The emotions conjured up while watching this, for me, were indescribable...Costas (and "the MICK" himself) brought their "A" game to this interview and in reality, "this" was Mickey's final home run...RIP Mick...and thank-you Bob Costas for showing there's a distinct difference between a "role model" and a "hero".....
Mickey never had to be so upfront about things at the end. I have the greatest respect for him for stepping up and using his case as a teaching point for the younger generations.
I am in awe how respectful the young interviewer is toward Mickey Mantle despite the delicate questions. Mickey hit a home run in this interview! R.I.P.
met mick/whitey in '76 while training harness horses in pompano.they owned harness horses.i said hi with a big smile said "i grew up a white sox fan late 50's-60's,there wasn't a human being on the planet i hated more than mickey motherf**kin' mantle!!" he & whitey cracked up & we laughed so hard for about 5 minutes.he put his arm around my shoulder & said "that's a great one, george." brings tears to my eyes as i write this. he was so gracious. what a guy.
@kingcoach13 A Beautiful and memorable recollection that you have recounted! Memories are precious to us whether of celebrities or parents or friends. Thanks for your sharing your memory of Mickey/Whitey. The laughs and the 'arm around my shoulder' should not be forgotten. Again Thanks. (Retired Catholic priest in Canada).
If you are speaking of the book by Jane Leavy, then that is an incredible book. Leavy really captured what baseball was like back in those days and how much The Mick meant not only to fans of the NY Yankees, but to America. It also captured how ball players were able to live a life not under the constant watch of tabloid media, and how that has changed being a celebrity.
I also recommend her book on Sandy Koufax, which I am about half way through right now.
@dfalterman I am speaking of that book and the side things she says like the foundation that mick started for doner awareness saying it did not help and there was only 10'000 doner card distributed which is completely wrong there were millions.so its the things she trys to make sound as though they did not help i could go on but wont, just read the underlying things,as for the koufax book she did a love story??
Wow incredible interview. Im in the middle of the book The Lost Boy and being 25, it really makes me wish I couldve seen The Mick for myself. Thanks for sharing. Bob Costas is great in this too.
@movingoutwest the book you are talking about is a screw you to mick,with the author saying she interviewed 500 people well i could find 500 people that dont think much of that author too!!!!!!!!!!!
@harajukugirlloveandG The book I am talking about interviewed 500 people who were closest around him, including his best friends, whitey ford and hank bauer, his wife merlyn and his children. Not 500 random people detracting the mick. the author even became friends with him 20 years ago and uses her past conversations with him. It is FAR from a "screw you," it's a huge tribute. You'd know if you actually read it. Read the facts before you make an idiotic comment.
@harajukugirlloveandG you clearly haven't even almost read the book. nothing about it is a screw job. its a honest biography that shows that mickey had faults. and also shows how heroic he was in addressing those faults toward the end of his life.
@davidp899 The author was on CNBC TV talking how mick could not play todays Baseball thats when she turned me off what a crock, She really loved mick?????Keep working for her and the left wing to do away with history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Say what you want, it takes guts to go on national tv and tell the world about your worst moments. Especially when you have been admired and loved by so many. Everybody has problems, but few people are willing to acknowledge those problems, and try to fix them.
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 What? you think that someone well past their prime can still carry a team who hasn't been past the second round of playoff's since, when? 99? There are plenty of reasons why he only has 1 MVP, and 2 silver sluggers. There is alway someone better. With Mick, there was almost NO ONE better. And at Larry's age, Mantle was still getting better. Now look at Jones. Mantle was a 17 time all-star, 3 time MVP, A triple crown winner, a 7 time world champion, and a gold glove. Rebuddle?
The closest specimen to the natural talent that mickey mantle had, is Bo Jackson. if bo stayed in baseball, and was a switch hitter, I think his name would be right there next to mick's in the hall of fame.
