The "You Can Have "The Mick." I'll Take The "Say Hey Kid" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my morning paper and thinking of my old-time friend Bill who for years, and probably still is...a Mickey Mantle fan.  We had many go-arounds as to whom was the best outfielder in baseball...either The Mick or Willie Mays.  Of course Willie was my all-time favorite outfielder.  But, I must admit, that after reading an article in the Tuesday, July 26 LNP newspaper that Mickey just might be one up on Willie in one category...rare baseball cards.  

Seems that a decades-old, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction.  The story I read said that a collector's card from 1952 features one of baseball's most celebrated and charismatic legends, and is widely regarded as one of just a handful in near-perfect condition.  The estimated cost of the card could exceed $10 million when the auction ends August 27.  The current record is $6.6 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner card that sold at auction a year ago, months after another 70-year-old Mantle card fetched $5.2 million.  Hey, what ever happened to all those top-notch Mays' cards?  Well the current auction opened this past Monday and as of the time I typed this story, the price of the card was $4.2 million.  The current owner of the Mantle card is a New Jersey fellow who bought it for $50,000 at a New York City show in 1991.  The newspaper story I was reading said that every time Mickey got to the plate, the crowd would go crazy, the roars would be there.  And, he never disappointed.  He had an aura about him, just like Willie did!  The switch-hitting Mantle was a triple crown winner in 1956, a three-time American League MVP, and a seven-time World Series Champ.  The Hall of Fame member died in 1995.  There is one thing I will give him...he wasn't a showboat like many great players are.   He was considered a humble player who when he hit a home run would run around the bases with his head bowed.  The Mick once said that he figured that the pitcher already felt bad enough without him showing him up while running around the bases.  The card that is now up for auction has a rarity on par with it's subject's mythical reputation.  The quality of the card in perfect.  Someone took good care of it over the years.  It has four sharp corners and the gloss jumps off the card at you.  Well, Mickey Mantle may be "the King" of baseball cards, but Willie is "the King" of baseball.  At least in my eyes and heart.  Just don't ask Bill how he feels about it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.