{"id":2103,"date":"2018-01-23T17:04:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T17:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.johnpaciorek.com\/?p=2103"},"modified":"2022-08-05T15:52:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T15:52:38","slug":"new-book-chapter-40-the-mick-as-good-as-they-get","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.johnpaciorek.com\/?p=2103","title":{"rendered":"New Book – Chapter 40 – “The Mick”: As Good as They Get"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 40 of my new Book, If I Knew Then What I Know Now. It depicts a 1964 Spring Training game, Houston Colt .45s vs. the New York Yankees at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n

\"See \u00a0\"\"<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0 \"See \u00a0\"See<\/p>\n

CHAPTER 40
\n\u201cThe Mick\u201d: As Good as They Get<\/p>\n

It was going to be a long ride, so I found a couple of baseball magazines to read during the trip. The cover picture on one had a photograph of a powerful-looking Mickey Mantle\"\"<\/a>, from the 1950s. There were more pictures inside, but I would wait until I was on the bus before viewing them.<\/p>\n

As we were boarding the bus, Ralph Salvon, one of our trainers, was passing out bags of lunch to each of the players. What a pleasant surprise that was! When I was onboard, Joe (Morgan)\"\"<\/a> said, \u201cThey provided lunches yesterday as well. I saved some of mine for after the game. They just gave out bottles of water for the trip back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was thoughtful! I figured I\u2019d probably be hungry about 11:00 am. Bus travel in the big leagues was great, even in spring training. Nice, comfortable seats on a luxury Greyhound sure was better than minor-league transportation. Since I was earlier than most onto the bus, I sat in the middle and was hoping no one would care to sit with me. Only twenty players were traveling, so most players had private seats. A few \u201cbuddies\u201d wanted to sit together. The bus left at exactly nine thirty.<\/p>\n

After doing a little \u201cdeep breathing\u201d and entertaining some quiet thoughts about today\u2019s game, and seeing \u201cThe Mick\u201d for the first time, I began looking at the magazine I brought along. Page after page featured Mickey swinging! \"\"<\/a> All the swings looked good, but some pictures caught \u201cthe Mick\u201d either missing the ball or fouling it off. \"\"<\/a> A few of the photographs depicted what I would consider a perfect swing, at the \u201ccontact point\u201d\"See and at the end of his \u201cfollow-through.\u201d \"\"<\/a> From those images, it is easy to feel as though he might be the most powerful hitter in baseball.<\/p>\n

From the start of his \u201cgathering,\u201d his front shoulder was wrapped around his chin \"\"<\/a>, and his rounded back looked as if it would supply the maximum leverage to accommodate fast and powerful muscular contractions to facilitate the turning action of the upper body through the swing. \"See At the contact point \"See, every part of his body was in order: bent back knee driving the back hip forward with perfect horizontal balance with the front hip. His front shoulder \u201cshrugged\u201d to allow a natural upward tilt to the angle of his bat; front leg straightened with ideal foot-plant (foot, at a 120-degree angle to the pitcher); and an uncommonly well-balanced follow-through.\u00a0 \"See His swing not only depicted a perfectly aligned \u201cvertical axis\u201d but a concentrated momentum flow of his hips and shoulders that only further attributed to his incredible flexibility and power.
\n* * *
\nI had heard that, before the 1951 baseball season had begun, the Yankees were spring training in Arizona. On a trip to the University of Southern California, they played a few games on the University\u2019s baseball field. Nineteen-year-old Mantle \"See was reported to have hit a right-handed home run 600 feet. Then in a subsequent at bat, he hit one, left-handed, the distance of 650 feet. I had always thought that people were exaggerating, even when more than one reliable source marked off the distance \"\"<\/a>. But after studying the \u201cmechanics\u201d of his swing and calculating the efficiency of his fluid body and range of motion, I realized that if anyone could have done it, it would be \u201cThe Mick,\u201d even with his weighing just 185 lbs.\"See
\n* * *
\nLooking at Mantle in \u201cstreet clothes,\u201d \"See I would have to say that he was the most naturally photogenic man I\u2019d ever seen. He looked good in everything.\"See His head, his face, every part of his body seemed perfectly proportioned. \"See\u00a0\"See \"See \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> He certainly was the \u201call-American boy,\u201d and most sports fans saw him that way. Too bad he was injured so much.\"See<\/p>\n

\u201cBussie\u201d was really rolling down the highway! We made it to Fort Lauderdale by eleven forty-five. I ate most of my roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwich by eleven o\u2019clock. So after a restroom break, I was ready to play.<\/p>\n

