Mickey Mantis, The Praying Mantle — A Great Teammate!
[published originally as a Facebook Note on November 7, 2015]
Mickey Mantle, the famous Yankee slugger-center fielder, was born a Scorpio on October 20, 1931. He died August 13, 1995. His funeral was held in Texas on August 18th. That night, The Yankees were playing at Fenway Park against The Red Sox.
My friend Vitas got tickets for the brand new Sky Box seats located directly over The Red Sox on-deck circle. We were right on top of the on-deck batter.
In those days the Sox, though improving, still struggled. The Yankees, as usual, were reigning supreme. It’s been my long-held theory that The Yankees always did well because, for their home games, New York City bars were open all night. Thus, visiting teams were thrust into tremendous temptation, thereby creating a condition of: Yankees vs. Hangovers.
Anyway, on this baseball night, fate filled the air. Going for beers, we encountered a very very distraught and very emotional Phil Rizzuto, the famous former Yankee shortstop who became their broadcaster. At the time we saw him he had moments earlier quit his broadcasting job, in the fifth inning. We overheard him express anger that WPIX forced him to broadcast the game instead of letting him attend Mantle’s funeral. He was an emotional wreck wearing tearful eyes. For us, it became an instant stop and gawk moment. From where we were perched we overheard him tell the story describing his angst. He then sorrowfully wandered away.
Phil Rizzuto was right — he should have been given the night off to attend the funeral!
We got back to our seats and The Yankees were drubbing the Sox. I think the Sox were down 9 to 3. It was a rare night in that Red Sox fans didn’t much care much about the score. All throughout the ball park the vibe centered on Mantle’s funeral. You could even sense this was all the players were talking about on the field.
For any baseball purist — given what Mantle meant to the game — the Red Sox v. Yankees rivalry didn’t matter. It was a sad day for baseball!
By the 7th inning a defeat for The Red Sox seemed in the mill. Although deep in our hearts and engrained within our emotional psyche, my friend and I forever cling to the notion “The Yankees Suck,” we began chatting how we thought that given it was Mantle’s funeral, The Yanks’ deserved to win.
During this discussion, out of nowhere, something amazing happened. Suddenly, a praying mantis fluttered from the air and landed directly on the right rail of my seat. Motionlessly, it clung to the rail, almost as though claiming ticket rights to my chair.
I said, “Hey, Vitas — Check it out!” I pointed to the praying mantis, and quipped, “It’s Mickey Mantis the Praying Mantle!”
Incredibly, our new insect friend stayed with us for the rest of the game. As word spread to those around us, everyone in the nearby seats became thrilled and marveled that Mickey Mantle had visited the Fenway Skybox in the form of a praying mantis. I think it sensed our enjoyment and welcome to its presence. We were even talking to it. Don’t tell anyone, but, I swear, it talked back to us— lol!
Mickey Mantis, The Praying Mantle! I’m not sure if we adopted it, or it adopted us. But it stayed until the very last out of the game!
So after The Yankees won and we were sitting there with the praying mantis, somewhat in a daze and watching everybody leave the ballpark. But, more importantly, we were out of beer.
Vitas finally said, “Let’s hit The Cellar (our Cambridge Mass. Ave pub) for last call.” It closed at midnight. The next bar in line would be the Plough & Stars with a 1:00 am last call, and then on to The People’s Republic of Cambridge (formerly Drumlins) for the ultimate 2 pm last call.
I said, “What about Mickey Mantis The Praying Mantle?” Vitas said, “Bring him with us, put him in your cup!”
So I wiped my cup as clean as possible, then softly nudged the praying mantis into what for him would become his travel cup. He entered willingly, almost wantingly … certainly fatefully. Using my Red Sox program I kept the cup covered, allowing air. We exited the Skybox of Fenway, found the car and crossed the river into Cambridge, me talking to a praying mantis along the way.
In the company of Mickey Mantis The Praying Mantle we entered the bar like heroes, proud of who we had brought with us for everyone to meet. First it was Guinness at The Cellar, then at The Plough and finally to The People’s Republic. Everyone we encountered got to meet Mickey Mantis.
Interestingly, many folks in the bars discovered it was the night of Mickey Mantle’s funeral from all the chatter about our praying mantis. Steadfastly, we insisted that Mantle had become reincarnated into a praying mantis, and that he arrived at Fenway specifically to meet us so we could help him become reincarnated as a new Red Sox fan.
You’d be amazed what a few folks, with a few drinks in ‘em, would believe — lol! At least from reading this you can tell the kind of stories they tell — lol!
Intellectually, I likened the praying mantis experience into a parallel of Babe Ruth’s daughter who had became a Sox fan, wanting The Red Sox to finally “Break The Curse!” We believed that Mickey Mantle, in his afterlife, had also morphed into rooting for The Red Sox. As the story goes, The Sox broke “The Curse of The Bambino” in 2004.
You see, in baseball lure, the word was out that Babe Ruth had cursed The Red Sox when he learned he got traded from The Sox to The Yankees.
When the very last of last calls were had, we released Mickey Mantis The Praying Mantle into a nearby field of brush and trees. Like his namesake, he definitely had to have had a buzz! Indeed, Mickey Mantle The Praying Mantis was “The Great Teammate” for all if us that night. R.I.P. Mickey Mantle!
