Even in His Dreams, Mantle Is Preceded by His Reputation

Mickey Mantle, hospitalized in Irving, Tex., recently after suffering from chest pains and shortness of breath, recalled a dream he had while in the hospital.

“I dreamed I died and went to heaven,” he said. “St. Peter greeted me. I said. ‘I’m Mickey Mantle.’ He said, ‘Really? Come in. God wants to see you.’

“I went to see God and He said, ‘We can’t keep you here because of the way you acted. But do me a favor and sign these six dozen baseballs.’ ”

Mickey always played hard. Once, when commenting on his running buddies, Billy Martin and Whitey Ford, Mantle said: “If I hadn’t met those two at the start of my career, I would have lasted another five years.”

Trivia Time: On April 21, 1967, the Dodgers were rained out for the first time since moving to Los Angeles. They had played 737 games without a rainout. Who were the Dodgers scheduled to play that day?

A Bad Hop: St. Louis pitcher John Tudor was just sitting in the dugout on Easter Sunday when Met catcher Barry Lyons came crashing in and broke Tudor’s leg. St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog said: “Nobody thought Barry was coming in. There wasn’t any play. The Easter bunny couldn’t have caught that ball, and he can jump. There’s something about being a Met, but they can’t fly. At least I hope not.”

Speaking of Bunny Rabbits: Mary Decker Slaney doesn’t really need one, but there will be one in the mile race of the Pepsi Invitational at Drake Stadium May 16. Her name is Buffy Rabbitt, and she’s a freshman from UC Irvine.

Mustangs, yes; Mutts, no: One of the SMU boosters named as one of the troublemakers in the football scandal, Jack Ryan, has not yet decided whether he’ll continue to donate to SMU or whether he’ll switch his allegiance to nearby Texas A&I; University. Over the years he has donated more than $1 million to both academic and athletic programs at SMU. He said, “I still love SMU. It’s probably the finest school in the Southwest. I’ll probably continue to give to them unless those (SMU) teachers get nuttier than a doghouse mutt.”

Fans of the 13-0 Milwaukee Brewers are jumping on the beer wagon this season. The Brewers have drawn 180,255 to County Stadium this year compared to 98,069 in the same number of games last year.

Al Oerter, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, had to withdraw from the Kansas Relays last weekend because of spasms in his lower back. But he stuck around to sign autographs, give some tips on throwing the discus, pose for an occasional picture and come out with some incredible news: He’s considering training for the 1988 Olympic Games. He would be 51 then, but he thinks he might have a better chance than in the recent past because of drug testing. He said the extra boost his younger competitors receive from the use of steroids is something he cannot counter with hard work and dedication.

Trivia answer: The St. Louis Cardinals.

Quotebook

Gene Gieselmann, trainer for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team: “Injuries are a part of the game. Without them, I wouldn’t have a job.”