Talk:Mickey Mantle/GA1

GA Review

The following is an archived discussion concerning one or more categories. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on an appropriate discussion page (such as the category's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

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Reviewer: Billsmith60 (talk · contribs) 11:47, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello, I will start reviewing this article over the next few days. Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 11:47, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.

   a (reference section): b (inline citations to reliable sources): c (OR): d (copyvio and plagiarism):

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   Fair representation without bias:

5. It is stable.

   No edit wars, etc.:

6. It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.

   a (images are tagged and non-free content have non-free use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):

7. Overall:

   Pass/Fail:

A: FIRST ASSESSMENT (4 August 2023)

1. After the short description, insert the following good housekeeping tags in two curly brackets before and after each:

[1a]. Use American English|date=August 2023 Y

[1b]. Use mdy dates|date=August 2023 Y

Images: all pass from a provenance point of view

2. All images should be aligned right (“|right”) N See MOS:IMAGELOC: right is the default. It doesn’t actually throw the image to the right. Please make “right” consistent throughout. Y

3. For visual impairment, an alternative text description is needed for every image – e.g. the top pic. might be tweaked along the following lines: Mickey Mantle 1951.jpg|thumb|left [sic.]|Mantle as a 19-year-old rookie in 1951|alt="Black and white profile photograph of a young, clean-shaven, smiling man in New York Yankees pinstripes and cap, looking slightly to his right” Y

4. There are no images at all for three consecutive sections: Personal life to Death and funeral. Can you find at least one to break up that wall of text? Y

5. Can you find an image of batter’s eye screen Mantle hit a ball over, or, better still, the top of the façade he came within an inch or two of clearing and sending the ball out of Yankee Stadium? I suppose the point is to illustrate the man’s prodigious power. Y

In replying, please annotate the above in any way you think best. Thank you Billsmith60 (talk) 14:09, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

I have added the alternative text to the images and the two housekeeping tags on top.

I don't think the alignment of the photos is required to be only on one side. In my own opinion, photos only on one becomes distracting to a reader and makes one side look empty and the other one look cluttered. – SEE UPDATED COMMENT ABOVE

There is one photo of Mantle in his later years which I've added in his illness since he was already dying by that time. Unfortunately that is the only photo of his later life in the Commons. I've also added a photo of him posing with a bat in the player profile section but, unfortunately, there is no image of him at bat or of his famous home runs available on his Commons page. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 17:58, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

B: SECOND ASSESSMENT (5 August 2023)

Ok, I see we’re moving. Where I need to comment on changes you have made or not, if that's the case, I'll use boldface like I've done above. Would you mind inserting a tick at the end of each correction (as I have done above), so that I can check it quickly? If you don’t agree with a correction, please insert an X (like I have done) and your thoughts. I'll update the reporting template at the top as we go along.

1. I am confident there is little plagiarism in this article. See reply

2. Lead

(a) The lead should in principle not contain citations (see MOS:LEADCITE) as it should summarise information presented in detail elsewhere in the article. Hence, remove the six citations there. Y

(b) I see that he is not “Michael” Charles Mantle, which you would have expected? Right enough, his HoF plaque and high school yearbook have him as “Mickey”, so I have to assume that he was born “Mickey”. Have you any more information on that point? Y -- See reply

3. Move “See also” heading down to the very end. That's easily done. N Y

I've done a fair bit of checking for other issues but will do more and post these here on Sunday evening or Monday. Regards. PS. I was caught in an edit conflict there now but recovered all but your last comment. Thanks Billsmith60 (talk) 13:11, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

I don't mind adding ticks and crosses. Hopefully I did it properly. YES!

I have removed citations from lead section as per MOS:LEADCITE. I am also working on any possible plagiarism. Will be done as soon as possible. COMMENT: I feel that, if anything, other sources have likely plariarized this article and not the other way about. A spot check found nothing of concern to me, but thank you for making doubly sure.

Also I should address the MOS:IMAGELOC issue: left-aligned images are not allowed next to "bulleted lists or similar structures" since they will disturb the lists and "push it inward"; hence, right-aligned images are required there only. Otherwise, images can be aligned in any way in normal paragraphs as long as they are in the appropriate section and not at the end of one. OK

Important: 'See also' section is exactly where it is on every important baseball player's page. It should right after the end of the main section of the article to promote engagement. COMMENT: Fair enough. I see the Hank Aaron page is the same. "See also" appearing there looks really out of place to my mind.

Yes, his legal name was indeed "Mickey" and not "Michael". His father named him after Mickey Cochrane, a HOF baseball player, when Mantle was born.

Edit to add: I have rephrased any sections which may have been plagiarized and rewritten it in my own words. If there are any issues please let me know. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 14:25, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

NOTE: Can I ask you to hold off doing any more work on the article until I've posted the next set of changes here, which will be at some stage today (not later than 1 pm ET and probably before)? I'll be preparing these for another couple of hours. Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 10:22, 7 August 2023 (UTC)

Yes, of course. I was crossing checking and fixing for any misinformation and/or plagiarism I may have missed when I first checked it a day or so ago. My apologies. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 10:30, 7 August 2023 (UTC) NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE! THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

C: THIRD ASSESSMENT (7 August 2023)

Note that the text of the Lead will be addressed last. Also, in a sporting career it’s important to make the text thematic, not merely chronological, otherwise it’s merely “In such and such a year, X did Y” and that will not be acceptable. On first reading, though, it appears to pass muster, but I’ll take a closer look once the nitty-gritty is sorted out. I think I'll number the main corrections only as per the subject headings.

1. Early years

UPDATE 1: “family about he suffered” --> “family about how he suffered” Y

A pic would be nice to give an idea of Mantle’s upbringing. If none of the high school pics on the Net are of free use, maybe insert a pic of Commerce, OA itself? Y :)

“A domineering and controlling man, Mutt Mantle..”: does Leavy make that specific claim? James Lincoln Ray mentions that his dad was “a former semipro player and a lifelong baseball fanatic”. Make reference to Mutt having played to more than amateur level, as that gives context to his coaching. She says in the book that Mutt was a demanding father who made decisions for Mickey - he chose Mickey's career, his wife, what he did and how he did it, etc. I actually moved this part from the another section but I also think "controlling" may be too harsh a word so I'll remove it. Y

“He played halfback and was offered a football scholarship by the University of Oklahoma” – insert “in [year]”. -- He was recruited by University of Oklahoma but I cannot find a specific date. I'm assuming it was when he graduated which was in 1949. Y

“However, football nearly ended his athletic career when, in his sophomore year,” – put the year in ( ). Y

