organized the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was (a) the first privately-funded Olympic Games held in America; and (b) finished with about a quarter of a billion dollar surplus for its investors.
Ueberroth took office in October, and then on March 18, 1985, he reinstated Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, saying that they were “two of the most beloved and admired athletes in the country today and they belong in baseball.”
Ueberroth did not, by any stretch of the imagination, relax baseball’s anti-gambling rules to reinstate Mantle and Mays. He said he was only making these two exceptions to the rule and that, over time, he’d look into working on new guidelines with gambling industries because “the whole world of gambling is changing.”
Some of Tom’s Memorabilia
Tom has things organized and displayed with a purpose. Having cards of Satchel Paige and Bob Feller next to each other was no accident, I can assure you.
Another view of Tom’s apartment, full of some of the most amazing baseball memorabilia you could imagine.
Cooperstown
Otsego Lake is the headwaters of the Susquehanna River, and on a quiet day it's easy to contemplate the water's journey all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.
Council Rock is believed to have been a meeting place for Native Americans prior to the Revolutionary War. Members of the Mohawk and Oneida Nations likely used the area around the lake for seasonal hunting and fishing camps.
The Best Time To Visit The HOF
I feel comfortable saying this because most people aren’t going to listen so it’s not going to ruin my plans, but I promise you, the absolute best time of year to visit the Hall of Fame is the week before Christmas.
NO ONE is in the museum besides docents. It is the most beautiful, peaceful place, and you can take as much time as you want in every exhibit. You can take as many photos as you want without feeling rushed because there’s a group of thirty 12-year-olds waiting behind you to film a TikTok video dancing in front of a game-used jersey.
If you’ve never been during the winter, trust me when I say, there is no better time to actually take in the museum.
Episode 7 of Season 4
There are tons of coincidences in life. This Mickey Mantle episode being the 7th of our season was not one of them. I’ve had this planned for over a year. Thanks for indulging me.
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Michael Jordan
It was pretty early in my life that I learned the difference between having a favorite player, and understanding who the best player on a team was.
Growing up in Chicago and being a Bulls fan, it was harder to make that distinction, because everyone’s favorite player was Michael Jordan, and he was so clearly the best player on the team.
Robin Ventura
For the White Sox, my favorite player was Robin Ventura, our third baseman. And Robin was really good.
He had an incredible college career at Oklahoma State, setting the all-time Division 1 record for longest hitting streak with a string of 58-straight games, and he was drafted 10th overall in the 1988 June Amateur Draft by the Sox.
He was an All-Star in the Majors, winning multiple Gold Glove Awards, and hit 18 career Grand Slams, which, at the time of his retirement, was more than everybody who had ever played the game besides Eddie Murray and Lou Gehrig.
Frank Thomas
From 1991 to 1997, Frank became the only player in major league history to have seven consecutive seasons with at least a .300 batting average, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored, 100 walks, and 20 home runs.
He won back-to-back MVP Awards in 1993 and 1994, and won the 1997 batting title by batting .347, which was only the third highest single season batting average of his career.
Thomas retired with nine seasons of 100 or more runs, RBI and walks, the third-most in history at that time behind only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
He’s a Hall of Famer, for good reason, and I loved watching him play. But Robin was my guy.
Mickey Was My Favorite Player In Baseball History
There is absolutely an adorable picture of me as like a 2-year-old wearing a Yankees jersey that’s big enough to go down to my ankles, but I just can’t find it right now so this picture of me at the 2024 World Series with Mickey’s retired number in Monument Park will have to do, but please believe me that Mickey has been my guy since I was old enough to understand what baseball history was.
A 5-Tool Player
In 1955, Mickey had a career-high 20 outfield assists. After that, runners didn't challenge him nearly as much, and Mickey never had more than 11 in a season the rest of his career.
Stealing
Mickey had incredible speed, but more than just being fast, he was also a smart base runner. He had a higher career stolen base percentage than Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson (78%), Luis Aparicio (79%), Lou Brock (75%), and Ty Cobb (65%), all of whom were stolen base champions at some point in their career.
Bunting
Mickey used that speed along with his great hand-eye coordination to become one of the best bunters in baseball history.
He’s 10th place all-time in number of bases-empty bunt singles, with 80 in only 148 at-bats, good for a .541 batting average. He had 7 bunt singles in World Series play, and even had one in the 1959 All-Star Game.
Here’s Mickey laying down a surprise bunt to try to get a base hit in the 1954 Hall of Fame Game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.
Mickey Once Said…
“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.”
Because He Gets On Base
Mickey's incredible eye put him on base far more often than his contemporaries. He had 11 seasons with 99 or more walks, with a career-high 146 in 1957.
While his .421 career on base percentage is good enough for 19th all time, if Mickey would have been more focused on getting hits early in his career, instead of drawing walks, there's a good chance he ends his career with the .300 batting average he so regrettably lost by sticking around those last four years.
Mantle & Mays
While Mickey is one of the true greats of the game, and a larger-than-life figure both on and off the field, I am able to acknowledge that he wasn't the best player of all time. He wasn’t even the best player of HIS time.
