Page "Mickey Mantle" Paragraph 18
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During the 1961 season, Mantle and teammate Roger Maris, known as the M & M Boys, chased Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.
Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion also.
When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from the New York traditionalists.
Nor had the New York press been all that kind to Mantle in his early years with the team: he struck out frequently, was injury-prone, was a " true hick " from Oklahoma, and was perceived as being distinctly inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio.
Over the course of time, however, Mantle ( with a little help from his teammate Whitey Ford, a native of New York's Borough of Queens ) had gotten better at " schmoozing " with the New York media, and had gained the favor of the press.
This was a talent that Maris, a blunt-spoken upper-Midwesterner, was never willing or able to cultivate ; as a result, he wore the " surly " jacket for his duration with the Yankees.
So as 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now " Mickey Mantle's team ," and Maris was ostracized as the " outsider ," and said to be " not a true Yankee.
But Mantle was felled by an abscessed hip late in the season, leaving Maris to break the record ( he finished with 61 ).
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