2. On this point, let us move briefly to “Stardom 1952-64”

“The osteomyelitic condition of Mantle's left leg had exempted him from being drafted for military service since he was 18 in 1949” – this will need to be moved up to “Early years” after a putative revision to something like: “This condition was to exempt Mantle from being drafted for military service when he turned 18 in 1949” *if the chronology is correct. But I am confused. He started OA when? He didn’t turn 18 until October 1949, so did he start college when aged 17? And the leg issue arose in his second year. When exactly did the draft issue and deferment on medical grounds arise? Hence, the chronology is unclear. When you have it correct, revise that sentence and move it up to the end of “Early Years”. -- Mantle never went to college. In 1949, he was signed by the Yankees out of high school and was in the minors when he turned 18 years old by was declared unfit for service. That was the first of three rejections by the military. To that end, instead of adding it in early years, I'll add it in the minors section. UPDATE 2: Ahh, I see! Personally, I feel it would be very important to add in that point about never actually going to college but being signed by the Yanks right out of high school. I consider myself "reasonably" knowledgeable about baseball but I missed that point, so the average reader might do the same Y

“However, his emergence as a star center fielder in the major leagues during the Korean War in 1952 led baseball fans to question his 4-F deferment.” Revise to “Mantle’s emergence… and delete “in the major leagues” Y

Why specify the name of the deferment, which would be meaningless to most people? -- It's mentioned in Leavy's book and is used a lot in the papers of the time as well. ok

“Two Armed Forces physicals were ordered, including a highly publicized exam on November 4, 1952, which was brought on by his All-Star selection, that ended in a final rejection” – add in “by the military”. Y

3. Minor leagues (1948-1950)

“where he played shortstop. He hit .313 for the Independence Yankees”: --> “where he played shortstop and hit .313.” Y

4. Rookie season: 1951

Avoid the term “impressive”, which the powers-that-be regard as a weasel word. Hence, “proceeded to have an impressive spring training”: perhaps “made a major impression at spring training.” Y

“Lou Gehrig (No. 4) and”: --> “Lou Gehrig (No. 4), and” (American English and your beloved commas!) Y (Lol)

“find the power he once had in the lower minors”: this reads a little oddly. --> “find the power he had once shown in the lower minor leagues”. -- Have written this as "continued to struggle" since he still was hitting home runs. His struggles were at the plate. Y

“he called his father one day and” --> “he called his father and” Y

“tripped over an exposed drain pipe”: not quite – “caught his spikes on the rubber cover of a drain pipe” (according to Ray). Revise. Y -- NOTE: One thing is slightly incorrect. In Leavy's book, she interviewed an old Yankee groundskeeper who stated he failed to put the rubber cover on the drain that fateful day. Also, I never noticed the 'tripped over a drain pipe' thing. That part is definitely wrong.

“He played the rest of his career with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)” – not supported by that source. Also, would read a little better as “He was to play the rest of his career with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)” if you can reference that point. Y

“When going to the hospital after the game” --> perhaps “Accompanying his son to the hospital after the game” Y

“Mutt Mantle was diagnosed” --> “Mutt Mantle had been diagnosed” N -- He was diagnosed in the hospital. Before that, nobody knew about it. Y

5. Stardom 1952–1964

“Following the 1951 World Series, Joe DiMaggio”: delete “Joe” Y

“Game with Dom DiMaggio of the Boston Red Sox playing center field”: --> “Game.” And delete rest. Y

“Mantle proved to be the star of the series.” POV. Did not Johnny Mize have an OPS over 1,500 in the 52 WS? Revise to say that Mantle played very well or “had a very good WS indeed”, which would be fair. Y

“Mantle had a strong 1953 season, making the All-Star Game and the World Series again, winning against the Brooklyn Dodgers. --> “Mantle had a strong 1953 season, making the All-Star Game and helping the Yankees reach the World Series again, which they won against the Brooklyn Dodgers.” Y

“However, he missed several weeks due to injury which prevented him from having a breakthrough year.” MM was an AS in 1952 and 1953 vs not having a breakthrough year? Unless you reword to say something like “from putting up some of the numbers he was soon to achieve” – and can support your claim re the effect of the injury – this is contradictory. I think you might reword to say e.g. “from having an even better year” if you can reference that claim, or delete it entirely. -- This is slightly complicated. Basically, it was Mantle's previously knee which was the issue. He injured it in 1951 but did not get surgery done until November 1953. I'll rephrase to add that. Please tell if it is okay. UPDATE 3: reads fine now. Y

“first great season” --> I don’t disagree (how could anyone?), but let’s keep it neutral. Perhaps “first season where his performances were of top level” or similar. Y

“1956 became Mantle's breakout season”: in view of the numbers he had already put up that year, “breakout” is insufficient and misleading. Perhaps “1956 became the season that marked Mantle as one of baseball’s greatest players”. Y

“second only to Ted Williams's .388 batting average” -->” second in batting average.” Y

“Mantle sustained a shoulder injury from a collision with Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst who fell on Mantle's right shoulder which resulted in him tearing a tendon”: A little awkward. --> “Mantle tore a tendon in his shoulder after a collision with Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst.” Y

Also, add in (if this the case), “With Mantle out of the series, the Braves won in seven games. The injury…” The injury bit needs a sentence of its own. -- He didn't. Sat out Game 6 and played in Game 7. ok

“his uppercut” --> “his uppercut swing” Y

“Due to his shoulder injury, Mantle 1958 season…” --> “Mantle’s 1958 season…” And evidence that the shoulder was slowing him in the first half? -- The Gamelog in his stats page show his first half was weaker than his second. As mentioned above, his shoulder was never the same. It took him a while to adjust to it. Have rephrased it to "still recovering from" instead. Y

“He lead the team back to the Series, a rematch against the Braves with” --> “He led the Yankees back to a World Series rematch against the Braves,”. Also, how did he “lead” the team? Who says so? Y -- Mantle was, according to the stats, the best player on the team that year.

“Despite his strong season,”: quantity “strong” with a slash line or similar and reword to “Despite Mantle having performed strongly [but see next sentence] that season [insert stats], the Yankees declined his…” Does a 60-point fall in BA support a “strong” season? -- His overall performance was very strong, especially in the second half. The Yankees cited the drop in BA as the reason for declining his salary raise request. I've rephrased to show that. Y

“The 1959 season went poorly for the Yankees who finished third in the AL rankings behind the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians. Mantle himself had what was considered to be an "off season" for him”. Make this more about Mantle, perhaps: “In a 1959 season where the Yankees finished only third in the AL, Mantle had…” Y UPDATE 4: I was thinking that it's irrelevant to note who finished ahead of the Yankees, hence to stop at "rankings," and delete the refs to the White Sox and Indians. In a section of this overall very large size, I feel it's important to pare away wherever we can (like with Triandos and Colavito below). So would you go ahead and take them out? Y

“what was considered to be an "off season" for him”: considered by whom? Also, “off season” is vernacular: perhaps “underperforming” or similar? Y

“(.390) and” --> “(.390), and” Y

“overall low numbers”: low or modest? By league standards, 75 RBI is not bad. Maybe “due to his overall numbers having declined” or similar. -- Have rephrased the paragraph overall. Y

“In the first game, he was used as a pinch runner for Orioles catcher Gus Triandos and as replacement right fielder for Rocky Colavito as Al Kaline was playing the center field position.” --> “In the first game, he was used as a pinch runner and as a replacement right fielder.” Y

“and runs scored, leading the team to another World Series”: again, “leading” is POV. --> “and runs scored, as the Yankees won another World Series”. -- Yankees did not win the 1960 World Series, famously. I can see how this can confuse people so I rewrote it as "won the pennant". UPDATE 5: Oh my, How did *I* not notice that I was thinking the Yankees won the '60 WS! (lmao, no worries!)

