FanPost

Favorite Non-Tigers Players: Jose Altuve, Derek Jeter, and Mickey Mantle

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports



It is difficult at this stage of life to pick a favorite non Tigers player, but if I had to I guess it would be

Jose Altuve. Before he retired, I liked Derek Jeter, alway arguing with my friends who are Red Sox to a fault,

Back when I was a kid and life was baseball 24/7/365, I loved the great Mickey Mantle. When he swung at a pitch from both sides of the plate, he looked like he was swinging a sledgehammer horizontally. Must have been from that tough job and life in the coal mines when he was growing up in Oklahoma.

Meeting Mickey at a 1985 card and autograph show I attended with my late Uncle Charlie, the Yankee fan in the family and the biggest Mantle fan in the state of Massachusetts. The Mick was so friendly and cordial with every fan getting his autograph, shaking hands and posing for pictures. I told Mick how he was my second favorite player next to Kaline, and how great it was to see them side by side in the American League outfield in All-Star games. Mickey said to me that from 1955 to the time he retired in 1968 that Kaline was the best all-around player in the league.

I also loved Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, and Sandy Koufax. Yeah, my head and heart is old school baseball.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.