Posted by: THG () on Sat Jun 21 17:35:08 2008

> > I understand that when Mickey Mantle was a boy and when he was a young teen he would work in a mine and be a screen ape. Somebody that has a sledge hammer and hammers big rocks into smaller rocks. I was told that by doing that it produced a tremendous amount of strength in his shoulders. arms, forearms, and hands. Do you think that is why Mickey Mantle could hit a ball so far and do you think by taking a sledge hammer and hammering a stake or something every once in a while will produce strength that will make you hit a baseball farther?


Anthony. Willie Stargell a great long ball hitter in his own right was once asked about what should a kid do to get strong. Stargell replied if you want to get a young hitter strong, let him do some physical labor growing up. Of course genetics determines your maximum strength out put. But if you want to get strong, either do some form of supervised strength regimen or take on a job that requires physical work.

Hitters like Mantle and before him used to have jobs in the offseason as many did not make enough to be satisfied from ball playing alone. Many such jobs required physical effort which helped keep them strong.