Mickey Mantle's Quotes & Sayings

Casey wanted us to stay loose. That didn't mean clowning around. He just meant we should be confident and relaxed. We shouldn't feel that one strikeout was going to end the season for us. — Mickey Mantle

The hardest thing to do in sports, I think, is to hit a home run. — Mickey Mantle

He said to play louder. He can't hear you. — Mickey Mantle

I expected him to say, 'Hang in there' or something like that. It took me an hour to talk him into giving me another chance! — Mickey Mantle

A body came flying out and landed at my feet. At first I thought it was Billy so I picked him up. But when I saw it wasn't I dropped him back down. — Mickey Mantle

Heroes are people who are all good with no bad in them. That's the way I always saw Joe DiMaggio. He was beyond question one of the greatest players of the century. — Mickey Mantle

I developed an interest in major league baseball and the 1960s were, as far as I'm concerned (with a nod to the Babe Ruth era of the 1920s), the Golden Age of Baseball. Like most people in the valley, I was a diehard Yankees fan and, in a pinch, a Mets fan. They were New York teams, and most New Englanders rooted for the Boston Red Sox, but our end of Connecticut was geographically and culturally closer to New York than Boston, and that's where our loyalties went.
And what was not to love? The Yankees ruled the earth in those days. The great Roger Maris set one Major League record after another and even he was almost always one hit shy of Mickey Mantle, God on High of the Green Diamond. — John William Tuohy

Today's Little Leaguers, and there are millions of them each year, pick up how to hit and throw and field just by watching games on TV. By the time they're out of high school, the good ones are almost ready to play professional ball. — Mickey Mantle

Not after all the time my dad spent teaching me to switch-hit. — Mickey Mantle

Harvey and I grew up in Queens, N.Y. My brother and I shared a room for 18 years until we went away to college. When we were kids, after our father said, 'Lights out,' he also exclaimed, 'No more talking. Time for sleep.' But we'd stay up late, arguing over statistics, who the best center fielder was - Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle. — Bob Weinstein

It's what you're worth. — Mickey Mantle

Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said "sure, every time". — Mickey Mantle

Billy (Martin) was a great one for jokes. He liked to play a joke more than anyone I ever knew. — Mickey Mantle

I won't look online. The whole fan thing makes me self-conscious, which is not to say I don't appreciate it or understand it. If Mickey Mantle were around, I'm sure I'd have a ton of questions to ask him that might make him uncomfortable. I get it. That doesn't mean it's not really awkward. — David Duchovny

As far as I'm concerned, Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last fifteen years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He's never received the credit he's due. — Mickey Mantle

I spent every bit of my money to try and get a Mickey Mantle card, and I don't have one. Growing up in Oklahoma, Mickey Mantle was my idol. And here I am, and I'd go pick cotton to have enough money, and I'd buy all of these packs, and I'd chew all of the gum, and I'd never find a Mickey Mantle card. — Johnny Bench

Sometimes I sit in my den at home and read stories about myself. Kids used to save whole scrapbooks on me. They get tired of them and mail them to me. I'll go in there and read them, and you know what? They might as well be about (Stan) Musial and (Joe) DiMaggio, it's like reading about somebody else. — Mickey Mantle

Carl Yastrzemski was the best all-around player. He could run, throw and hit. He had the ability to play a number of different positions. He signed as a shortstop. He could play the outfield, of course, and third base and first, too. He was a tremendous athlete. Mickey Mantle was unbelievable, too. — Al Kaline

In the spring of 1957, Mickey Mantle was the king of New York. He had the Triple Crown to prove it, having become only the 12th player in history to earn baseball's gaudiest jewel. In 1956, he had finally fulfilled the promise of his promise, batting .353, with 52 homers and 130 RBIs. Everybody loved Mickey. — Jane Leavy

He (Mickey Mantle) has it in his body to be great. — Casey Stengel

In 1961 somebody could've hit a home run to win the game and the next day the headline was about the M&M boys not hitting a home run. But everyone was real good about it. Instead of getting mad they joked about it. — Mickey Mantle

What did you say, Joe? — Mickey Mantle

The strain on Roger (Maris) was unbelievable. After I dropped out the reporters only had one guy to go to. They surrounded him everywhere he went. He had big clumps of hair falling out. That he went ahead and did it was unbelievable. — Mickey Mantle

I had talked for years about doing a restaurant with Rocky Dudum, who's been my friend since I first came to San Francisco. Then Rocky's son, Jeff, said he wanted to design it, so he traveled around the country to sports restaurants like Mickey Mantle's and Michael Jordan's, and he came up with a great concept. — Willie McCovey

Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Listen to your moms and dads. In this great country of ours you do whatever you set your mind to. Make us proud of you. — Mickey Mantle

He can run, steal bases, throw, hit for average, and hit with power like I've never seen. Just don't put him at shortstop. — Mickey Mantle

I wanted to throw my glass at the TV. — Mickey Mantle

At my best I was as good as anyone. — Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was baseball. — Bob Costas

People say Yogi (Berra) is a strange guy, and I've heard Yogi say some funny things. But he has a beautiful wife, he's rich, and he's famous. I don't see anything strange about that. — Mickey Mantle

Of course, I didn't tell you about all the times I said I was going to hit one and it didn't happen. — Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was a very good golfer, but we weren't allowed to play golf during the season; only at spring training. — Yogi Berra

You never have to wait long, or look far, to be reminded of how thin the line is between being a hero or a goat. — Mickey Mantle

Everyone has someone they looked up to. Mine was Mickey Mantle. For Alex Rodriguez to idolize me coming up, that makes me feel very good. — Keith Hernandez

I love New York. I love to come here, to play here, the tradition here. I'll never forget my first home run here was over Mickey Mantle's head. — Tony Oliva

It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life. — Mickey Mantle

If you want to know who was better, me or Willie Mays, you have to look at our career stats. And Willie's bottom line was better. — Mickey Mantle

The greatest thing I ever saw was Roger Maris breaking Babe Ruth's record. — Mickey Mantle

The biggest game I ever played in was probably Don Larsen's perfect game. — Mickey Mantle

Sometimes I think if I had the same body and the same natural ability and someone else's brain, who knows how good a player I might have been. — Mickey Mantle

In 1961, when Maris broke Babe Ruth's record, he wasn't intentionally walked once. Mickey batted after Roger, and nobody was going to put a man on base with Mantle coming up to the plate. — Mel Allen

My views are just about the same as Casey's. — Mickey Mantle

Bravery is a complicated thing to describe. You can't say it's three feet long and two feet wide and that it weighs four hundred pounds or that it's colored bright blue or that it sounds like a piano or that it smells like roses. It's a quality, not a thing. — Mickey Mantle

If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself! — Mickey Mantle

He foresaw the platooning that managers like Casey Stengel used years before it happened. He told me I had to be a switch-hitter if I was going to play. — Mickey Mantle

Well, baseball was my whole life. Nothing's ever been as fun as baseball. — Mickey Mantle

On two legs, Mickey Mantle would have been the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. — Nellie Fox

Before you go, would you sign that case of balls for me? — Mickey Mantle

I never saw him fight. I never saw Billy fight. — Mickey Mantle

In Naples, Fla., I met a self-made man, a multimillionaire, whose round penthouse apartment is home to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Henry Moore, and Mickey Mantle. He had purchased the most coveted items auctioned by the Mantle family at Madison Square Garden in December 2003. — Jane Leavy

Casey didn't easily forgive a guy who got doubled up on a hit-and-run play. He didn't see any reason why the runner couldn't take a quick glance back toward the plate to make sure the ball was hit safely. — Mickey Mantle

As far as he knew, I was dying. — Mickey Mantle

Well, I beat my man. Now it's up to you to beat yours. — Mickey Mantle

If that guy (Mickey Mantle) were healthy, he'd hit 80 home runs. — Carl Yastrzemski

Any code of your own that you haven't looked at for six or more months might as well have been written by someone else. — Mickey W. Mantle

Billy copied Casey to a 'T.' — Mickey Mantle

I have to give Mays one edge, durability. Mickey isn't sound and Willie is. Otherwise, if I had a chance to trade for either player, I'd pick Mantle. — Gabe Paul

My dad taught me to switch-hit. He and my grandfather, who was left-handed, pitched to me every day after school in the back yard. I batted lefty against my dad and righty against my granddad. — Mickey Mantle

There only have been two people on this earth that I was nervous around: Chet Atkins and Mickey Mantle. It's because of the respect I have for them. — Charley Pride

To get a better piece of chicken, you'd have to be a rooster. — Mickey Mantle

I could never be a manager. All I have is natural ability. — Mickey Mantle

Because the players knew that if Billy asked them to jump off a roof, he'd jump off with them. — Mickey Mantle

The only thing I can do is play baseball. I have to play ball. It's the only thing I know. — Mickey Mantle

I don't know why, but for some reason I seem to be more popular now than when I was playing. — Mickey Mantle