“94 runs batted in, saw him” --> “94 runs batted in saw him” Y

“Major League Baseball by signing a $75,000 (equivalent to $730,000 in 2022) contract” --> “MLB by signing a $75,000-a-year contract (equivalent to $730,000 in 2022)”

“contract. DiMaggio,…” You could strengthen what a salary of $75K meant then by --> “contract. Only DiMaggio,..” -- Actually, I think I'll write the $100,000 mark where appropriate. It's chronologically incorrect as well. Y

Also, please check that Mantle figure of $75K, as the SABR source has Willie Mays earning $85K that year. Perhaps it’s referring to AL only? Another source needed, possibly. -- See above line Y

“in a season, and Ruth had a peak salary of $80,000”: The Babe was in 1930 and 1931, so not really comparing like for like 30 years later. Hence, revise to: “in a season.” And delete the Ruth bit. -- See previous note Y

All the best for now Billsmith60 (talk) 13:25, 7 August 2023 (UTC)

Note: I put the headings in bold so it is easier for me to distinguish them from the text which requires editing. Will go through each slowly and update as soon as possible.

Comment: Well, I've left a note or a tick/cross at the end of each suggestion and made the changes where I saw fit. Please review and let me know. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 13:43, 7 August 2023 (UTC)

Hi again. You've done a great job here and of explaining where I've gone wrong! Where I’ve commented further above a small number of times (5) on final small tweaks to Assessment 3 (and future ones), see UPDATE 1 (etc.) (in italics): I'll press on now from MM boys and post Assessment 4 as soon as done. Regards 12:01, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

Thanks! Will make these minor adjustments. Edit: Done. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 12:51, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

D: FOURTH ASSESSMENT (8 August 2023)

1. M&M boys

“many of the traditionalists were relieved”: I assume this is covered by the Leavy reference? Or can another source be cited here? -- I've changed "tradtionalist" to "press". Leavy's reference is about how the press treated him. Y

“perceived as inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio”: repetition re CF, so --> “as inferior to DiMaggio” Y

“Overtime, however”: even in American English, is this not “Over time, however” (as opposed to “overtime” [extra play at end of a game]}? Y

“Mantle had learned to deal with the New York media and had gained the favor of the press, receiving help from teammate Whitey Ford, a native of Queens”: I did not find any of this in the Barra Allen article, hence citation needed for that sentence. -- Y Found it in Leavy's book. Also, just realized I put Allen Barra's name in the wrong order. My bad.

Note b: “Jacobson treated a number of famous Americans… amongst many others” : delete “amongst many others” (text already has “including”.) Y

Would it be useful to make a bit more of Mantle being almost neck and neck with Maris in the Ruth chase until injuries slowed him and he finished on 54 HR? Was it the hip injury (leading to the “miracle shot”) that took Mantle out of the equation? Hence, consider moving up “While Maris went on to break Ruth’s record on the very last day of the season” and rewording it to (say) “While Maris went on to break Ruth’s record on the very last day of the season, Mantle finished [delete "the season"] with 54 runs…” so that the focus is more on Mickey and the major reason why he didn’t get to 60 odd? Y -- Have rephrased it to make Mantle more central. However, Mantle wasn't really neck and neck with Maris. Once Maris took the lead, he kept it. Then Mantle got hospitalized and was out of the race. To me personally, though, the more important thing here is how Mantle became the Yankee hero than the home run chase itself and how Maris became the scapegoat. ok

“and leading the American League” --> “and led the American League” -- Rephrased in my own words Y

“he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris” --> “he narrowly missed a third MVP award, finishing second to repeat winner Maris.” Y -- Rephrased in my own words

“Neither Mantle nor Maris performed well in the series, however, between them recording three hits and two RBIs in a combined twenty-five at-bats over five games”: remove the unimportant Maris performance bits and update Mickey’s totals. N -- I think we should leave it in since the section is partly focusing on Maris as well. Update 1: yes, you are correct. The section is called M&M boys, after all – duhh!! Y

As new level-3 heading "1962–1964" is needed here, as the M&M boys relates to 1961 only. As it happens, 62-64 were Mantle's last three really productive years, so I'm wondering if a small heading reflecting that would do instead of the bland "1962–1964"? Something less wordy than "Final years at top of his powers" is what I mean, if you want to give it a go and avoid POV. -- So, since 1961 was an important year Mantle's career, I've made a seperate section for it. The years after are 'Final years' and then 'Retirement' has its own section. Is that alright? Y

On the point of headings, the section from the start of "Stardom" to the "M&M boys" is disproportionately long in terms of no headings. Might you add in something like "Emergence (1952–1955) after the main heading, then another small heading before "The 1956 season was, statistically,.."? Perhaps "MVP Winner" would do, as he was in that conversation for years to come. -- See above note

“selected an All Star”: does American English not say “selected as an All Star”? Same query applies to “selected an All-Star as the starting center fielder” below. Y

“games behind the pitching of World Series MVP Ralph Terry.”: --> “games.” and remove the rest. Y

“hit a line-drive home run off”: I see you are trying" to be neutral in your language, but on this occasion “hit an enormous home run off” would be acceptable, given the story here: https://www.themick.com/10homers.html (you might wish to use this: up to you) -- I think this isn't considered a reliable source like a news article would be. But it is a good read! - As for the word "enormous", it doesn't fit; how about "long drive"? {Incidentally, my Uncle Joe was in the right field bleachers that day! He tells me the fans below the towering drive all went “nuts”, believing the ball had been hit out, till an announcement a few minutes later informed them that by only a couple of inches, Mantle had missed being the only man to hit the ball right out of the stadium -- What an amazing thing for him to have experienced!}. Do you want to insert “in right field” after “facade”? -- I will since the right field line and the left field ones in old Yankee Stadium were vastly different. Y

“as he leaped against the fence for the ball and was coming down” --> “as came down after leaping against the fence” Update 2: not done or commented on. I think my wording is a bit neater! Actually, my bad. Completely missed this one. But . Y

“As a result, he did not play again until August 4, when he hit a pinch-hit home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. He returned to the center field position on September 2 and finished the season batting .314 in 65 games. He was selected an All-Star as the starting center fielder, but for the first time he could not make the 25-man roster because of the foot injury.”: as the ASG comes first, put that sentence first and run it on as “injury and [delete "As a result, he"] did not play again…” Update 3: not done or commented on’. Doesn’t my chronology work here? -- Same as above. However, the All-Star Game is mentioned at the end to signify it's importance. So, I think it's better to leave it there. Y

“and were overwhelmingly the favorites”: evidence for both overwhelmingly and favorites? Wikipedia urges caution with use of such adjectives. -- Have removed "overwhelmingly". The newspaper article explains the "favorite" part. Y