That's why Bo barely played in the NFL & MLB.He spent like 12 years in both sports.There's a reason Chipper is the only player that can barely be compared to Mickey,and Bo isn't one of them.
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 Because you hear about Lawrence tearing up the basepaths, and hitting 500ft homeruns from either side of the plate on a regular basis like Mantle did. Bo Jackson was actually faster than Mantle, and had a Guided missle for an arm. Larry can barely make the throw to first half the time, or get out of his own way on the basepaths. He's not even close to being on a level as high as Bo Jackson or Mickey Mantle on a physical level. Jones is probably more overrated than anyone now.
@Iceman2692 If Bo was so good why didn't he ever get any kind of award? Why did he get traded to 3 shitty teams? If he would have been as good as you said he would have been picked by high dollar teams.
And Chip can barely throw to 1st? What? He may have no gold gloves but for a gold gloveless 3rd baseman he is very good.You obviously don't watch him play much.Bo couldn't touch Chip.Bo wasn't a clutch hitting machine,Chip is.
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 and yet you try to compare him to Mantle? sorry, I believe you are sorely mistaken. Compared to the Mick, Larry is still in JV baseball. Switch hitting with power doesn't usually come with speed anymore. the closest person to being as fast, and as strong, was mick. Bo was Faster and Stronger than Mick, which was my point. Larry doesn't even compare as a physical specimen. Bo was not a very good ball player. He could run, throw and hit, kinda. He broke a 36oz bat over his head
@Iceman2692 Did I say he was better than Mantle no.I said he's the only guy that can be remotely compared to Mantle.No ones better than Mickey.Maybe Willie Mays but that's it.
But Bo Jackson can't be compared to Mantle before Chipper can.it would make no sense at all to say Bo Jackson was closer to being Mickey Mantle than Chipper Jones.And yes Chip can carry the Braves.I watch him every night destroy pitchers and pretty much coach this team.He and Brian McCann are going to be the
@Iceman2692 sole reason we beat Philly in our division and go back to play-offs.
And last year if Chip wouldn't have been injured.WITHOUT A DOUBT I know we would have gone to the world series.Chip has the best post season stats of a switch hitter ONLY BEHIND MANTLE (Mantle is also in the top 3 best playoff players ever,so Chip being near him is pretty amazing) and he also has the highest postseason stats of any active player.If Chip stays healthy we'll win it all this year.
In concluding, his stats leave no doubt as to the fact that he was a GREAT player, & if we assume that he didn't get the most out of his abilities, or only got 80% out of his ability due to injuries and not taking care of his body, then Mickey Mantle may very well be the most talented baseball player to ever walk the earth. A young kid went up to Al Kaline once and said, "You're not half as good as Mickey Mantle", & Kaline said, "Kid, there ain't no one half as good as Mickey Mantle. Nuff said.
That Mantle was not a good father, husband and didn't get the most out of his abilities is unquestionable, but that there could be so much debate as to what he could've accomplished is quite remarkable when you consider that what he did accomplish was significant. Pitchers were scared to death of him, he walked a lot and generated a lot of runs. Mickey actually scored more runs in his career than he drove in, and that is a rarity for sluggers and RBI men.
Can't understand why so much negative about Costas. Costas is well known for idolizing Mick and has shown a Mantle BB card he still carries in his wallet to this day. This is about Mantle, and he was perfectly willing to do this kind of interview. People don't want to see the human side of celebrities they once admired. Yes is was a drunk, abusive husband, and absentee father. Nice to see that he may have come to grip with his demons at the end.
I did not like Bob Costas making Mickey feel uncomfortable about his mistakes. Just by the way he did it and he knew Mickey and should of told him before the interview that it was going to be like that and well I am sure maybe he would of not had gone that far into what went wrong without being prepared before hand to discus it with him. I love the MICK he was a great swinger from both sides of the plate.