It gave me a second chance. I'd like everybody to have a second chance if they need it, so I'm trying to let people know how important it is to become an organ donor. — Mickey Mantle

It looked like Roy Rogers rode through on Trigger, and Trigger kicked the guy in the face. — Mickey Mantle

Fill in any figure you want for that boy (Mickey Mantle). Whatever the figure, it's a deal. — Branch Rickey

I always loved the game, but when my legs weren't hurting it was a lot easier to love. — Mickey Mantle

I don't care what the situation was, how high the stakes were - the bases could be loaded and the pennant riding on every pitch, it never bothered Whitey. He pitched his game. Cool. Craft. Nerves of steel. — Mickey Mantle

I've heard about you. I've heard about you, too. — Mickey Mantle

After a play in the field Casey would turn (to the players on the bench) and say 'What did he do wrong?' or 'You're better than that guy.' Either way, he'd keep them from getting stale. — Mickey Mantle

Just like every other kid in my grade school, I was listening to my little radio plug in my ear when Mickey Mantle hit 18 post-season homers and won series after series for the Yankees. I listened and I learned from that. I think he was the original 'Mr. October,' but thank god it didn't stick. — Reggie Jackson

Those people don't know how tough that really was. — Mickey Mantle

They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing. — Mickey Mantle

Ralph (Houk) brought out the best in everybody, and that included me. I consider myself lucky to have played for him. — Mickey Mantle

The author relates that Mickey Mantle did not expect to play one day and showed up extremely hung over. He was nevertheless called on to pitch and smashed a towering home run to an enthusiastic ovation. He related to his teammates, Those people don't know how tough that was. — Jim Bouton

If I were playing today I'd do what Joe DiMaggio said. I'd go knock on the door at Yankee Stadium and when George Steinbrenner answered I'd say, 'Howdy, pardner.' — Mickey Mantle

I hated to bat against Drysdale. After he hit you he'd come around, look at the bruise on your arm and say, 'Do you want me to sign it?' — Mickey Mantle

It was the single greatest feat I ever saw. — Mickey Mantle

Hey man! Get away from me! — Mickey Mantle

Roger Maris was as good a man and as good a ballplayer as there ever was. — Mickey Mantle

Don't do as I did. I'm living proof of how not to live. — Mickey Mantle

5. Unfair to Animals 6. Unfair to Muledom THE HALF-PENNANT PORCH Finley was obsessed with the Yankees and attributed their success to the short distance to the right field fence in Yankee Stadium. He believed sluggers who batted left-handed, like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris, had an unfair advantage. The fence was the sole reason the Yankees were winners. Before the 1964 season, Finley sought to create his own advantage. He moved his right field fence so that it was 296 feet from home plate and called it his "Pennant Porch." The commissioner forced Finley to change it to 325 feet. — Josh Ostergaard

I don't know why Roger (Maris) isn't in the hall of fame. To me, he was as good as there ever was. — Mickey Mantle

When I first came to Yankee Stadium I used to feel like the ghosts of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were walking around in there. — Mickey Mantle

I had it all and blew it. — Mickey Mantle

I leaned on him for support when I got out of the cab, and he just crumpled to the ground. That's how we found out. — Mickey Mantle

I thought I raised a ballplayer. You're nothing but a coward and a quitter. — Mickey Mantle

If I send the ball home, I know what will happen to it. My twin brothers will take it out on the lot, like any 20-cent rocket. — Mickey Mantle

You hit .350 you're a leader. You hit .250 and you're not. — Mickey Mantle

If the World Series was on the line and I could pick one pitcher to pitch the game, I'd choose Whitey Ford every time. — Mickey Mantle

When I hit a home run I usually didn't care where it went. So long as it was a home run was all that mattered. — Mickey Mantle

I never got to see the '27 Yankees. Everyone says that was the greatest team ever. But I think it would've been a great series if we'd have had the chance to play them. — Mickey Mantle

Here lies Mickey Mantle. Banned from baseball. — Peter Ueberroth

We know you can bunt, Mick. You're not down here to bunt. You're here to get some hits and get your swing back. — Mickey Mantle

My biggest regret was letting my lifetime average drop below .300. I always felt I was a .300 hitter, and if I could change one thing that would be it. — Mickey Mantle

The thing I really liked about Mickey was the way he treated everyone the same. — Mickey Mantle

And that one is gone. A home run for Mickey Mantle! How do you like that? — Mel Allen

I think the best all-round baseball player ever was Joe DiMaggio. — Mickey Mantle

Hey Mantle, you win. You're the worst. — Mickey Mantle