13 Places That Honor Sporting Legends
"Mickey Mantle played with the New York Yankees for 18 years, leading the pinstripes to seven World Championships. He is one of baseball’s greatest switch hitters and biggest stars. And though he is a New York legend, it all started in a small town in Oklahoma. The baseball star was born in 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and the family moved to Commerce when Mickey was still very young. His father Mutt worked at the zinc mines in the town and every evening, he would pitch balls to Mickey, next to a old tin barn on their property, as did his grandfather Charlie. Today, baseball fans can stop by the town to see the player’s childhood home, and the shed that served as the backstop where the “Commerce Comet” learned to hit from both sides of the plate. Other than a cracked sign on the front of the home, this could be anyone’s house. Visitors can wander at will around the house and stand in the same spot where Mickey swung a countless pitches thrown by his father. There have been recent plans to restore the small white house to the way it looked during Mickey’s life." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
