Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs - more than any other switch-hitter in history - and yet for a time the Hall of Fame center fielder was also judged as the fastest man in baseball. Presented is a Mickey Mantle signed and inscribed Sports Illustrated magazine (cover), dated March 4, 1957, showing New York Yankees star flashing his great speed as he sprints to first base in Florida spring training. When Mantle first went to spring training with the Yankees as a 19-year-old in 1951, Bronx Bombers manager Casey Stengel was astounded. "He has more speed than any slugger I've ever seen, and more slug than any other speedster," said Casey. "... It ain't logical. He's too good. It's very confusing." Fast forward to spring training in '57. Despite osteomyelitis as a youth and a significant knee injury suffered in the 1951 World Series when his spikes caught in an outfield drain, Mantle was still exceptionally fast in 1957. In '56, he won the AL MVP and the Triple Crown when he batted .353 with 52 homers and 130 RBIs. In '57, he again was the AL MVP, when he hit .365 with 34 round-trippers and 94 RBIs. The Yankees won the pennant in both '56 and '57, and the World Series in '56. Although the Yankees wanted to protect Mantle's legs, Mickey would steal a base when it was crucial, and he stole 10 bases in '56 and 16 in '57. If the Yankees trailed by several runs, Mantle would sometimes use his speed as he would drag bunt to get on first.

The cover of the offered Sports Illustrated (#v6 #9) measures 8.75x11.5". The cover reads, "Sports Illustrated March 4, 1957/25 CENTS 1957 SPRING TRAINING/THE REAL MICKEY MANTLE BY GERALD HOLLAND." Mantle crafted a beautiful signature, in blue fiber-tip marker on the magazine cover, and he inscribed "3.1 to 1st." The magazine has been encapsulated and comes with a JSA LOA (Cert. Number ZZ00246) that shows the JSA autograph grade as "10." In the JSA LOA, JSA adds that the inscription "3.1 to 1st" was "penned in the hand of Mickey Mantle." The offering also comes with a CGC grade of 8.0 for the magazine. The magazine is in EXCELLENT condition. With the Mickey Mantle signature and his inscription listing his amazing time of 3.1 seconds to reach 1st base, the offering makes a terrific vintage prize.

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