@steventhevirgin39 He did. Mickey knew what the interview would be about and he wanted to go ahead with it. I remember a press conference Mickey held shortly before he died in Dallas where he basically said all of this again: I screwed up. I'm no hero. Learn from my mistakes. Remember, Mantle wrote a book about this before the interview.
He turned out all right.
KillaKRS1988 1 week ago
DEAR GOD GIVE US BACK MICKEY MANTLE IN RETURN WILL GIVE U JOSE CANSECO !!!!!!!!!!
AndrewsOpinion15 1 week ago 2
The emotions conjured up while watching this, for me, were indescribable...Costas (and "the MICK" himself) brought their "A" game to this interview and in reality, "this" was Mickey's final home run...RIP Mick...and thank-you Bob Costas for showing there's a distinct difference between a "role model" and a "hero".....
bdamia 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
Angelsbaby42 4 weeks ago
I love you Mick
kfc63822 1 month ago
Amazing interview, brought tears to my eyes. RIP Mick
yankeefan42 1 month ago
it's easy to love the man who tells the truth humbly.
LegacyProductionsOrg 1 month ago
RIP Bob Costas
lawlingt0nn 1 month ago 2
Costas is so classy.
knightschwartz 2 months ago
Mickey never had to be so upfront about things at the end. I have the greatest respect for him for stepping up and using his case as a teaching point for the younger generations.
hoopsheavenpa 2 months ago
I am in awe how respectful the young interviewer is toward Mickey Mantle despite the delicate questions. Mickey hit a home run in this interview! R.I.P.
watchful38 3 months ago
@watchful38
met mick/whitey in '76 while training harness horses in pompano.they owned harness horses.i said hi with a big smile said "i grew up a white sox fan late 50's-60's,there wasn't a human being on the planet i hated more than mickey motherf**kin' mantle!!" he & whitey cracked up & we laughed so hard for about 5 minutes.he put his arm around my shoulder & said "that's a great one, george." brings tears to my eyes as i write this. he was so gracious. what a guy.
kingcoach13 2 months ago
@kingcoach13 A Beautiful and memorable recollection that you have recounted! Memories are precious to us whether of celebrities or parents or friends. Thanks for your sharing your memory of Mickey/Whitey. The laughs and the 'arm around my shoulder' should not be forgotten. Again Thanks. (Retired Catholic priest in Canada).
watchful38 2 months ago
Incredible interview. Wow.
MacUnity 3 months ago
I wonder how good he would have been if he hadn't ruined his knee early on.
tryithere 3 months ago
@teeemkay It must have hit the foul pole.
tryithere 3 months ago
Comment removed
tryithere 3 months ago
GOD BLESS MICKEY MANTLE!
hobbybunker1 3 months ago
god, after been interrogated by bob costas here, if i were mick, i'd want a drink
cbarrett34 3 months ago
If you are speaking of the book by Jane Leavy, then that is an incredible book. Leavy really captured what baseball was like back in those days and how much The Mick meant not only to fans of the NY Yankees, but to America. It also captured how ball players were able to live a life not under the constant watch of tabloid media, and how that has changed being a celebrity.
I also recommend her book on Sandy Koufax, which I am about half way through right now.
dfalterman 5 months ago
@dfalterman I am speaking of that book and the side things she says like the foundation that mick started for doner awareness saying it did not help and there was only 10'000 doner card distributed which is completely wrong there were millions.so its the things she trys to make sound as though they did not help i could go on but wont, just read the underlying things,as for the koufax book she did a love story??
harajukugirlloveandG 5 months ago
@SUNMAYDEN518 I guess you could say the same on any ball player mays,jeter,a-rod,ect......
harajukugirlloveandG 5 months ago
Wow incredible interview. Im in the middle of the book The Lost Boy and being 25, it really makes me wish I couldve seen The Mick for myself. Thanks for sharing. Bob Costas is great in this too.
