1961 Topps # 406 Mantle Blasts 565 FT. Home Run

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Wow, a whole dollar? Red Patterson comes off looking like a colossal douche here. While things didn't have the same value in those days, there was certainly still much publicity value to having the ball in hand for display purposes. Give the kid more than a dollar.

[timber63401]

Mark McGwire 260lbs of muscle full roids with better equipment and faster balls being pitched to him never hit one that far. 5'11" 195lbs Mantle never did either.

[Moonlight Graham]

Originally Posted by timber63401

Mark McGwire 260lbs of muscle full roids with better equipment and faster balls being pitched to him never hit one that far. 5'11" 195lbs Mantle never did either.

Don't be so sure about that-Mickey was unlike any other.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Moonlight Graham

Don't be so sure about that-Mickey was unlike any other.

Completely agree.

[butchie_t]

I'm a Senators fan......no, it never happened. It is all wrong. Just a baseball myth. Just like that 'called shot' thing.... if there were no pictures, it never happened.

I freakin wish. ; - )

Butch

[timber63401]

Originally Posted by Moonlight Graham

Don't be so sure about that-Mickey was unlike any other.

Physics is pretty sure. I love baseball lore as much as the next guy, that's one of the things that makes it so great. When all the roided out sluggers never hit one that far its just too hard to believe he did.

[Johnny630]

There is something called Country Strong, the Mick was Country Strong.

TRUTH!!

[minibbcards]

you have to love a university that dedicates a paper to the Physics of Baseball and the legendary "tape measure" homerun.

https://baseball.physics.illinois.ed...led%20565%20ft.

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by minibbcards

you have to love a university that dedicates a paper to the Physics of Baseball and the legendary "tape measure" homerun.

https://baseball.physics.illinois.ed...led%20565%20ft.

So that paper concludes the "minimum" distance he hit the ball was 538 feet. That's still amazing.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by minibbcards

you have to love a university that dedicates a paper to the Physics of Baseball and the legendary "tape measure" homerun.

https://baseball.physics.illinois.ed...led%20565%20ft.

We've got sand!

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by minibbcards

you have to love a university that dedicates a paper to the Physics of Baseball and the legendary "tape measure" homerun.

https://baseball.physics.illinois.ed...led%20565%20ft.

The Illinois paper is interesting, but the book by Adair cited came out of the Physics Department at Yale, where Adair was a Sterling Professor. I doubt that Adair ever visited Champaign, Illinois. Boola Boola

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Wow, a whole dollar? Red Patterson comes off looking like a colossal douche here. While things didn't have the same value in those days, there was certainly still much publicity value to having the ball in hand for display purposes. Give the kid more than a dollar.

According to the Baseball HOF :

"Patterson gave the boy a dollar and later sent him five more dollars and two autographed baseballs in return for the home run ball. The ball and Mantle’s bat eventually made its way to Cooperstown."

https://baseballhall.org/discover/in...-foot-home-run

[oldjudge]

Mantle hit some colossal home runs. He missed by inches of being the only person to hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium. Was it 565 feet—who knows, but if anyone could hit it that far it was him.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

According to the Baseball HOF :

"Patterson gave the boy a dollar and later sent him five more dollars and two autographed baseballs in return for the home run ball. The ball and Mantle’s bat eventually made its way to Cooperstown."

https://baseballhall.org/discover/in...-foot-home-run

Thanks for the extra info!

I suppose that was a bit better, but still comes off as being not enough, even for the era. How about some box seats at Griffith Stadium for the kid and his family the next time the two teams faced off? A meet and greet wouldn't have been out of the question, either. Good photo op material there for the club as well.

I wonder if those balls had any clubhouse signatures on them, or if they were Autoballs!