In 1964, for the 10th time in his Major League Baseball career, Mickey Mantle hit home runs from both the left and right sides of the plate in the same game...setting a new baseball record!
There really doesn't need to be anything else said...unless of course your ass has been locked in a dungeon...or living in a cave for the past half century...arguably one of the most prolific long ball legends of pre-steroid scandal baseball...arguments among Yankees fans continue to this day over whether Mickey was the best...or was it the Babe...it goes without saying Mickey was a badass...not only did he set the single season (asterisk free) HR record...he also set records like the one mentioned above...but that's to be expected when you don the pinstripes...achieving greatness...settling for nothing less...they hold team records that will stand the test of time...now some people will think I'm biased in my opinion...being a lifelong Yankees fan...on the contrary...I am a fan of anyone who not only attains the level expected of them...but finds the depth of character to exceed even their own wildest dreams...personally if I had to vote for my all time favorite Yankees player it would be the Mick over the Babe...to me the single season homerun record...as well as not only the record mentioned in the tidbit...but also the fact that he belted 18...count them 18...homeruns in his World Series career...that's not counting postseason playoffs...add that with Mr. Mantle being a threat anytime he held a bat at the plate...now if I choose to remain unhypocritical...and be a proponent of juicing baseball til we're building stadiums triple there current size then I would hafta give Barry Bonds his due...people can say what they want about the effects of steroids...on baseball...on the players...here's the thing...the only difference between Barry and you is that the monkey on his back was made visible and available to national scrutiny...even with steroids...can you grasp the mechanics involved in standing at home plate...in front of millions of viewers...anticipating the pitchers next windup...narrowing your vision to pick up the rotation of the ball as it's released from the pitchers hand and comes hurling towards you like a meteor smashing to earth...and having the focus and mental capacity to place the barrel of your bat in the precise location of perfect contact to send that ball screaming for the stands...or out of the park...the difference between Mickey and Barry is I think Mickey could still do it had he played in this era...whereas Barry more than likely wouldn't have...now some of you might argue that Babe Ruth was better...or Lou Gehrig...or even Joltin' Joe...I still give the nod to the Mick...most of us can't do anything even remotely close to imitating ambidexterity...hell I'll bet more than half of ya can't even rub your tummy with one hand while patting your head with the other...put your hands down you look ridiculous...I didn't say try it now...and Mickey didn't do this just once...he did it 10 times...10 seperate games in which he went yard from both sides of the plate...they just don't make players like that anymore...they're all overpaid Primma Donna's that believe they should be pedestalized...(another Dubyaism sorry)...here's an idea...if in fact the stuff Barry is accused of using did in some way...shape...or form...give him the advantage of being able to increase his ability to see the ball so much better...how about we mandate the shit for umpires and referees...then we could shitcan instant replay dropping millions of unnecessary dollars in TV contracts...thereby not only making games more affordable for the blue collar fan...but making them more interesting by having the damn calls made right...for the love of sports...either that or mount Coke bottle bottom glasses on each and every one of their noses!!!
