Mickey Mantle - the cheater within

81

http://deadspin.com/looks-like-mickey-m ... socialflow

A game-used Mantle bat from 1964, which will go up for auction later this month, was x-rayed.....

“During our examination of the bat, we noticed a circular area .75 inches wide in the center of the top barrel. The finish in the area has also been touched up to mask the circular area. Alterations of this nature indicate the barrel has been drilled and filled with cork….we had the barrel x-rayed and (it) confirms that the barrel has been drilled and filled with cork."

peacefrompaul

That's depressing

Hugh Freaking Dillon

wow. there was a seinfeld episode where Jerry was talking about his disapproval of enhanced breasts, and I quote: "it's like finding out Mickey Mantle corked his bat".

BinauralJam

Not just with the Bat! American Hero!

BinFrog

1964 = end of his career. Who knows what the real story is.

PJ_Soul

Not surprised.

81

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-l ... 08248.html

familey lawyer gets bat removed from auction, family claim micky didn't cut it

mysticweed

fuck baseball
jk
no i'm not surprised either

BinauralJam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1po8PgfJU_Q

josevolution

I say let them all cork their bats and do all steroids they wan't fuck'em ....

brianlux

That is a bit depressing. I saw both Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford play in the same game late in both their careers (I don't remember the exact year- mid 60's). It was a thrill to see them both.

I also once watched a longshoreman snuff his burning cigarette butt out in the palm of his hand. That was pretty exciting too.

PRL1JAM

I thought only this era in baseball cheated (steroid era)? There is no way guys back then tried to get an edge in the game, right? Like that one sign reads, "they did it on hot dogs and beer". :-|

I am really disappointed to hear this. At the same time, I knew all along that the steroid era couldn't have been the only time period in which guys tried to cheat their way through the game

Ledbetterman10

Somewhere, Bob Costas is crying.

cutz

PRL1JAM wrote:

I thought only this era in baseball cheated (steroid era)? There is no way guys back then tried to get an edge in the game, right? Like that one sign reads, "they did it on hot dogs and beer". :-|

I am really disappointed to hear this. At the same time, I knew all along that the steroid era couldn't have been the only time period in which guys tried to cheat their way through the game

I kinda think thers been cheating since the game started.

whispering hands

Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:

wow. there was a seinfeld episode where Jerry was talking about his disapproval of enhanced breasts, and I quote: "it's like finding out Mickey Mantle corked his bat".

Lmao! I was just going to quote that episode!!

JK_Livin

josevolution wrote:

I say let them all cork their bats and do all steroids they wan't fuck'em ....

I would say its not the home runs that matter but the fact that a pitcher would eventually be killed if these rules were not in place.

LloydXmas

They should just hit off a tee and make the outfield wall 700 feet

Jason P

Studies have shown that a corked bat provide no advantage in hitting distance.

It's the old school equivalent to those dumb ass magic necklaces that half the players wear.

81

Jason P wrote:

Studies have shown that a corked bat provide no advantage in hitting distance.

It's the old school equivalent to those dumb ass magic necklaces that half the players wear.

reduces weight, increases bat speed. the ball may not go farther, but i can get the bat around faster.

SatansFuton

Just an auction house trying to get publicity. Maybe it is real, but they don't know that. The only thing they know, I think, is that Mantle once owned it. I haven't even seen proof of that, but just assuming he did, they don't actually know if it was ever used in a game, batting practice, or if it was even corked while Mantle owned it. At best it's a Mickey Mantle bat, that is corked, but not necessarily by Mantle, and no proof he ever used it in a game.

Also, this Grey Flannel Auctions has been noted in the past for being shady. They were part of a 1994 investigative journalism piece into the sports memorabilia trade where they were found to be committing outright fraud. They have been busted several times for selling fake game worn jerseys and fake autographs. They are not a reputable memorabilia dealer, in fact they were named in an FBI investigation for their role in authenticating a bunch of bogus memorabilia sold by an Illinois dealer who was indicted for fraud. They were named as an "un-reputable dealer" in that case.

Not everything they sell is bullshit though, so that doesn't mean THIS is fake. But given the fact they can't even fully authenticate it, and their track record, I don't see any reason for Yankees fans to shed a tear.

PureandEasy

:(

PJ_Soul

81 wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Studies have shown that a corked bat provide no advantage in hitting distance.

It's the old school equivalent to those dumb ass magic necklaces that half the players wear.

reduces weight, increases bat speed. the ball may not go farther, but i can get the bat around faster.

It makes a difference - if it didn't no one would have ever bothered to take the risk of using one.
That is one cute goat 81... I might actually give that goat a GA ticket if I had one, but only if I could snuggle it the whole time.

Jason P

PJ_Soul wrote:

It makes a difference - if it didn't no one would have ever bothered to take the risk of using one.
That is one cute goat 81... I might actually give that goat a GA ticket if I had one, but only if I could snuggle it the whole time.

It's a placebo effect.

PJ_Soul

Jason P wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

It makes a difference - if it didn't no one would have ever bothered to take the risk of using one.
That is one cute goat 81... I might actually give that goat a GA ticket if I had one, but only if I could snuggle it the whole time.

It's a placebo effect.

I think it's common knowledge that a lighter bat is an advantage....

intodeep

SatansFuton wrote:

Just an auction house trying to get publicity. Maybe it is real, but they don't know that. The only thing they know, I think, is that Mantle once owned it. I haven't even seen proof of that, but just assuming he did, they don't actually know if it was ever used in a game, batting practice, or if it was even corked while Mantle owned it. At best it's a Mickey Mantle bat, that is corked, but not necessarily by Mantle, and no proof he ever used it in a game.

Also, this Grey Flannel Auctions has been noted in the past for being shady. They were part of a 1994 investigative journalism piece into the sports memorabilia trade where they were found to be committing outright fraud. They have been busted several times for selling fake game worn jerseys and fake autographs. They are not a reputable memorabilia dealer, in fact they were named in an FBI investigation for their role in authenticating a bunch of bogus memorabilia sold by an Illinois dealer who was indicted for fraud. They were named as an "un-reputable dealer" in that case.

Not everything they sell is bullshit though, so that doesn't mean THIS is fake. But given the fact they can't even fully authenticate it, and their track record, I don't see any reason for Yankees fans to shed a tear.

this makes me feel a little better