|
|
|
ALL SPORTS ARE GAMES! ALL GAMES ARE NOT SPORTS!
From backgammon to the 3,000 year old Royal Game of Ur., from Oriental kite contests to the universal tit-tat-toe and baseball, games have been, and are played throughout every culture and society known to man.
Where is the line drawn...
Golf and Zen — Chapter Three
About Golfing Zen: This is the third in a continuing series of short essays dealing with the application of Eastern spiritual philosophy to your golf game.
The surface intent is that, as you apply the ideas, your golf and your enjoyment of the...
Modern Technology has Given us a Wonderful Range of Sports Sunglasses
Modern technology has given us a wonderful range of sports sunglasses frames and sports sunglasses lenses made to both enhance and stand up to the demands of the sports enthusiast with lightweight, flexible, durable materials, no-slip frames and a...
The Youth Sports Coach
Coaching youth sports is a challenge. Most of our kids are really happy to have us step up to the plate and coach and, despite the time we give up, most parents find the experience equally rewarding. However, there are some major things that every...
Watching the NFL versus the MLB
Imagine placing two flat screen plasma TV's side by side in your
living room smack dab in front of your couch. You've got beer,
snacks a-plenty and fresh batteries in your clicker.
One TV has an NFL game on and the other has a Major...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Meeting Mickey Mantle
Meeting Mickey Mantle
Meeting Mickey Mantle would be a dream comes true. A dream realized for Dan on his 38th birthday, when his wife honored him with a week long stay at the Yankee Fantasy Camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dan played with some of the Yankee legends: Bobby Murcer, Mickey Rivers, Ron Guidry, Moose Skowron and Catfish Hunter. The games were great and being on the same field with some of the players he had watched on TV or at Yankee Stadium was mesmerizing.
But what made the week particularly special was the friendship he nurtured with his hero. The Mick even gave Dan a nickname - “Nails” for the scrappy, Lenny Dykstra-way that Dan played. While Mickey didn’t play in these games, he did spend a lot of time with all the campers. Dan took this time to get to know Mickey. He loved his down to earth quality. He loved his honesty. He loved being around him.
“Getting to know Mickey Mantle was as much fun as playing with the pros,” Dan told me later.
In one of the games that Mickey was umpiring, Dan strolled to the plate with the bases loaded. His big
chance was here and he didn’t miss the opportunity as he walloped a long double into the gap. He hit a rope, and as he glided into second base Mickey yelled to him, “You hit the sh*^ out of that ball, Nails!”
This was like a call from God. Hearing his idol tell him how well he hit the ball was more fulfilling than Dan could ever have imagined.
What could be better than meeting and then hanging out with Mickey Mantle? How about being recognized as a ballplayer by your childhood hero?
It doesn’t get any better than that.
This story was contributed by Dan Markim. A long time Yankee fan.
Written by Aron Wallad
About the Author
Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 40 years. Writing about his favorite subject, baseball, has been a blessing. You will enjoy the tender stories, the unusual statistics and inspiring quotes. But mostly you will love the heartwarming stories that hit a home run to your heart.
Go here for inspiring baseball stories :
BaseballsPrideAndJoy.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