When I walked onto the field, I was hoping to see Maris and \u201cthe Mick,\u201d at least sitting in the third base dugout. The Yankees finished their pregame workout ten minutes earlier and wouldn\u2019t be out until right before warming up again for the game.<\/p>\n

I thought I\u2019d better go out to left field and see if there were any peculiarities I should be aware of. Everything was fine. The sun might be difficult only when I go to my right. Rusty will be looking right into it later in the game.<\/p>\n

After throwing a little with Rusty, we took infield\/outfield practice and were ready to start. The Yankee lineup did include Maris and Mantle. Maris was hitting third, and Mickey was \u201ccleanup,\u201d followed by Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone, Elston Howard, Clete Boyer, and Whitey Ford. Phil Linz and Bobby Richardson were batting in front of Maris.<\/p>\n

Bob Bruce was pitching for us, so with Maris, Mantle, Tresh, and Pepitone, four lefties would be batting in a row. Rusty might get pretty busy. I wondered if I\u2019d have to be doing a lot of \u201cbacking up\u201d along the third base line?<\/p>\n

We were up first, so my first concern would be to bat against the \u201clegendary\u201d Whitey Ford. Because of our lineup change, Joe Gaines stayed at home, and Jimmy replaced him. Because of the left-handed Ford pitching, Jimmy was batting fourth, behind me, followed by Walt, Rusty, Aspro, and Bateman, as well as Bruce…<\/p>\n

Our half of the first inning ended as we had taken a 2-0 lead, with the mighty Yanks coming up. I raced out to my position, and as he jogged in, Mickey paused and turned back to give me a look then continued into his own dugout.<\/p>\n

Someone was going to have to get on base, if I was going to see Mantle bat this inning. The bottom of the inning began with Phil Linz hitting a ground ball through the right side of the infield for a base hit. Bobby Richardson then wasted no time in driving a base hit to right field as well. Since the ball was a line drive between Rusty and Jimmy, Linz, a runner with good speed, decided to go to third. He must not have been aware that Rusty had a very good arm.<\/p>\n

Rusty fielded the ball and threw what appeared to be a \u201cstrike\u201d to Aspro at third base. Unfortunately, the ball careened off the back of Linz\u2019s helmet. Bruce was \u201cbacking up\u201d the play, in a direct line with the throw. But the ball ricocheted to his far left, even before Linz could begin a slide. Third base coach Frankie Crossetti reacted immediately and waved his arms and yelled out to keep going home.<\/p>\n

What no one else realized was that I was performing my customary \u201chustling duty,\u201d as I would always do when playing left field. When the ball was first hit toward right center, I immediately started running toward the third base dugout. Not very often is there a chance to do something spectacular, but when a circumstance would occur, I never wanted to miss my opportunity for something \u201cheroic.\u201d And the current incident certainly presented that moment for \u201cglory.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as the ball careened from Linz\u2019s helmet, the Yankee coach seized the opportunity to capitalize with an immediate response. But since I was \u201cthere\u201d to retrieve the ball, I caught it and moved quickly toward third, getting ready to throw to Bateman, at home.<\/p>\n

Linz had already rounded third at full speed before Crossetti realized I had \u201cmaterialized out of nowhere.\u201d He then yelled for Linz to \u201cget back.\u201d Linz stopped about twenty feet off the bag and started coming back. But he saw that I was coming fast, with the ball in my hand. So he automatically got into what he assumed would be a \u201crundown.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I had a \u201cfull head of steam\u201d and was running straight at him. He started for home, but before he lost complete sight of me, I faked a throw, which made him hesitate momentarily, allowing me to run him down and apply a quick tag. Richardson had already advanced to second, on the throw to third, and was thinking about advancing again, with the impending \u201crundown\u201d in order.<\/p>\n

When I made the \u201ctag-out\u201d quickly, I immediately looked for him and found him far off the base at second. With the baseball already in my throwing hand, I quickly set myself and \u201crifled a bullet\u201d to Joe, who put the tag on the diving Yankee, to complete an unconventional \u201cdouble play.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the play ended, I was standing near the Yankee dugout. I heard a loud voice at the front end and looked to see and hear what was being said. There was The Mick, with bat in hand, ready to approach the \u201con-deck circle.\u201d I heard him say, in a patronizing tone, \u201cLooks like we got us another Charlie Hustle.\u201d<\/p>\n

I ran back to my left field position, as my teammates applauded my exploits. I assumed Mantle\u2019s comments were complementary. How could they not be? I thought.<\/p>\n