“However, led by Cy Young Award winner and National League MVP Sandy Koufax, the Dodgers swept the Yankees.[41] In Game 1, Koufax struck Mantle out twice, finishing with a record-setting 15 strikeouts in a World Series game. In Game 4, at Dodger Stadium, Mantle hit a Koufax fastball for his 15th World Series home run, tying Babe Ruth with the most World Series home runs ever hit. However, with the tying run on base in the ninth inning, he struck out against the Dodger ace for the third time. Two batters later, Koufax clinched the series and completed the sweep”: this is a bit too much about Sandy K. Revise to (say): “However, the Yankees were swept in four games. In Game 1, Mantle struck out twice against Cy Young Award winner and National League MVP Sandy Koufax, who finished with a record-setting 15 strikeouts in a World Series game. In Game 4, Mantle hit a home run off Koufax to tie Ruth’s record of 15 in the World Series. However, with the tying run on base in the ninth inning, Mantle struck out against Koufax for the third time.” -- Y Note: I actually mentioned Koufax here because he frustrated Mantle more than anybody else in a World Series. No other pitcher struck him out three times in a series other than Koufax. ok

“$100,000 salary pinnacle”: consider another noun like threshold to avoid “pinnacle” twice in quick succession. Your salary rewording fits in nicely here now. Y -- Thank you! I was looking for the word "threshold" and it just kept escaping my mind!

“Mantle hit Barney Schultz's first pitch into the right field stands at Yankee Stadium, winning the game by a score of 2–1. The home run was his 16th in a World Series, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 15. He hit two more home runs in the series to set a new lifetime World Series record with 18, including an opposite field shot off Cardinals ace Bob Gibson in St. Louis.”: too much detail. Try “Mantle hit a home run into right field at Yankee Stadium, winning the game by a score of 2–1, to move ahead of Ruth. He hit two more home runs in the series to set a new World Series record with 18.” -- First half I've shortened but I think it's important to mention the homer off Gibson because Gibson himself never forgot that particular home run and he was WS MVP that year. Y

“Mantle's brilliant performance,”: can you quantity this with a citation? “brilliant” needs toned down a little too, as it can be one of those weasel words. -- His performance was brilliant, there is no other word for it that I can think of. Update 4: I see he hit .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs in the seven games but, once again, the term “brilliant” is problematic and a potential weasel word. Also, I don’t agree that those numbers, while very good indeed, are exceptional. Please tone it down to something encyclopedic like “very strong” or similar. “Brilliant” will not do – unless maybe you can find a quote from a newspaper or magazine of the time eulogizing his performance and using that or a similar term, and reference it? Y -- How about "exceptional"? Because, amongst hitters on both teams (min. 20 at bats, that is), it was second-best only to Tim McCarver's performance. Bobby Richardson had a higher batting average but trailed Mantle in other stats. Source: [1]. Update A’’: as I actually noted, I don’t feel the performance was exceptional. The issue is the choice of adjective: “brilliant”, “exceptional”, “outstanding” are superlatives – which are frowned upon – and weasel words that would be enough to fail a GA assessment. Hence, the issue remains an obstacle. Again, a way out is to find a newspaper or magazine or reputable web source that might use a superlative, then for you to insert and reference that quote. I’ve inserted a “red X”, which will remain until the text is amended. -- So, I've just removed the word exceptional. I think it words without a superlative as well. Y

“the Cardinals won the World Series in seven games behind Gibson's overall pitching performance” --> “… behind an overall excellent pitching performance from Bob Gibson.” Update 5: not done or commented on. Slightly neater wording, again, I feel. -- Was done. Forgot to add the tick. --> Y

“Mantle finished in second place in MVP voting for 1964, behind Baltimore's Brooks Robinson.”: --> “Mantle finished in second place in MVP voting for 1964.” Y

2. Final seasons and retirement

“the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees” --> “the Houston Astros and the Yankees” Y

“by injuries, finishing sixth in the AL rankings, 25 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins” --> “by injuries and finished sixth in the AL.” deleting the rest. Y

“He was selected an AL All-Star again, but as a reserve player, and he did not make the 28-player team for the second and last time because of an injury.” I think I know what you mean, but it is a little unwieldy. Consider: “He was selected [as?] an AL All-Star again, only his second time as a reserve. Furthermore, for the second and final time injury prevented him from making the 28-man team.” I’m also probably dicing with death by suggesting “man” instead of “player!” The latter is, of course, correct. -- Have rephrased this line. Update B: remove the stray first use of "selected" and add in "as" (lol!) -- Okay, I've just looked for every All-Star mention and added the word "as" where it is needed. Also, have removed the extra "selected". Y

“In 1966 [to] another injury”: sentence has too many subordinate clauses. Maybe: “In 1966, his batting average increased to .288 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI in 333 at-bats. This improvement was largely due to strong performances in June and July, when he returned to his normal form until sidelined with another injury.” Y

“The low batting average [to] .298”: another long sentence. Consider “This low batting average caused his lifetime average to dip below .300, which caused him anguish [evidence for this claim?]. -- Have added a reference for this "The next year he worked with a statistician to review all of his at-bats since 1951, hoping to find enough uncounted hits to elevate his average to .2995 [evidence for this claim?], but his lifetime average remained .298”. -- Can't find one for this so I'll remove it. Y

“Despite the lowly numbers”: this is an interesting way to put it! Also, as the ASG is just after mid-season and the rosters are decided well before then, only “first-half stats” are counted, ignoring of course a player’s reputation. Perhaps you can see if his first-half stats were low and add in “during the early part of the season” or similar, but I’m not insisting on this point. -- He was very much chosen because of his reputation. All-Star selection back then was different than today. ok

“Mantle was selected as an All-Star”: selected/selected as again! Update 6: not commented on unless selected doesn’t need ‘as’? -- Again, the note I added here is just gone for some reason. The missing "as" is a previous editor's work, I'm assuming. I didn't notice them - or lack of them, rather, until you pointed it out. Update C: I see there is still one at "He was selected an All-Star as the starting center fielder!" Y -- As said above, I've been through the whole thing and and added "as" where needed.

“held in honor of him” --> “held in his honor” Y

That’ll do us for now. Btw, pardon my not realizing that sophomore can refer also to high school as well as college! Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 16:34, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

Okay, so while I was editing I think you commented and the comments may have been erased since I copy-pasted my work. Very, very sorry but I hope you don't mind add them back in.

Also, the edits are done as per your suggestions -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 20:39, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

No worries. From memory my updates were: (1) that 'TheMick' site isn't reliable but that the towering blast story is nice. I see you were reading my mind about reliability! (2) Those new headings might be 'Final years at the top' or similar, with 'MVP' to come at 1956 (IIRC). Till tomorrow, then Billsmith60 (talk) 22:22, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

E: FIFTH ASSESSMENT (9 August 2023)

Hello again. I have six further updates above on Assessment 4, plus the following corrections.

