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Who loves the Yankees? Apparently most of North Carolina

Early in his career, many old timers said Mantle was the best talent they had ever seen. He had unequaled power and was the fastest player of his era. I'd say his drinking was secondary to his injuries when it comes explaining why he never lived up to the greatest of all time label. It's now believed he played all but one year of his major league career with a torn ACL.

Anyone (other than BKF) know who hit the ball that Mantle first wrecked his knee trying to catch (without looking it up)?
 
I do know, and it is in large part why bkf may think that batter was the better player. While he had better numbers, he probably wasnt the better player if the Mick had not played his career injured. (Mantle bias fully intact)
 
I understand ... and many people hold that very same opinion. I just referenced your preference for Mays as a way to answer the question without using his name in case someone else wanted to answer the question who hadnt read through the thread. We agree that both Mantle and Mays were great players.
 
Andy Pafko was the left fielder. If you haven't done so already, read Roger Kahn's The Boys of Summer. Great diary of his covering the 1952 and 1953 Dodgers for the NY Herald Tribune.
 
bobknightfan said:
You're kidding, right? ...because the answer is obvious. Willie Mays is the best baseball player that I've ever seen during the roughly 60 years I have been following baseball.

Mickey Mantle was a great player....but he wasn't as good as Willie Mays. Mays beats him in runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, RBIs, stolen bases & batting average. And Mays was one of the best...if not the best....fielding centerfielders in baseball history.
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And Henry Aaron did how well in those categories versus Mays?
 
bobknightfan said:
Aaron led in all of them except triples and stolen bases.

(Nobody going to take a shot at the Pafko trivia question?)
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Dont know why the card is more valuable than one would think unless there is some typo on the card or error in the picture.

However, I do know that Pafko was playing LF and watched Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" off Ralph Branca sail over his head as ... the same guy who hit the ball that Mantle tore up his knee chasing in the WS that year watched from the on-deck circle.

If the Dodgers had taken care of business in the 9th inning and gone to the WS instead of the Giants, Mays wouldnt have been there to hit the ball that resulted in the Mick stepping on the drain grate and tearing up his knee and then there would have been no debate about which was the greater ballplayer!

(just messin with ya bkf!)
 
bobknightfan said:
You're kidding, right? ...because the answer is obvious. Willie Mays is the best baseball player that I've ever seen during the roughly 60 years I have been following baseball.

Mickey Mantle was a great player....but he wasn't as good as Willie Mays. Mays beats him in runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, RBIs, stolen bases & batting average. And Mays was one of the best...if not the best....fielding centerfielders in baseball history.
Click to expand...

No arguement there; Willie Mays was the best all around ball player to ever put on the uniform. The dude could do it all; hit, hit with power, run, steal, throw and field like no other. The "Say Hey Kid" was my Dad's favorite player and I argued constantly about who was a better player, Mays or Mantle. Of course I knew he was right but I never admitted it, at least back then. Plus I was raised in the Bronx and to me it was always the Bombers all the way.

With that said there was only one Mantle to me.
 
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