There were two outs, and Roger Maris was up. He was an impressive-looking hitter, with a smooth swing. \"SeeFrom what I had read, I always felt bad about how unappreciated he seemed to be, especially after breaking Babe Ruth\u2019s home run record. I wished he could have appreciated his own accomplishment in a manner more suitable to its heroic value. I guess, in time, he will receive his \u201cjust due.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Bruce\u2019s second pitch, Roger \u201cturned\u201d on an inside fastball and sent a towering fly ball to deep right field.\"See Rusty turned to go back for it, but after a few steps, he knew his effort would be futile.<\/p>\n

With the score now 2\u20131, The Mick was coming up for his first at-bat of the day. While Maris was impressive in his demeanor and stance, Mantle was \u201cimposing!\u201d He wasn\u2019t that big, but his \u201cstature\u201d reminded me of that Chinese American \u201cgung-fu\u201d guy in Fresno. Mickey and Bruce displayed a physical presence that defied general perception. Although this would be my first actual, personal encounter with the Yankee slugger, the pictures and television viewings of his exploits saturated my mind with memorable visions of monumental proportions.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s batting left-handed against the right-handed (Bob) Bruce. He\u2019s generally a \u201cpull hitter,\u201d but he did hit home runs to the opposite field and \u201coff-balanced\u201d grounders that he was once able to \u201cbeat out\u201d for hits. \u201cI doubt if I\u2019ll see much action from off his bat. But I\u2019ll be ready any way,\u201d I admonished myself.<\/p>\n

As I watched from my left field vantage point, I could not help but be in awe of the power he could generate in his swing. His feet were relatively close together (shoulder-width apart), knees were bent naturally to facilitate maximum balance, while his body leaned slightly toward the plate. His front shoulder was turned inward, and his hands held his bat perpendicular to ground, at the height of a \u201chigh-strike.\u201d\"See<\/p>\n

Bruce\u2019s first-pitch fastball was swung at with ferocity and sent a foul ball whistling directly back behind home plate; he just missed it. The next pitch was \u201coff-speed\u201d and caught Mickey (and his long stride) way out in front, while \u201ctopping\u201d a ground ball into our first base dugout.<\/p>\n

With an 0\u20132 count, Bruce threw a curveball in the dirt. Although Mickey almost swung, he held up, off his front foot. Now with a 1 and 2 count, Bruce made a big mistake in trying to throw what looked like an outside-corner fastball past the Mick.<\/p>\n

From my standpoint, I could see the coiling action of Mickey\u2019s \u201cgathering mechanism\u201d synchronize perfectly with his ostensible stride. As his front foot planted, the torqueing action of his body came into synergistic accord with his entire batting regimen. As his front leg straightened to initiate the backward movement of his opening front hip, his back bent knee had already begun its forceful drive forward with his fast turning back hip.<\/p>\n

Then the fluid and powerful upper body came into play as his \u201cshrugged\u201d front shoulder turned violently in circular fashion around his horizontally rotated hips. This action brought his back shoulder, arms, and bat to the focal point where \u201chickory and a hardbound leather projectile\u201d came into a perfectly orchestrated coincidental contact.<\/p>\n

At contact, I could see the \u201ctowering trajectory\u201d and knew immediately that Jimmy wasn\u2019t going to catch that blast to straightaway center field.\"See As I detected the directional flow of the ball at impact, my body responded instinctively with a quick burst toward center field. But after two steps, I could see there would be no need for \u201cbackup.\u201d<\/p>\n

That missile traveled well past the four hundred\u2013foot distance to the fence. Even as I was moving toward center field, my mind\u2019s eye could picture Mickey\u2019s \u201cpicturesque follow-through.\u201d His back shoulder didn\u2019t stop, after contact, until it had driven his back arm to extension through the swing and wrapped around the right-front portion of his body and placed itself directly in front of his twisted torso.\"See<\/p>\n

What muscular joint flexibility! It\u2019s no wonder he could generate such power. If he didn\u2019t stride, he\u2019d probably be less apt to swing and miss as much as he did. As I was watching his somewhat \u201climping trot\u201d around the bases, he seemed to deviate from his customary, \u201chumble, head-down\u201d demeanor when, after rounding second base, his head tilted right and his smiling glance seemed to imply that he was still a formidable force to be reckoned with. My own “thumb-up” certainly confirmed that inference.<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed that excerpt, you’ll no-doubt enjoy the other 52 chapters of my Book when it comes out of publication sometime in February. I might include other excerpts from those chapters before the publication date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 40 of my new Book, If I Knew Then What I Know Now. It depicts a 1964 Spring Training game, Houston Colt .45s vs. the New York Yankees at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 CHAPTER 40 \u201cThe Mick\u201d: As Good as They Get It was going to … Continue reading New Book – Chapter 40 – “The Mick”: As Good as They Get<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t