Headings: “Stardom 1952–1964” does not work, as it is not a major heading that covers those years and other subheadings of the same level come after it. Consider “Becoming a star 1952–1955”, then insert the same level-4 heading “MVP” before “The 1956 season was, statistically,..”. That new MVP heading is much needed here and is important in breaking up the text as well. -- How about "Rise to stardom"? That will cover 1952-1960 when he was still trying to gain favor with the New York sportspages. 1961 will then be the cut-off season. Update 1: ok, that’s a good enough compromise Y

“and the first of three American League Most Valuable Player Awards” --> “and the first of three AL MVP Awards [and unlink it: identifier has been declared in Lead].” Y

“second best in the American League” --> “second best in the AL” Y

“regained his form and finished the season leading the American League in home runs” --> “he regained his form and finished the season leading the AL in home runs” Y

“switch-hitter, and leading the American League in runs” --> “switch-hitter, and leading the AL in runs” Y

Career overall: maybe “Career summary”? -- When this title has been used, it is often used "Career overall" OR "Career statistics". Update 2: I think "Career statistics" reads much better Y

“He led the Major Leagues in walks five times, walking at least a 100 times in a season ten time”: would it be better to have the first “walks” written as bases on balls, to avoid repeating “walks”? It’s up to you. I've added "finishing with" in place of "walking". Is that fine? Update 3: you've handled that nicely, comparing Ks with BBs. A small idea might be to strengthen it even more with a colon instead of a semicolon after "at drawing walks;" Y

For balance, we also need to add in after walks that Mantle led the league in Ks on five occasions, with a reference. Y

“Mantle was an excellent fielder”: This may be open to debate, as his defensive WAR at Baseball Reference or Fangraphs are both negative (I believe). Can you please support the assertion of “excellence” with a source, while not ignoring BR or FG? Alternatively, you could certainly write that he was “a good enough fielder” to win a Gold Glove Award in 1962.” -- I don't know about defensive WAR - I thought that was a hitting thing since its listed in 'Advance batting' - but you make a good point about "excellent". He wasn't a natural center fielder like Mays was. He was known for his strong arm so I'll add that with a reference. I should add that his overall fielding stats are solid, though. -- NEW EDIT-- 18:36, 10 August 2023 (UTC): According to Bill James (on Twitter), defensive WAR is not reliable when it comes to fielding abilities. So, essentially, Mantle's fielding percentage is enough indication that he was above average for a center fielder. Update 4: you have sorted it out well :) Y

“champion with the New York Yankees” --> “champion with the Yankees” Y

“playing in twelve overall in his career.” --> “playing in twelve overall.” Y

“and hold the” --> “and holds the” Y

unlink “World Series” in “all-time World Series records” Y

“was selected an All-Star every season”: same query about selected/selected as Y -- I should add I'm only just noticing the missing "as" in the All-Star game sentences.

“except 1951 and 1966”: Tweak to “Except for 1951 and 1966,” Y and put it at start of sentence ahead of “Mantle was selected … 18-year career.” N -- Looked oddly phrased when I wrote it like that. Y

“and was voted”: Make a new sentence here. Y

“the American League Most Valuable Player three times” --> “the AL MVP [unlink it] three times.” -- Shortened AL but left the link in since the closest one is quite far up. Y

Remove the headings “Player profile” and “Power hitting”, and move the “Injuries” section up to the previous section before the current “Career overall”. The “Power hitting” text should go into a new section, entitled “Assessment and legacy”. This should come after “Honours and legacy”, which itself should be renamed “Honors”. -- N Player profile describes a player's weaknesses and/or strenghts. Hence why it is immediately after the "Professional Career" section. In Mantle's case, his career was defined by two things: his power and his injuries. Update 5: we will leave this important point for now and return to it when the assessment is complete, for reasons that will become clearer later -- Very well.

Power hitting

“Mantle hit a ball that fellow players and fans claimed was still rising when it hit the 110-foot (34 m) high facade, then caromed back onto the playing field. It was later estimated that the ball could have traveled 504 feet (154 m) had it not been blocked by the ornate and distinctive facade.”: are the players’ and fans’ claims and “estimated by some [who?]” backed up by the NY Times article? -- The thing is, it's behind a paywall so I can't tell. I do know it has that famous facade photo. I've added a SABR article on the game and rephrased to fit the article's wording. Update 6: "It was later estimated by some" – delete "by some", which is vague. You have the point cited anyhow Y

“Mantle considered himself a better right-handed hitter”: citation for claim? I can’t (easily) find that in the McConnell article. -- I've written is as "better hitter as right-handed". Can't find Mantle himself thinking so. Y

“to power alleys of 344' to 407' and 402' to 457' feet (139 m)”: expand slightly to “to power alleys of 344' to 407' (right center) and 402' to 457' feet (left center)” and delete the stray “(139 m)”, unless you want to add in (say) “, the latter a distant 139 m” before “from home plate”. Y

“Despite being known after his power-hitting prowess, however, Mantle was also known for being one of the best bunters for base hits of all time” --> “prowess, Mantle was also regarded as one of the best bunters for base hits.” “however” is redundant, you avoid repeating “known” and the next sentence is about his bunting career. Y

That’ll do for this assessment. I’ll charge on from injuries onwards. Thank you for your work and all the best Billsmith60 (talk) 14:54, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

Only power hitting left to be edited in fifth assessment. Taking a small break then will complete it.

Edit: Right, done with the edits in fifth assessment. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 16:43, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

I missed a few older notes in the Fourth assessment but have done them as well. My apologies. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 14:29, 10 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello again, am busy today but will get back to this tomorrow and assess lots more. Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 19:26, 10 August 2023 (UTC)

No problem at all. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 20:18, 10 August 2023 (UTC)

F: SIXTH ASSESSMENT (11 August 2023)

Hello again. I have three updates from Assessment Four (marked therein as Updates A-C), plus six from Assessment Five

1. Injuries

First sentence: the Sports Illustrated article does list his litany of injuries as of 1956, but it cannot support the early school injuries claim, “wraps”, falling over in pain and the “what if” assertion. These must be true but are not supported at present. I assume Leavy and others will be good sources for these points? Y -- Leavy to the rescue again.

“3.1 seconds”: out of interest, I see that many people query that, since no one else has matched that time. If The Mick was quicker than Mick the Quick, I’d be *very surprised! -- This is from Leavy again: Mantle was timed by a coach at the instructions of Casey Stengel and during a game. She says it is the official number recorded from that day BUT also says that a stopwatch isn't AS accurate as today's precision measuring tools so it is probably a little slower. What is universally accepted (by his opponents and teammates) is that Mantle was definitely one of the fastest players ever. He wasn't allowed to show off his running abilites, however, because Stengel (and later managers as well) forbade him from base stealing or taking the extra base lest he further hurt that bad knee of his. It truly was a terrible injury. Leavy once interviewed Mantle in the 1980s (the article is in further reading, if you're interested and not behind a paywall) and she said that he placed her hand on his bad knee and it felt like jelly. -- Note: I've added some of this info in the paragraph as well as more about his knee. Please do check if it's okay. Thanks Update 1: it reads nicely, although “After the injury, teammates…” is repeated at the start of the final para. Please delete it but it would be very useful to move the Leavy pp. 111-12 citation up to “as a result.” in the previous para. Y -- Oh dear, my bad. Thanks for pointing it out.