movingoutwest 7 months ago
@movingoutwest the book you are talking about is a screw you to mick,with the author saying she interviewed 500 people well i could find 500 people that dont think much of that author too!!!!!!!!!!!
harajukugirlloveandG 6 months ago
@harajukugirlloveandG The book I am talking about interviewed 500 people who were closest around him, including his best friends, whitey ford and hank bauer, his wife merlyn and his children. Not 500 random people detracting the mick. the author even became friends with him 20 years ago and uses her past conversations with him. It is FAR from a "screw you," it's a huge tribute. You'd know if you actually read it. Read the facts before you make an idiotic comment.
movingoutwest 6 months ago
@harajukugirlloveandG you clearly haven't even almost read the book. nothing about it is a screw job. its a honest biography that shows that mickey had faults. and also shows how heroic he was in addressing those faults toward the end of his life.
davidp899 6 months ago
@davidp899 The author was on CNBC TV talking how mick could not play todays Baseball thats when she turned me off what a crock, She really loved mick?????Keep working for her and the left wing to do away with history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
harajukugirlloveandG 5 months ago
Love "the Mick"
ZaneCase84 7 months ago
Say what you want, it takes guts to go on national tv and tell the world about your worst moments. Especially when you have been admired and loved by so many. Everybody has problems, but few people are willing to acknowledge those problems, and try to fix them.
flashdgr81 7 months ago
Just an amazing individual.
METALkid614 7 months ago
What a brave man. Facing his demons in fron of his family, fans and friends. Mickey Mantle is the best!!! RIP.
SuperThunderlips 7 months ago
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 What? you think that someone well past their prime can still carry a team who hasn't been past the second round of playoff's since, when? 99? There are plenty of reasons why he only has 1 MVP, and 2 silver sluggers. There is alway someone better. With Mick, there was almost NO ONE better. And at Larry's age, Mantle was still getting better. Now look at Jones. Mantle was a 17 time all-star, 3 time MVP, A triple crown winner, a 7 time world champion, and a gold glove. Rebuddle?
Iceman2692 8 months ago
watching cry makes me feel like i'm watching jesus cry...
jhonjay11 8 months ago
The closest specimen to the natural talent that mickey mantle had, is Bo Jackson. if bo stayed in baseball, and was a switch hitter, I think his name would be right there next to mick's in the hall of fame.
Iceman2692 9 months ago
@Iceman2692
And, Bo was clocked just a bit slower than mick going down the first base line from the left side....
charlieh82 8 months ago
@Iceman2692 Nope sorry,that's what Chipper Jones is for,not Bo Jackson.
SLAYERMETALLICA357 8 months ago
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 Chipper couldn't hold a candle to the speed and athletic talent of Bo Jackson, Get Larry the hell outta here.
Iceman2692 8 months ago
@Iceman2692 HAHA YEAH OK
That's why Bo barely played in the NFL & MLB.He spent like 12 years in both sports.There's a reason Chipper is the only player that can barely be compared to Mickey,and Bo isn't one of them.
SLAYERMETALLICA357 8 months ago
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 Because you hear about Lawrence tearing up the basepaths, and hitting 500ft homeruns from either side of the plate on a regular basis like Mantle did. Bo Jackson was actually faster than Mantle, and had a Guided missle for an arm. Larry can barely make the throw to first half the time, or get out of his own way on the basepaths. He's not even close to being on a level as high as Bo Jackson or Mickey Mantle on a physical level. Jones is probably more overrated than anyone now.
Iceman2692 8 months ago
@Iceman2692 If Bo was so good why didn't he ever get any kind of award? Why did he get traded to 3 shitty teams? If he would have been as good as you said he would have been picked by high dollar teams.
And Chip can barely throw to 1st? What? He may have no gold gloves but for a gold gloveless 3rd baseman he is very good.You obviously don't watch him play much.Bo couldn't touch Chip.Bo wasn't a clutch hitting machine,Chip is.
