Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 14, 1995 TAG: 9508160039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``He is greatest player I ever played with and one of my best friends. Mickey and I had a lot of fun.'' - Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford.
``What can you say about Mickey, after you say he was one of the greatest? He had talent he didn't realize he had. If he had [Joe] DiMaggio's serious bear-down attitude, there's no telling how great he could have been. With his one good leg, he could outrun everyone.'' - former teammate Gene Woodling.
``He transcends any game and any team. Just as Jesse Owens was to track and field and Michael Jordan is to basketball, Mickey Mantle is to baseball. Great athletes like Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio transcend the game. They are heroes to every fan. Mickey Mantle certainly is one.'' - Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
``Mickey meant an awful lot to me. He was a tremendous athlete. People didn't understand him the way they should have. He played 10 years on one leg. But more than that, he was a tremendous person.'' - home run king Henry Aaron.
``Go around the American League, and the longest home runs in about half the parks were hit by Mickey Mantle. I've shown some of the modern players where Mickey hit the ball, and they can't believe it.'' - former shortstop Tony Kubek.
``I remember he used to get very mad at himself if he failed to hit. I'll never forget how hard he played all the time, especially the catch he made in my perfect game.'' - Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
``To fully appreciate Mickey, you would have had to see him after a ballgame with his legs taped from the thigh to the ankle. He wore these awkward rubber wraps, not the sophisticated braces of today. I'd look at the scars on his knees and wonder how he ever stood up, much less played.'' - Kubek.
by CNB