“In 1949, he received…”: delete this sentence: repetition. Has been mentioned twice already. But you can add the Reading Eagle citation to one of the two times above where the draft issue is mentioned. Y

Last sentence: true, but citation needed for claim. Y

2. Later years

Remove Gowdy, Kubek, Koufax and Simpson references: not longstanding collaborations so irrelevant to this article. You can say “as a pre-game analyst” instead of “the pregame analyst…” Y

“commentator for All-Star” --> “commentator for the All-Star” Y

“After fouling off a few pitches,”: delete Y

he” --> “He" Y

"bullpen.” --> “bullpen, his last at YS.” Y

“towering” --> “long”: Update 2: I know I'm a pain, but please change to avoid superlatives -- Sorry. I completely missed this one. Y

Also, just a thought: perhaps add something brief about Mantle *getting to play* at the refurbished Yankee Stadium (with fences mostly closer in!) after it reopened in 1976. I recall watching him hit two homers (or near-homers) to left field during the OTG in 1977 or 78 when he’d have been 46 or 47! And, in April 78, he introduced Maris to the crowd: https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/14/archives/maris-returns-and-finally-hears-cheers-at-the-stadium-jackson.html May I leave this point to you? It is not a requirement -- I read somewhere that Ford let Mantle hit the ball but it is a very famous home run and is known as "Mantle's last". I can't find any homers after 1973, though (not even in Leavy's book). As for Maris, I don't think it really fits with Mantle's later life. I will be adding it to Maris' article though! ok

“Amongst other things, his chain” – vague. Perhaps “An example of an unsuccessful business venture was his chain…” Y -- I wrote it as "Amongst his failed business ventures was..."

“commanding fees far in excess of those of any other player”: source simply says “paid better”, so please tone this down. Y -- I thought so too but wasn't really sure how to write it. I imagine guys like Mays, Aaron, DiMaggio, Williams and Koufax (especially Koufax; he rarely consents to appearing at one) were just as well sought after.

“New Jersey as” --> “New Jersey, as” Y

“he opened the successful Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar in New York City”: it occurs to me that this jars a bit with the claim above that Mantle was a poor businessman. Maybe revise to (say) “he opened Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar in New York City, which proved to be a success” {because others ran it!, as is mentioned}. Alternatively, you may think that adding “at first” to “poor businessman might clear things up? -- Will change it. However, he was always a poor businessman. By the late 1980s, though, he basically let his girlfriend/agent Greer Johnson handle his finances and businesses. In the 1970s, before autograph shows became his main source of income, he was always near broke and in debt. Y

3. Personal life

“domineering father”: would you check what Leavy actually says about this point, which we spoke about in “Early life” Y

“love, but” --> “love but”: avoids another clause Y

“his drinking” --> “Mantle’s drinking” Y

“Like Mickey, Merlyn and three of their sons became alcoholics, and Billy developed Hodgkin's disease, as had several previous men in Mantle's family.”: move down to “Alcoholism” as will be shown [not all of this sentence will be used there, as ]. -- Will do so. Y

“1994), (“ --> “1994) (“ -- Okay, you'll have to explain this one to me. Update 3: lol! I mean there is no comma between round brackets!! Y lol, thanks!

“near Greer Johnson's home,” --> “which was near Johnson's home.” Y

“and frequently stayed there”: “there” is ambiguous. Perhaps “He lived in the condominium for months at a time”? Y Update 4: please also add in a comma after "Georgia" which I should have spotted Y

4. Alcoholism and illness

I agree with you that the former warrants discussion, but not as a stand-alone section. It would make more sense without the “illness” part. So remove “and illness” from that heading and move “Alcoholism” into “Personal life” as a subheading. -- Will do so. Y

Death: change to “Illness and death” and move in the “illness” part of the previous heading (“Early in 1995, doctors…”) Y

The pic of Mantle signing a ball can stay in “Alcoholism” Y

“Additionally, alcoholism ran…”: I would insert this bit immediately before “alcoholism”: “Merlyn and three of their sons became alcoholics. Also,” [alcoholism ran…] Y

“young as well; his”: --> “young as well. His” Y

“and his grandfather Charles died of the same disease at age 60”: --> “and his grandfather at age 60, while his brother Billy developed it later [if “later” is correct?] -- Note: I've edited paragraph. Do tell if it's write. Slight correction here: Billy was his son and he died in police custody and of heart issues. I've fixed that part. Update 5: "and presumed he would too" --> ", and he presumed he would too" checking further

+ Update 6: section reads and flows better now other than this bit, which is out of place and slightly incorrrect chronologically: "His sons Mickey Jr. and Billy both died young because of years of substance abuse. Mickey Jr. died December 20, 2000, at age 47. Like his father, he succumbed to liver cancer.[88] Billy died in police custody on March 12, 1994, at age 36.[89]". I think this well-referenced bit needs to be moved down to after "Shortly after Mantle completed treatment..." and each bit combined/revised to avoid repetition. Y

[bit moved down]: “Hodgkin's disease, as had several previous men in Mantle's family.” You’ll have seen this is to be deleted. Y

“Hodgkin's disease and other cancers”: relevance of “and other cancers” unless it’s an indirect link showing a predilection to cancer in that family: it claimed Mickey and his son later. If so, please add some text to show that this point is important. -- Have been wanting to rewrite this part. Mantle THOUGHT this. It was not true. And as you mention in the next note, his granddad was 60 when he died. But it is cited by Leavy. Y

“Mantle outlived all the men in his family by several years” --> “Mantle outlived all the men in his immediate family by several years” (as grandad lived to 60). I've removed this because I'm pretty sure at least one of his brothers is still alive and so are two of his sons, both in their late 60s. Y

“As the years passed, he frequently” --> “He frequently” -- Added "In later life" and removed the first half. Y

“"your next drink could be your last.": source behind a paywall, so no way of verifying the quote. The source is for Mantle checking in. But the Sports Illustrated story has it. Y

“Also helping Mantle decide to enter the clinic was sportscaster Pat Summerall, who had played for the New York Giants football team at Yankee Stadium, by then a recovering alcoholic and a member of Mantle's Dallas-area country club. Summerall himself had been treated at the clinic in 1992” --> “Also helping Mantle decide to enter the clinic was his friend and sportscaster Pat Summerall, by then a recovering alcoholic, who had recently been treated there.” Y

“Mickey Jr., like his father, later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000, at age 47”: reads as if both died on the same date. Maybe “Mickey Jr. died December 20, 2000, at age 47. Like his father, he succumbed to liver cancer.” Y

“in a 1994 Sports Illustrated cover story,”: put that at the start of that sentence. Y

“stories, and realizing”: --> “stories: realizing” makes the point better. Y

“drunk-driving”: incidentally, we say “drink-driving” over here. -- I thought "drink-driving" was the British one. Or am I wrong? Update 7: I am in the UK/Ireland! -- Oh wow! I would never have guessed! ouch!