SLAYERMETALLICA357 8 months ago
@SLAYERMETALLICA357 and yet you try to compare him to Mantle? sorry, I believe you are sorely mistaken. Compared to the Mick, Larry is still in JV baseball. Switch hitting with power doesn't usually come with speed anymore. the closest person to being as fast, and as strong, was mick. Bo was Faster and Stronger than Mick, which was my point. Larry doesn't even compare as a physical specimen. Bo was not a very good ball player. He could run, throw and hit, kinda. He broke a 36oz bat over his head
Iceman2692 8 months ago
@Iceman2692 Did I say he was better than Mantle no.I said he's the only guy that can be remotely compared to Mantle.No ones better than Mickey.Maybe Willie Mays but that's it.
But Bo Jackson can't be compared to Mantle before Chipper can.it would make no sense at all to say Bo Jackson was closer to being Mickey Mantle than Chipper Jones.And yes Chip can carry the Braves.I watch him every night destroy pitchers and pretty much coach this team.He and Brian McCann are going to be the
SLAYERMETALLICA357 7 months ago
@Iceman2692 sole reason we beat Philly in our division and go back to play-offs.
And last year if Chip wouldn't have been injured.WITHOUT A DOUBT I know we would have gone to the world series.Chip has the best post season stats of a switch hitter ONLY BEHIND MANTLE (Mantle is also in the top 3 best playoff players ever,so Chip being near him is pretty amazing) and he also has the highest postseason stats of any active player.If Chip stays healthy we'll win it all this year.
SLAYERMETALLICA357 7 months ago
In concluding, his stats leave no doubt as to the fact that he was a GREAT player, & if we assume that he didn't get the most out of his abilities, or only got 80% out of his ability due to injuries and not taking care of his body, then Mickey Mantle may very well be the most talented baseball player to ever walk the earth. A young kid went up to Al Kaline once and said, "You're not half as good as Mickey Mantle", & Kaline said, "Kid, there ain't no one half as good as Mickey Mantle. Nuff said.
dzanier 9 months ago
That Mantle was not a good father, husband and didn't get the most out of his abilities is unquestionable, but that there could be so much debate as to what he could've accomplished is quite remarkable when you consider that what he did accomplish was significant. Pitchers were scared to death of him, he walked a lot and generated a lot of runs. Mickey actually scored more runs in his career than he drove in, and that is a rarity for sluggers and RBI men.
dzanier 9 months ago
Can't understand why so much negative about Costas. Costas is well known for idolizing Mick and has shown a Mantle BB card he still carries in his wallet to this day. This is about Mantle, and he was perfectly willing to do this kind of interview. People don't want to see the human side of celebrities they once admired. Yes is was a drunk, abusive husband, and absentee father. Nice to see that he may have come to grip with his demons at the end.
jksponge 10 months ago
Costas was out of line with Mantle with the personal questions. Costas somehow came to be thought of as intelligent but I never got that vibe.
SomePeopleLikeThem 10 months ago
I disagree!
jiveturkey25 9 months ago
we look for the mickey's today and come up with nothing wow what a player
fredstmoritz 10 months ago
I did not like Bob Costas making Mickey feel uncomfortable about his mistakes. Just by the way he did it and he knew Mickey and should of told him before the interview that it was going to be like that and well I am sure maybe he would of not had gone that far into what went wrong without being prepared before hand to discus it with him. I love the MICK he was a great swinger from both sides of the plate.
steventhevirgin39 1 year ago
@steventhevirgin39 I think you are way off base. Every question was legitimate and Mickey did not look ill at ease at all.
eckesg2 10 months ago
@steventhevirgin39 He did. Mickey knew what the interview would be about and he wanted to go ahead with it. I remember a press conference Mickey held shortly before he died in Dallas where he basically said all of this again: I screwed up. I'm no hero. Learn from my mistakes. Remember, Mantle wrote a book about this before the interview.
mbrooks415 10 months ago