[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 1 (Thursday, January 4, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S165-S166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. COBURN):
  S. 171. A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 301 Commerce Street in Commerce, Oklahoma, as the 
``Mickey Mantle Post Office Building''; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleague, Tom 
Coburn, to proudly introduce legislation to designate the facility of 
the United States Postal Service located at 301 Commerce Street in 
Commerce, OK as the ``Mickey Mantle Post Office.''
  Mickey Mantle emulates the Oklahoma spirit of hard work, charity, and 
sportsmanship. He is a shining example of how commitment and dedication 
can lead to great success. I seek to name the post office in Commerce, 
Oklahoma, in Mickey Mantle's honor. He is still known to Commerce by 
the nicknames ``Commerce Comet'' or ``Commerce Kid''.
  At age 4, Mickey Mantle moved with his family to Commerce where he 
grew up, having been born in Spavinaw, OK. By his father who was an 
amateur player and fervent fan, Mickey Mantle was named in honor of 
Mickey Cochrane, the Hall of Fame catcher from the Detroit Tigers.
  Signing with the New York Yankees in 1949, Mantle made his Major 
League Debut in 1951. He played his entire Major League career with the 
Yankees. He was a twenty-time All Star and named American League MVP 
three times. Mantle was a part of 12 pennant winners and 7 World 
Championship clubs. Some of Mantle's records still hold today. He holds 
the record for most World Series home runs 18, runs batted in 40, runs 
42, walks 43, extra-base hits 26, and total bases 123.
  Mantle announced his retirement on March 1, 1969. In actually retired 
on Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969. In addition to the retirement of 
his uniform number 7, Mantle was given a plaque that would hang on the 
center field wall at Yankee Stadium, near the monuments to Babe Ruth, 
Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins. In 1974, as soon as he was eligible, he 
was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame demonstrating his 
importance to baseball and community.
  Sadly, Mickey Mantle's father died of cancer at the age of 39, just 
as his son was starting his career. Mantle said one of the great 
heartaches of his life was that he never told his father he loved him.
  After a bout with liver cancer himself, Mickey Mantle was given a few 
precious extra weeks of life due to a liver transplant. The baseball 
great was overwhelmed by the selfless gift of a liver from a stranger; 
therefore, Mickey became determined to give something back at the end 
of his life. Thus, in 1995, the year he died, the Mickey Mantle 
Foundation was established to promote organ and tissue donation, and 
Mickey Mantle will be remembered for something more than his heroic 
baseball career.

[[Page S166]]

  I encourage my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation 
as we commemorate an outstanding athlete so that future generations 
will be as inspired by his example of sportsmanship and charity as we 
have been.
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