“also discovered that he had”: avoid repeating “discovered”, perhaps “also uncovered/found an…” Y

“, which further necessitated a liver transplant.”: I think this wording needs qualification, as he was incurable. Perhaps something like “To keep his alive, a liver transplant would be needed.” -- At the time, they thought a liver transplant would saved his life. It was only afterwards they realized there was nothing they could do for him. If they thought he was incurable then they would never have done the transplant. Otherwise, the organ, which could have gone to someone who actually needed it, is then wasted. Y

“awareness for” or “awareness of”? -- Both are correct but, in just case, the first applies. Y

5. Death

“In eulogizing Mantle” --> “In eulogizing Mantle at the funeral service," Y

“At Mantle's request prior to his death, Bobby Richardson read the poem at Mantle's funeral, which he described as being extremely difficult; he recited the same poem, "God's Hall of Fame" (written by a baseball fan), at Roger Maris's funeral.” Need to mention the poem earlier --> “At Mantle's request prior to his death, Bobby Richardson read the poem "God's Hall of Fame" (written by a baseball fan), [delete “, at Mantle's funeral] an experience he described as being extremely difficult; he recited the same poem at Roger Maris's funeral.” Y

6. Honors

“1996, about a year after his death, Mantle's..” --> “1996, Mantle’s…” Y

“Mantle and former teammate Whitey Ford were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame together in 1974, Mantle's first year of eligibility and Ford's second.” Make it more about Mantle --> “In 1974, his first year of eligibility, Mantle was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with his former teammate Whitey Ford [unlink him here].” Y -- I'm leaving the link in because the last one on Ford is further up. ok

“in 1998, three years after his death” --> “in 1998.” Y

“and also appeared in a scene in the film That Touch of Mink, along with Yogi Berra,” --> “and also appeared, along with Yogi Berra [unlink him], in a scene from the film That Touch of Mink,” Y -- Ditto as the link about Whitey Ford.

“Most notably, Mantle was portrayed”: “Most notably,” is POV. Y

“by Thomas Jane in the 61*,” --> “by Thomas Jane in 61*,” Y

Ok, that's a fair bit to be getting on with. The next assessment will be to check the references, which I'll do tomorrow. We are getting near the end. Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 14:17, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

Right, that's the main body of the article done, minus the lead (as you said, that's the final thing). Please let me know if there is anything else to change or fix. Thanks! -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 20:19, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello again, please see above for a few straightforward tweaks (updates 1-7) from Assessment 6, which you *may wish to make ahead of my next assessment (mainly references, which I know are pretty good! and the Lead). I'll start No. 7 soon today. I've updated the reporting template at the top and the overall assessment with a number of additional ticks Billsmith60 (talk) 14:27, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello! I have completed the few minor edits you suggested. As always, let me know if there is anything I might have missed. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 16:53, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

G: SEVENTH ASSESSMENT (12 August)

Hello again. Thanks for the above smallish tweaks.

Update 5 above – and sorry for labouring the point! "and presumed he would too"; is the text as written correct, i.e. that his father and uncle were the ones that presumed Mickey would die early too” and not that it was Mickey who presumed that? If it is the latter, you need “, and he presumed…” Update A: I see the text is unchanged, which is fine -- I did add it and also rewrote it a little. Merely forgot to add the tick. My bad. Y

1. Career statistics

Keep that heading where it is but to contain only the nice table at the end.

The rest of that section sits very awkwardly where it is, at the end of a largely chronological narrative of his playing career. It does not appear in Aaron, Ruth, DiMaggio, and it needs to be moved down. Therefore, as “Player profile” contains what one would expect to find in “Assessment”, rename “Player profile” to “Assessment”.

This new Assessment section will start with a new heading “Career summary” to contain the non-tabulated info. from the original “Career statistics” above. Then comes “Power hitting”

NB: Mantle’s incredible strength came from his frame (his strong back [and arms?]: not overly tall at 5’ 11”. See if these points can be referenced and can you find that “famous”! quote by/about him about swinging really hard, as he “wanted to hit the leather off the ball every time”. The other day I saw a quote from a teammate about seeing Mantle in the locker room and that his back looked as if it were bursting with “snakes” or similar – re the source of his power. Update B: I see you have not commented on his amazing strength for a not huge man, which is fine of course. My point was to emphasize that no one hit the ball quite like Mantle, but I suppose that is POV -- Forgot to comment: I don't think he was a "not huge" man. I always considered Hank Aaron a small man but never Mantle who was known for being muscular.

What about a sentence or two re Mantle as a baserunner? In this regard, see my comments under “Sources” below about using a small amount of new written material. ok

I’m also thinking a small subheading would be useful here, perhaps “Other skills”, to cover bunting and baserunning. Also delete “Despite being known after his power-hitting prowess,” Update C: ok

To summarize, “Assessment” will contain Career summary, Power hitting, Other skills?, Injuries -- I actually modeled Mantle's page partially after Brooks Robinson's page. I would say to keep statistics seperate - it differs from each page; some don't have them, some have them at the end, and some have it after the career (I actually added tables in a few pages) - and renamed "Player profile" to "Assessment". I say this because statistics and skills/qualities are two seperate things.

As for Mantle the baserunner, as mentioned in "Injuries", he was not allowed to run bases like Mays was. Was forbidden from doing. So, to fix that, we can name "Power hitting" to "Hitting prowess"? Please give your feedback on this. Update D: ok

2. Honors

I see the Joe DiMaggio, Ruth and Maris articles have “Legacy” instead. Please revise “Honors” for consistency, although I am not making this a requirement. -- Y

3. Lead

The introduction must summarize what information is presented in other sections of the article. Currently it’s focused too much on baseball.

Insert a brief mention of early coaching by “family members” to encourage him to hit from both sides of the plate. -- Did the best I could. Hopefully this is alright. Y

Also, signed by the Yankees out of school Update E: you did not insert this point here, but it was only an idea of mine to show how special he was

Say something very brief about while not being a huge man, he had tape-measure homers. Update F: ok, point discussed above

Hence, the power stuff needs reduced a bit and some reference made to his speed (good baserunner?) ok

In summary, there should be three paragraphs about baseball, one to include a bit about his early life and being signed from school, then a fourth (details below) about later years, with TV commentary, unsuccessful then successful business, personal struggles, illness and death. Y

First paragraph is largely ok, but with one sentence to be moved up as below: I always prefer to avoid saying “the greatest” about anybody, but the text says “regarded by many as the greatest switch hitter”

Para. 2: “Mantle is considered one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history and is considered to be one of the best baseball players of all time.” --> “Mantle is considered one of the greatest offensive threats ever.” This deletes repetition of “and is considered to be one of the best baseball players of all time”. Y

“In addition, he had the highest World Series on-base percentage and World Series slugging percentage”: “had” or “has”? Also, “he had” --> “Mantle had/has the highest World Series on-base percentage and slugging percentage.” Y

Remove Bonds and Trout references. Y

“one of Mantle's home runs in 1953” --> “one of Mantle's home runs” Update G: I see "tape measure" has been removed from here: ok

Para. 3: “and is the career leader (tied with Jim Thome) in” --> “and is the career co-leader in” Y

“his incredible ability to” --> “his remarkable ability to”. Y

Also, all the following is both too wordy and not addressed in the main body: “Mantle was also known for his incredible ability to avoid grounding into double plays. For every 100 at bats, Mantle grounded into 1.40 double plays, one of the lowest marks in history. In both 1953 and 1961, he hit into only two double plays, over the course of 1,186 plate appearances.” Take out the second and third sentences here and create a new section “Avoiding double plays”, to come after “Power hitting” in Assessment, which will use this and perhaps other information about that area. Y

“He won the MVP award three times, finished second three times, and finished within nine votes of winning five times”: delete. Y

Para. 4: Move from start to as far as “bases (123)” up ahead of para. 2, as it’s much more important. Y

“He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and a Gold Glove winner once.” This is highly significant, so move up to the first paragraph before the HoF sentence with slight modification to: “He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and runner-up on three occasions, and was a Gold Glove winner once.” Y

Then make two baseball-focused paragraphs out of what the text now looks like – to follow the opening para.

