ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997 TAG: 9701310006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALLAN KREDA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Perhaps no athlete of the post-World War II era was more of a hero to the American sports fan than Mickey Mantle.
His on-the-field exploits with the New York Yankees were legendary. His off-the-field life was fodder for sportswriters and fans.
But in ``A Hero All His Life'' (HarperCollins, $25), Mantle's wife and three sons disclose aspects of the Mantle family life story that hadn't been made public.
They write about the cancer-stricken man who spoke to Americans from the heart during his last days. A month before he succumbed to the disease in 1995 at age 63, Mantle urged children: ``Don't be like me.''
Actually, Mantle's story is often a disturbing one, touching on his years of destructive behavior. But it takes readers through to his eventual victory over alcoholism and the arduous but enlightening final year of his life.
The first chapter was written by the baseball superstar himself before he underwent a liver transplant. He wrote about his family and the personal demons he battled during most of his life.
``It's hard to look back. But you learn from it,'' Mantle wrote. ``I want to make a difference. If I can, anyone can. It is never too late.''
Wife Merlyn and sons Mickey Jr., David and Dan composed the remaining chapters. Mickey's alcoholism and his infidelities are not overlooked. The death of son Billy is discussed as are the couple's numerous marital problems.
``Everyone knew that Mick was famous and that he was a superstar in his profession but nobody really knew the real Mickey Mantle,'' Merlyn writes. ``I hope readers will understand that despite all the things we had going for us we also had some very real problems.''
The Mantle sons add their account of life with an often-absent father. They relate the hardship of trying to share a man, who they didn't really know while growing up, with the millions of Americans who idolized him. They also reveal their own struggles with alcoholism and substance abuse and their experience in recovery.
``Dad never wanted a book like this written while he was alive,'' Mickey Jr. writes. ``I think he recognized that his story, and ours, might help families facing similar problems but he wanted to wait until after he was gone.''
LENGTH: Short : 48 linesby CNB