There is a famous Mutt Mantle (Mickey's father) story that you may have heard and it's true. Mickey told his father he was leaving the Yankees his rookie season in 1951, quitting baseball forever because he couldn't measure up playing beside the great Joe DiMaggio his first year. Mutt said, fine, son, then you come on back to Oklahoma and work in the mines with me. A heavy dose of tough love kept Mickey going and the rest is history.

Here is a personal story. Shock waves reverberated throughout North America in 1993 when word went out that Mickey Mantle had had a heart attack. I just happened to be on the Auburn campus and ran into political science professor Gerry Gryski, a big Yankees fan. Did you hear the news, Gerry? Ah, he probably just had a hangover Gerry smirked. We shared a laugh in the lobby of Haley Center. When later I read about Mickey's addiction problems, I wondered if Gerry might have been right.