Wanderers in Wonder

We camped at Spavinaw State Park in Oklahoma for a few days last week. It was a short walk from camp to town. It was in Spavinaw, OK that the ‘Commerce Comet’ was born in 1931. His dad, Mutt, moved the family to Commerce, OK in 1934 where he became a lead and zinc miner. Almost every night during the spring, summer and fall Mutt would pitch to his young son in front of the tin walled barn. His son would bat right handed. When grandpa Charles came over, he would pitch to his grandson and make him bat left-handed.

One can still see dents made by the young man’s hits.

At Commerce High our young man was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. He would be offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. But, hitting a baseball was this young man’s passion, the further, the better. He started his baseball career with the NY Yankees in 1951. By the time he retired in 1968 he would be the best switch hitter the game had ever seen, only player to hit more than 150 HR’s from both sides of the plate. He would be named to the American League All-Star team twenty times and would be on seven World Series winning teams. Once asked if he came to bat to hit home runs HR, “every time”, he replied. He was fined by his manager, the ‘Ole Perfessor’, Casey Stengel on more than one occasion for hitting a HR when Casey had put on the bunt sign.

He was ‘The Mick’.

‘The Mick’s’ dad, Mutt Mantle, named Mickey for his favorite MLB player, Mickey Cochrane of the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. ‘The Mick’ always said he was glad his dad used Cochrane’s third given name for him. Cochrane’s entire given name was Gordon Stanley Mickey Cochrane.

Gordon Stanley Mickey Cochrane

The summer of my ninth year, 1961, was one for the ages. The M&M Boys, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, were chasing ‘The Babes’ single season HR record of 60. My little transistor radio was my constant companion that summer whether at TOBAY Beach with my Mom and sibs, or at my grandparents in Lavallette, NJ with my brother and cousin or camping with my Dad and brother in the Catskills and Adirondacks, always the radio and extra batteries. Injuries caused ‘The Mick’ to fade late in the season. Roger would hit his 61st on the final day of the season. 

The ‘Ole Perfessor’ commented, after the World Series was over, that 1961 had been “The Babe’s’ worst season. ‘The Babe’ had been in the ground for over a decade by 1961. But, not only did Roger Maris break The Babe’s single season HR record, during the fourth game of that year’s World Series ‘The Chairman of the Board’, Whitey Ford, pitched his thirtieth consecutive World Series inning of shutout ball. The Babe, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, had held the record at 29 2/3 innings for forty-three years. The Yankees defeated Cincinnati four games to one in the ’61 Series.

The M&M Boys in 1961.

‘The Babe’

‘The Chairman of the Board’.

MLB Hall of Famer, Negro League Hall of Famer, MLB Scout and baseball ambassador extraordinaire, Buck O’Neil, saw The Mick when he first came up with the Yankees in 1951. After following ‘The Mick’s’ career for years Buck had this assessment.

NOTE: This is from memory as I do not have my library with me on the road but it certainly captures Buck’s assessment if not his exact words. 

“The Mick…it really wasn’t fair to other players in the Majors. Mickey is the fastest player, Black or White, I had ever seen. His shoulders seem to be as wide as his body was long. Relatively small strike zone, unbelievable strength and speed, just not fair I tell you”.

Buck O’Neil

The highway from Spavinaw to Commerce.

Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.