Oh Mickey, You're so Fine

My interviews feature an approximately equal number of words of praise for Ted Williams and for Mickey Mantle. I'd have to say they were the two players in whom the major leaguers of the 1950s were in greatest awe. 

A year or so ago, I had the good fortune to interview Lou Sleater, a Senators pitcher who was a witness to the first "tape measure" home run, on April 17, 1953. Sleater has since passed away, but his memories now live on below, and in my forthcoming book (to be released next spring):

“I was sitting on the bench right next to Bucky Harris, who was the Senators’ manager. When Mantle hit it, it looked like the ball went up, straight up, and then it started going to the outfield. It just kept carrying out and carrying out, it was like an unbelievable thing. There was a National [Bohemian] Beer sign out there at the time, and it just nicked that sign going out, and so Red Patterson, who was the traveling secretary for the Yankees, he went and got a tape measure and tried to get the measurement, the footage and everything…he said that’s the first tape measure; he named it right then and there, tape measure shot hit by Mickey Mantle…It was unbelievable. It just went up, and just kept on carrying out, and carrying out, and next thing you know, it was all the way out.”

Practically all tape measure homers are disputed in some way, but there's no arguing about one thing: Mickey Mantle could hit the ball a long, long way!