Posted by: Steve Burt (slburt2000@cox.net) on Sun Feb 11 02:47:48 2007

> > > hi, i was reading about Micky and i found that he hit alot of 500, 600 foot homeruns, and i even read of one going over 700 feet,
> > > > > > > i was wondering if anybody new how he generated such power and why none of todays players hit balls that far
> > > > > > > Thanks alot
> > > > > > > Ron
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > In 20 or 30 years from now, a lot of Bond's shots will be said to have went 700 feet also.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Good Point. Mickey Mantle was very strong, especially for his size 5ft 11in 200lbs. But for him to have hit balls 600 to 700ft is probably a stretch based on either projected distance or where a homerun ball was found (including the bounces). He did possess excellent rotational mechanics and swung from his heels (probably swung harder than Sammy Sosa). The fact that no one has ever hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium suggests that he probably did not hit balls 600ft or more. >
> > > > > > Time has a way of healing things and it also seems to have a way of stretching things.
> > > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > >
> > > > There is no reliable evidence for a Mantle home run longer than about 506 feet. As Adair talks about in his book, "The Physics of Baseball", the so-called longest home run of Mantle was the ball hit out of the old Griffith Stadium, quoted by numerous people to be 565 feet. Adair shows in his book that based on the dimensions of the park, where the ball cleared the park, that a much better estimate of that actual home run was 506 feet.
> > > >
> > > > As the previous poster pointed out, no one - not Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Reggie Jackson, etc. ever hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium (though legend has it that Josh Gibson hit 2 balls out). Thus, Mantle's 506 foot blast still appears to be the longest ball ever hit, but not absurdly further than the 475 foot home runs hit from time to time even today.
> > > >
> > > > -JJA
> > >
> > > I dont think that any of todays players should be mentioned in the same sentence as Mantle. Mantle lived a life styple that hindered his performance, he was a drinker. Today's hitters take performance enhancing "stuff," play in smaller parks with a more lively ball.
> > >
> > > To day's numbers are irrelevent to the history of the game. That history has been destoryed.
> > >
> > > S Procito
> >
> >
> > To speculate that today's estimates are any more accurate than the estimates of the home run lengths when they were hit, is ridiculous for many reasons. And to correct whomever prematurely spit out the garbage of Bond's shots to be embellished to 700 feet 30 years from now needs to do some research. The lengths of Mickey's home runs were not dreamed up 30 years later. They were estimated after the home runs were hit.
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> Regarding Mantle's power, we should remember that some people are simply blessed in that regard (with natural strength and good genes). In addition to that he worked hard doing hard labor on the farm which strengthened him even more. And as mentioned he had a good rotational swing. But he also swung extremely hard and actually connected. Most hitters do not connect when they swing excessively hard. Lastly, Mantle played in a day when pitchers challenged hitters with fastballs more than they do now a days. He also batted against the same pitchers more as there were less teams back then and relief specialists were not in strong demand. These factors contributed to more opportunity. Also the intentional walk was not used near as much as it is in today's game.

Thanks for a very accurate analysis of The Mick. I'd like to add that pitchers had so much respect for Mickey, and with the knowledge of his bad legs, he was rarely brushed back. So much has been made of his 565' homer run at Griffith Stadium. The layout of the stadium made it easier to accurately estimate where the ball would have landed had it not glanced off the side of the scoreboard.

Parks like Yankee Stadium with double decks make it impossible to gauge estimated distance. A 425-foot home run would clear the right field stands at Yankee Stadium if the trajectory was high enough. Mick's blast a Griffith was hit on a rope and would not have clear the stands in right field at Yankee Stadium.

Chopping wood both left and right-handed not only built his Paul Bunyon-like arms and hip action but I would imagine for safety's sake it motivated him to keep his eye on the target. There has been no other player before or since that were blessed with The Mick's package of tools. We can only imagine what could have been if his body and bad habits hadn't forsaken him.