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As Murray passes him, it's clear fame is more than sum of Mantle's numbers

By Jim Litke | The Associated Press

June 21, 1992

The nature of fame is such that nearly 40 years after it lifted him way above the crowd, Mickey Mantle still isn't sure why.

"Part of it, anyway, was like the American dream comes to life," he said. "I was 19 years old, a kid from the country. I was playing in New York. When I was coming up, they were calling me the next Ruth, the next Gehrig, the next DiMaggio. . . . I had a couple of good seasons. I played hurt. And after '61, Roger beat me in homers and people just of kind of adopted me.

"But to tell you the truth, I don't know if it's all those things," he said, "or any of 'em."

What started Mantle ruminating on the whimsical nature of fame was a telephone call asking how he felt about being passed last weekend by Eddie Murray of the New York Mets as the RBI leader (1,510) in that elite baseball circle of slugging switch-hitters. What prompted the telephone call was a glance at how closely the two compared statistically and how wide the gulf of fame between them.

Now nearly halfway through his 16th major league season, Murray has played about 1 1/2 fewer seasons, but because of the 162-game season, only about 60 fewer games in total.

Murray, as of Wednesday, had 673 more at-bats (8,775), 140 more hits (2,555), 95 more doubles (439) and 517 fewer strikeouts (1,183). On the other hand, Mantle had 126 more homers (536), 372 more runs (1,677), 42 more triples (72) and 526 more walks (1,734). Murray, currently hitting .262, began the season with a career average of .292 and a slugging percentage of .488. Mantle finished at .298 and .557, respectively.

The comparison demeans neither player. And Murray, who spent most of his career with the Baltimore Orioles before stop-offs the last two years at Los Angeles and New York, can very reasonably expect to follow Mantle into the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over.

But it only hints at why Mantle became -- and remains -- an American icon and Murray is hardly recognized outside of baseball circles.

"Mantle had eye-popping seasons, the Triple Crown in '56 and twice he hit more than 50 home runs. He played in World Series 12 of the first 14 years he was in the majors. He was the guy who replaced Joe DiMaggio in center field for the Yankees," said Bill Deane, senior researcher at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Murray has all of the same kind of seasons. He's like the workman who punches in every day and at the end of the year you look up and see he's got 100 or so RBIs -- again. But I'd compare him more to somebody like Orlando Cepeda or Billy Williams," Deane added, "guys who people don't think about a lot until after you put their numbers down on paper and take a second look."

Mantle, on the other hand, arrived in the major leagues already larger than life.

He actually reported to the Yankees with his belongings stuffed in a cardboard suitcase, and he made it impossible to take your eyes off him after that. Mantle ran so fast down to first base -- he was timed in 3.1 seconds on a left-handed drag bunt -- that it could take your breath away. And he hit the ball so far that the tape-measure shot was introduced to the game after someone figured out that a ball he hit over the 55-foot wall of old Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., came to rest in a backyard 565 feet from home plate.

Of such spectacular skills are legends made, even if the numbers they produced aren't as unattainable as we might want to think. So great was Mantle's promise that we are left to wonder forever what might have been if those bad knees hadn't hobbled him before forcing him out of the game.

And so, unlike Murray and a host of other talented ballplayers who might at first glance compare favorably, he became more than the sum of his numbers. Much, much more. Even if Mantle insists, time and again, he isn't sure why.

"It hardly bothers me by now when guys go past the numbers I put up," Mantle said. "I'm plenty used to that.

"And I was kind of glad that Murray got the RBIs because he's a really class guy. He's a lot like I was because he makes it a point not to show anyone up, which seems to be the style now.

"If he hits it out, he runs the bases with his head down. I like that. I mean," Mantle chuckled, "could you imagine me giving a high five to Yogi Berra after a homer?"

Mantle has invited Murray over to his Manhattan restaurant to formally pass the RBI torch and he was looking forward to the event. But he doubts it will be as much fun as when Reggie Jackson hit his 537th home run.

Mantle, who was working as a broadcaster then, went down on the field before a game to present Jackson with a plaque recognizing the feat. He also took advantage of the occasion to chide Jackson about having relieved him of the title of the major leagues' career whiff leader.

"I said, 'That's a lot of home runs for a guy who didn't make all that much contact.' And then I asked him," Mantle recalled, "how come there was no ceremony when he passed me on the strikeout list about two years earlier."

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As Murray passes him, it's clear fame is more than sum of Mantle's numbers

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