It’s clear that Willie Mays was the better player. And like we talked about in the interview, we'll never truly know how great Mickey could have been if it hadn't been for his injuries, but as things actually played out, Willie was better in nearly every phase of the game, and had better statistics.
Willie’s Best Seasons
Mickey's peak was slightly higher than Willie’s. Mantle recorded 11.3 WAR in both 1956 and 1957, tied for the 14th best seasons in baseball history.
Just like Mickey, Willie's two best seasons were also back-to-back. Mays achieved 11.0 WAR in 1964 and 11.2 WAR in 1965, the 19th and 18th best seasons in baseball history, respectively.
But Willie's peak was longer than Mickey’s, by far, with him having 6+ WAR in a season 18 years apart (10.4 in 1954, and 6.3 in 1971).
Mickey’s span of 6+ WAR seasons was only 11 years (6.3 in 1952, and 6.0 in 1962).
10+ WAR Seasons
There have been 60 individual seasons in baseball history during which a position player has recorded 10+ WAR. Babe Ruth has 9 of them. Willie Mays has 6. Rogers Hornsby also has 6. Hornsby’s 12.1 WAR season in 1924 is the 5th best season in history.
Hornsby was a 2-time MVP and a 7-time batting champion. He and Ted Williams are the only players in baseball history to win two Triple Crowns.
Mays’ Military Service
While Mickey's career was shortened due to his failing body, and his statistics were affected due to his injuries and his drinking, let's not forget that Willie's career was affected by missed games, as well.
He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1951, but then immediately missed 120 games in the 1952 season, and all 154 games of the 1953 season due to his military service.
1954
When Willie returned for his first season back in 1954, he led the Major Leagues with 10.4 WAR, a .345 batting average, and a .667 slugging percentage, winning the MVP and leading the Giants to a World Series win.
He hit 41 home runs that year, and then 51 the following year in 1955. Even a conservative estimate gives him another 60 home runs from those missed games in 1952 and 1953, and somewhere in the neighborhood of an additional 310 hits.
That takes his career home run total to 720, instead of 660, giving him the most all time, at the time of his retirement. Only Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds have since eclipsed that total, meaning Willie would now be 3rd all-time in Home Runs, instead of 6th.
Another 310 hits gives Willie 3,603 for his career, which would have put him 3rd all-time at the time of his retirement, behind only Ty Cobb and Stan Musial. Only Henry Aaron and Pete Rose have since eclipsed that total, meaning Willie would now be 5th all-time in hits, instead of 13th.
How Great Could One Player Be?
Another 160 runs bumps him up to 2,228, which puts him at 3rd all time, instead of 7th, just 17 behind Ty Cobb for 2nd place, and 67 behind Rickey Henderson for 1st.
Another 180 Runs Batted In bumps him up to 2,089, which puts him at 4th place all time, instead of 12th, and would make him one of only 6 players with more than 2,000 RBI in his career.
Willie is already one of only 4 players in history with more than 6,000 total bases, but adding another 500 for the time he missed in the military moves his career total up to 6,580 and in to second place all time, behind only Henry Aaron's 6,856.
Seals Stadium
It has long been said that the Giants moving to San Francisco also cost Willie a number of home runs. But taking a deeper look at the statistics, that doesn't seem quite accurate.
The first two years the Giants called the West Coast home, the team played their home games at Seals Stadium. Willie hit 33 total home runs there in 1958 and 1959, while he hit 30 home runs on the road.
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park opened in 1960, and Willie played his home games there through the end of the 1971 season, and for the first 19 games of the 1972 season before he went to the Mets to end his career.
During that span, Willie played 884 home games at Candlestick Park, where he hit 202 home runs. In that same period, he played 908 games away from Candlestick, and he hit 194 home runs.
So Willie hit 5.93 Home Runs per 100 Plate Appearances at Candlestick, and only 5.17 Home Runs per 100 Plate Appearances on the road.
After 1960, everything at Candlestick changed.
Closer Fences
Beginning in 1961, the Giants changed the start time of their home games from 1:30 pm to 1:00 pm to combat the late afternoon winds coming off the San Francisco Bay, but they also moved the fences in.
Down the left and right field lines both stayed consistent at 330 feet each. Straightaway center was shortened from 420 feet to 410 feet, while right center and left center were each shortened from 397 feet all the way down to 365 feet.
A Pitcher’s Park?
Willie, himself, said that playing at Candlestick forced him to adjust his swing, as he focused on hitting the ball to right-center field, where the wind would be less of a factor. But the fact is, he was able to do that, and it most likely helped his production.
The myth that Candlestick was a pitcher's park was just that: a myth. In fact, in 8 of the 13 seasons from 1960 through 1972, the park factors at Candlestick actually favored batters, not pitchers.
Mays & Mantle
Whatever Willie’s actual career statistics are, or what they could have been, there’s no debate that he’s one of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform.
In my estimation, he is the greatest.
But as much as I love Willie, and respect him, Mickey Mantle will always be my favorite.
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