Para. 4 will include the nice “Despite his accolades… tumult…” bit, i.e. later years with TV commentary, unsuccessful then successful business, then illness and death. Y

4. References

I did a reasonably extensive spot check and found virtually nothing amiss; very well done! :)

18: “by the army” --> “by army” Y

111: "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players" --> "The Sporting News. Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. 17 Mickey Mantle” Y

5. Sources

One drawback to this otherwise excellent work is your reliance on Leavy, which makes it heavily dependent on web sources, albeit many of them contemporary news reports and the like. Can you access 1-2 of the five articles and 3-4 of the books listed in “Further reading” for the credibility of the article as a whole? Only 1-2 citations each from several additional published works would be required, and these can accompany (ideally be the first listed) existing citations. So, for instance, the query about baserunning might be answered in one of these new works cited. Y

You also need a heading “Sources”, where all the articles and books used above are listed. -- See below. - Update: Y

6. Further reading

This is not quite the right heading, for you’ve used Leavy’s book. Remove it and those in “Sources” from this list, which will be strictly for additional reading. -- For both this one and the last one: I will do this. It will take a day to do so but I can source Castro's book and another for the World Series and make a seperate section for book sources. -- Update: Y

7. External links

Remove “Find a Grave”: unreliable source. - "Find a Grave" is allowed but it is only to be used in 'External links' - you will find often in 'external links' of deceased baseball players who have a gravesite/are not cremated - and not as a reference in the article. Update H: ok

Goodness, how this article has been fine-tooth-combed (what an awful verb that would be)! But we're almost there! This is my last bit of work until Monday tea time(ish) ET +5 ;) Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 18:38, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

I've done the small, quick edits.

Will do the rest in the morning since it is quite late where I am. Just got the small ones out of the way so I could focus properly on the bigger two: Sources and the Lead. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 20:01, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

Right, that's the lead and sources done. Looking forward to your feedback tomorrow. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 15:52, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello again, a very quick note that extra work has detained me entirely today and that it'll be tomorrow (not too late) before I'm back at this. If you've more to do in the interim, please go ahead. Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 17:52, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

No problem at all! Will skim through the page for any minor errors or something. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 18:41, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

G: EIGHTH ASSESSMENT (15 August)

Hello again, you have done a tremendous job on fixing up the Lead :) Please see above for my final set of eight updates/comments (A-H) on Assessment 7, plus two more below.

Update J (which I noticed in a quick read-through): in "Rookie season", delete "were tape-measure shots and each of them" as the term is not introduced properly until further down. Y

Update K: ok, I still feel strongly that the "Career statistics" section is both out of place where it is, following on a chronological narrative, and the heading not reflecting what its text says. For instance, "While not naturally adept as a fielder, Mantle had a strong throwing arm." This is not statistical: it is analytical. That's why I suggested keeping the table only in that section and moving the prose into a new section under "Assessment", where it would be an excellent introduction to that heading. I agree with you that "statistics and skills/qualities are two seperate things", but the example I cited above is most certainly not statistics. So here's what needs to be done, keeping that heading where and as it is.

(K1) move "While not naturally adept as a fielder, Mantle had a strong throwing arm.[59]" to another section and keep the citation, as this is not statistical information. Y

(K2) delete "and won a Gold Glove Award in 1962", which is an honor received. -- Moved to 1962 season paragraph.

(K3) Remove the third paragraph, as it refers only to other honors he received. -- I agree. They're already mentioned in the main body.

(K4) In that regard, the APMAotY award is very important and is to be moved up to the Lead, para. 3, after "and runs batted in (RBI) (130)", perhaps as "For those performances, he was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and won the Hickok Belt as athlete of the year". Y

(5) Make sure the AP narrative appears in the relevant section with the citation, just before where the Hickok Belt is mentioned (the additional ref. to the Hickok award can appear there too). Y

What I then propose to do is one final read all the way through, where I'll make *any minor tweaks I see. An assessor is allowed to do this! Then, all being well, I'll promote the article and send you a message. Thanks and regards Billsmith60 (talk) 13:08, 15 August 2023 (UTC) Update: can you change the several occurrences of "homer" to the more usual home run, other than for the verb "to homer"? -- Done. Thanks Billsmith60 (talk) 13:13, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

I've made the final changes as you asked. I have addressed some changes I forgot to add a tick or comment on before. My apologies; in the middle of editing the article, I forgot to add the comment in a few changes!

If this really was the last assessment, I have to say I enjoyed collaborating with you! Again, do let me know if there anything left untouched. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 13:54, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Hi, ok, other than this query, all that's left is my final read-through. Would you have any objection to my inserting a small heading "Fielding" in "Assessment", with this short sentence (with a quote, which occurs only rarely in this article)? "Mantle’s strength of throw was one of the best in baseball, such that it was seldom that a runner was able to gain an extra base on a hit he fielded. Possessed of good range in center field, his defensive skill was considered 'the less spectacular equal of his offensive genius'.”<ref>"Holland" Y Regards Billsmith60 (talk) 17:53, 15 August 2023 (UTC) Billsmith60 (talk) 17:53, 15 August 2023 (UTC) Update (sorry): I see in the Lead: "and later as a part-time coach in the Yankees farm system", but this does not appear to be in the main text. Can you do so, with a source? Thanks again -- Y Billsmith60 (talk) 18:02, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

I have no objections to that at all. Will do so! -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 18:05, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

I have done the last two things you told me to. Please check if they are alright. Thank you. -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 19:12, 15 August 2023 (UTC) Y

That's great, thank you. Right then, I'll do my "final" run-through tomorrow and only come back to you if there is something I can't sort out myself. All being good, tomorrow is D-Day Billsmith60 (talk) 21:18, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

It was wonderful collaborating with you. :) -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 21:57, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello again! I did a copy-edit this morning and tightened up on paragraphing. There was nothing glaring that jumped out at me, and anything needing rewriting was easily enough done. Hence, this is now a PASS and I will publish that information very soon. I assume you'll be keeping an eye on this article. Like any article, a GA is able to be changed, but no changes should be made to it without first going to the Talk page. Congratulations on your hard work. The pleasure of collaborating has been mine :) All the best, Billsmith60 (talk) 12:15, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

Thank you so much. I wish you all the best! -- Omnis Scientia (talk) 14:47, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

The above is preserved as an archive of the discussion. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the category's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.