Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
One of Mickey Mantle’s most famous quotes was perhaps his most appropriate, “If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” It was funny but painfully true. Mantle checked himself into the Betty Ford clinic for treatment of his alcoholism on January 7, 1994 after being advised by a doctor that his next drink could be his last. In the brief time he had left he attempted to be a more positive role model to the many fans who had idolized him and also established the Mickey Mantle Foundation to raise awareness for organ donations. He died on August 13, at the Baylor University Medical Center and his funeral service was held at the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas two days later. This program for Mantle’s funeral lists the schedule for the service which began at 2:00 p.m. and notes that the eulogy was delivered by Bob Costas who said that Mantle was “a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic." Costas added: "In the last year of his life, Mickey Mantle, always so hard on himself, finally came to accept and appreciate the distinction between a role model and a hero. The first, he often was not. The second, he always will be. And, in the end, people got it."
Country singer Roy Clark sung “Yesterday, When I was Young and Mantle’s teammate Bobby Richardson delivered the sermon. Pallbearers included Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Bill Skowron, Hank Bauer, John Blanchard and Bobby Murcer. This 8 ½” x 5 ½” gray and black program is in perfect condition and would make a great addition to any collection of Mantle memorabilia.