Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs

mantle, a muscular, blond Oklahoman. promising much, becoming one of the yankee greats. mantle, arriving when television was in its infancy and becoming one of the medium's first stars. leading the Yankees. playing in the world series almost every fall. becoming the greatest American league draw car since ruth and having as center-field counterparts in new York willie mays and duke snider.

Mantle joined the New York Yankees in 1951 as a 19-year-old, and retired in 1968, unquestionably the most popular athlete in the Big Apple. In that time he hit 536 home runs (nowhere near the record), some of them prodigious smashes that probably traveled over 600 feet and many that went at least 500 feet. Gallagher, author of three previous books on the Bronx Bombers, is obviously an idolator of Mantle and here traces the ballplayer's career by focusing on his home runs. Additionally, he appends a statistical table of some 100 pages listing every blow by date, place, game score, Mantle's position in the batting order, etc. Most fans won't find such a microscopic examination worth their time. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

His exploitson and off the fieldhave been reported often, recently by Mantle himself in The Mick ( LJ 7/85). Here the writer of several Yankee books does sketch the slugger's life story, but concentrates on the notable homers among the 536 that put Mantle high on the all-time list. Extensive research and interviews have produced analyses of the "tape measure" blasts, and other intriguing sidelights. The appendix gives details of the rest of the 536 and career statistics. Happy reading for adult and YA fansespecially Yankee ones.Morey Berger, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.