Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 357

baseball card shows, and was paid considerable sums for his appearances and autographs. At the same time, he always insisted that the promoters of baseball card shows include one of the lesser known Yankees of his era, such as Bill Skowron or Hank Bauer, so that they could also earn money for their appearances.

In 1976, Mantle and his wife were amongst the honorary guests invited to the White House when French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing came on a state visit to celebrate the American Bicentennial.

In 1983, Mantle accepted a position at the Claridge Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a greeter and community representative. His job mostly involved representing the Claridge in golf tournaments and at other charity events.

However, Mantle was suspended from baseball by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who had taken a strong stance against gambling and viewed it as grounds for placement on the "permanently ineligible" list. The commissioner warned Mantle before he accepted the position that he would be placed on the list if he took the job. Despite the warning, Mantle accepted the position because he felt the rule was "stupid." Mantle was reinstated on March 18, 1985, by Kuhn's successor Peter Ueberroth.