[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10370-10371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   DEDICATION OF STATUE AT MICKEY MANTLE FIELD IN COMMERCE, OKLAHOMA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DAN BOREN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 9, 2010

  Mr. BOREN. Madam Speaker, my congressional district in eastern 
Oklahoma is home to some great American heroes. Names like Woody 
Guthrie, T. Boone Pickens, Will Rogers and even the late great Speaker 
of the House Carl Albert. But no eastern Oklahoman has a bigger claim 
to fame than Hall of Fame baseball player Mickey Mantle.

[[Page 10371]]

  Madam Speaker, Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the son 
of Elvin and Lovell Mantle--``The Mick'' was named in honor of Mickey 
Cochrane, the Hall of Fame catcher from the Philadelphia Athletics. 
Later in life the Mantle family would move to the nearby town of 
Commerce, Oklahoma where Mickey would attend Commerce High School and 
go on to become an all-state athlete in basketball, football and of 
course baseball.
  Promptly after his high school graduation, Mickey Mantle would sign a 
contract to play professional baseball in the New York Yankees 
organization. Mantle rose through the minors quickly and made his major 
league debut on Yankees' field in the spring of 1951. Five years later, 
in 1956, Mickey Mantle would win the Triple Crown, leading the majors 
in home runs, RBIs and batting average. In the spring of 1957, he was 
considered by many to be the greatest baseball player on the planet.
  Mantle went on to become one of the most recognizable names in 
baseball history and in 1961 was the highest paid active player in the 
Major Leagues. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame 
in 1974, and forty-one years ago this month (June) had his number ``7'' 
forever retired in Yankee lore.
  In honor of their hometown hero, on the 12th of June, 2010, the 
citizens of eastern Oklahoma are set to commemorate one of their own, 
Mickey Mantle, with the dedication of a statue of the legendary player 
at Mickey Mantle field at Commerce High School in Commerce, Oklahoma.
  Madam Speaker, Mickey Mantle's hopes, dreams, and accomplishments 
remind each and every one of my constituents why it's great to be an 
``Okie.''

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