Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 12, 1995 TAG: 9507130024
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DALLAS LENGTH: Medium
Looking thin and admitting he's weak, Mickey Mantle still put on a show Tuesday as he joked through most of his first public appearance since a liver transplant just more than a month ago.
Mantle, whose ring and watch hung loosely, turned serious several times during his half-hour news conference, almost always to give the warning that people shouldn't live the lifestyle he did and expect to get away with it.
``You talk about a role model, this is a role model: Don't be like me,'' said Mantle, whose 40 years of hard drinking in part led to his being near death and needing a new liver on June 8.
``God gave me the ability to play baseball and I wasted it. I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make up. I want to start giving something back.''
Mantle wore a light black jacket, black pants, a white T-shirt and a baseball cap bearing the insignia of the All-Star Game, which was played Tuesday night at The Ballpark at Arlington. His outfit was no disguise for his 40-pound weight loss.
Mantle said he was serious about making a difference in helping promote organ donations. He's vowed to do whatever he can to help the program at Baylor University Medical Center, site of Tuesday's news conference and the hospital that treated him from May 28 to June 28.
Organ banks around the country say Mantle's case has already made a difference. The Southwest Organ Bank, which found the liver for Mantle, has seen requests for donor cards go from 10-12 per week to more than 700.
Mantle did turn testy twice Tuesday, both times when asked whether his celebrity status helped him get an organ quicker.
The first time he pointed to doctors and harshly said, ``they're going to answer that for you.'' He later said, ``you want that thing stuck in your face?'' when a microphone-wielding reporter asked the question again.
But the overall mood was cheerful as Mantle displayed the swashbuckling style that made him a household name since his days of stardom with the New York Yankees.
Mantle often pointed to friends in the crowd and smiled at them. When he spotted ultra-collector Barry Halper, who owns Ty Cobb's dentures, Mantle asked, ``Barry, did you buy my liver?''
His best line was when Mantle was asked about whether he'd heard from any former teammates. After listing several, he mentioned a conversation with Yogi Berra.
``Yogi said he was gonna come to my funeral because he was afraid I wasn't going to come to his,'' Mantle said.
Mantle said he was weak, but he still had enough strength to limpingly enter and leave the auditorium on his own. The only time he needed help was climbing onto a stool behind the lectern from where he spoke.
When he sat down at a nearby table, Mantle locked his hands and rested them on his chest. He occasionally placed his hand on his chest and several times took deep breaths.
``He's still a little weak, but you have to consider that he would've died three or four weeks ago if not for the transplant,'' said Dr. Robert Goldstein, the lead surgeon. ``If you look at him today, it is remarkable.''
Mantle had a humble attitude about the outpouring of concern toward him. He was surrounded by eight get-well cards each about 5-feet high and 3-feet wide and all completely signed. He said he's received 20,000 letters.
Doctors say Mantle's recovery is going smoothly and they're still confident about the 60 percent chance they've given him to live five more years.
Mantle was deathly ill when he arrived at Baylor. His body was swollen and jaundiced because his liver was being destroyed by cancer, hepatitis C and cirrhosis.
Doctors said they removed all the cancer they saw, although they fear it could return. Goldstein said Mantle will remain on a low dose of chemotherapy for four to six months. A catheter also was implanted into his chest to make anti-cancer drugs easier to take.
``Everything is going as well as you could expect,'' Goldstein said.
Mantle spoke knowing he could reach a larger audience because the national baseball media was in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the All-Star Game. Mantle said he wouldn't attend the game due to 100-degree temperatures in Arlington.
by CNB