"In the mid-1980s Mantle became the prime beneficiary of the exploding market for baseball memorabilia, as baseball fans and collectors began shelling out huge sums for game balls, bats, uniforms, and other artifacts. Players’ signatures became a very hot commodity, and none were more sought-after than Mantle’s. He attended card shows and was paid better than any of his contemporaries. He didn’t forget his old teammates either, bringing them along with him to signing shows, where the likes of Moose Skowron and Phil Linz would sign more autographs and make a lot more money simply by sitting next to Mickey."

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/mickey-mantle/

I always liked Mickey Mantle but this just uppped him in my mind. That's a very good thing to do for teammates.

I went to a card show in the 1980s and Mickey was there signing, but it was a huge line and I didn't feel like standing on it, and I wasn't really into autographs anyway. So I wandered around the convention hall and got an autograph from the immortal Duke Carmel. Just as good, right?

He needed someone to drink with.

What a guy.

Moose Skowron used to come into my bar every year when we would host fantasy baseball drafts. He would just come and hang out and have dinner. He would sign anything you wanted and ask nothing in return.

Also from the wiki

> In an autobiography, Mantle said that he had married Merlyn not out of love, but because he was told to by his domineering father. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept quiet about his many marital infidelities. Mantle was not entirely discreet about them, and at his retirement ceremony in 1969, he brought his mistress along with his wife.

What a great guy!

I didn't realize that this many years later I'd be convinced he was even more special.

Mantle got more offers than days of the month. This was how he separated the serious offers from the crap.

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I've got an old card of his from the 60's. :)

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