Blog Tour: THE LEGEND OF THE MICK by Jonathan Weeks

 

THE LEGEND OF THE MICK

by Jonathan Weeks

 

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GENRE:  Sports Biography

 

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BLURB:

 

In the 1950s, America entered the television age. And Mickey Mantle, a country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, was made for the moment. Signed by the New York Yankees as a teenager, he made his major league debut in 1951 as a right fielder alongside Joe DiMaggio. When DiMaggio retired at the end of the season, Mantle inherited not only Joltin’ Joe’s position in centerfield but also his stature as the face of the franchise. His boyish good looks, breathtaking power from both sides of the plate, and blazing speed on the basepaths made him an instant superstar. He won league MVP three times, came in second three times, was a 16-time All-Star, a Triple Crown winner in 1956, and a seven-time World Series champion.

 

Mickey Mantle’s career was the stuff of legend and in this book, Jonathan Weeks tells us why. Mantle’s extraordinary (and at times incredible) tales carry readers on an enthralling journey through the life of one of the most celebrated sports figures of the twentieth century.

 

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Excerpt Two:

 

THE PRICE OF FAME

 

Anyone who has lived in the public spotlight for an extended length of time would agree that there is a dark side to being famous. For Mantle, it was darker than most. In early-September of 1953, the Yankees received an anonymous threat in a letter postmarked from Boston. It stated that if Mantle played at Fenway Park over Labor Day weekend, he would be shot.

 

Taking no chances, the Yankees contacted the authorities and the FBI became involved. With agents keeping a close watch over him, Mantle appeared in both games of the scheduled holiday doubleheader against the BoSox. In the opener, he blasted a 2-run homer off of Mel Parnell. He later joked that he had never rounded the bases so quickly after a home run.

 

The 1953 incident was not the only one of its kind. In July of 1960, Mantle was opening mail in the visitor’s locker room at Cleveland Stadium when he stumbled upon an envelope postmarked from Tonawanda, New York, which is located just north of Buffalo. It contained a hand-written letter that read precisely as follows: “I had a son that was drafted with a bad leg and bad eyes he got killed but a rotten draft dodger that could run like you gets turned down. I have a gun with microscopic lenses and I’m going to get you thru both your knees and its going to happen soon.” Again, the FBI became involved and nothing came of the ominous note.

 

Mantle dealt with other unpleasantries over the course of his career. A female stalker once threatened to kidnap his wife and one of his sons if he didn’t buy her a diamond ring. And in 1958, he was attacked twice. One of his assailants was a 13 year-old girl who slapped him in the face and pulled his hair as he was exiting a cab at the players’ entrance to Yankee Stadium. Earlier that season, he was poked in the eye and punched in the jaw by an unruly group of fans, one of whom stole the cap right off his head.   

 

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 What inspired you to write this book?

 

            I have been a fan of baseball since I was about nine years-old. I grew up in the Capital District Region of New York State, where the most popular teams were the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets. The Red Sox participated in the first World Series I ever actively followed and I liked a lot of their players. But the first big league game I ever attended was at Yankee Stadium. I still remember so many details about that trip vividly. The thing that really grabbed my attention was the yearbook my Dad bought for me at the Stadium. Inside of it, there were photos and thumbnail biographies of all the famous players who had worn Yankee pinstripes over the years—guys like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. I had heard their names before, but didn’t know too much about them. Once I learned about their amazing accomplishments on the diamond, I became a Yankee fan for life. 

            As time marches on, old stars are replaced by new stars. Players of the current era soak up a majority of the attention. While most fans today know a little something about the Babe, The Mick, and Joltin’ Joe, a lot of details about their lives and careers have been lost to the mists of time. My love of Yankee lore inspired me to write a trilogy of books covering these remarkable players. The first one—Lore of the Bambino: 100 Great Babe Ruth Stories—was published last year. Legend of the Mick: Stories and Reflections on Mickey Mantle is the second book in the series. Tales of the Yankee Clipper—a DiMaggio bio—is currently being considered for publication.    

            My goal in writing these books was to bring baseball history to a new generation. Life moves faster nowadays and time is shorter. I have tried to adapt my writing style to account for this. While most biographies are filled with mundane facts, the books in my Yankee trilogy are equivalent to a greatest hits collection. All the most popular stories appear in concise chapters that provide convenient stopping points for readers. I honestly hope that people have as much fun reading them as I did researching and writing them.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Jonathan Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany and currently works in the mental health field. He has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his father.

 

BLOG: www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks  

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jonathan-Weeks/author/B00DXL3JM4

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Mick-Mickey-Mantle-Stories/dp/1493070177/ref=sr_1_1

 

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GIVEAWAY 

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