He was a national hero who epitomized the golden age of American sports, a legend whose image is seared into the fabric of American culture. He counted among his anonymous fans the very young and the very old, professional people and blue-collar workers, men and women, boys and girls. When Mickey Mantle died, he left legions around the world whom he'd never met, to whom he was every-thing: inspirational idol, father figure, and friend.
Following
Mickey's courageous public
acknowledgment of his battle with alcoholism and through his liver transplant and valiant fight against cancer, he received tens of thousands of letters from
people whose faith in their hero never fal-tered. Written with honesty, warmth, and humor, these letters form a patchwork quilt that comes straight from the heart of America: from a nine-year-old Texas girl who proudly wears number 7 emblazoned on her hometown uniform, to a seventy-two-year-old grandmother who has raised her children and grandchildren on baseball as an American legacy to be passed down through the generations. Mickey Mantle received an outpouring of love and support that surprised, overwhelmed, and profoundly affected this man who never realized how much he had meant to so many.