‘Giant Icon but a Person Who Had Regrets’- Mickey Mantle Once Made a Shocking Admission About This Cardinals Legend Being Better Than Him

Back then, in the 1950s and 60s, Mickey Mantle was a beast in the game of baseball. While playing for the New York Yankees, Mickey was probably the finest hitter in the ballparks. However, despite achieving so much success, the Yankees legend always felt blank inside his heart.

From the outside, he was a superstar in baseball, who won almost everything in the game. But deep inside his heart, Mickey Mantle knew he was not the perfect guy. Legendary sportscaster, Bob Costas, shared his wonderful experience when he hosted Mickey at his home.

While staying at Costas’ place, Mickey admitted that the St. Louis Cardinals legend, Stan Musial, was a better player than him. Notably, Musial had a remarkable career for the Cardinals. His longevity was unreal from the plate.

When Mickey Mantle realized he was nowhere close to Stan Musial

Earlier this year, in an exclusive interview with Graham Bensinger, Bob Costas opened up about the time he spent with the late Yankees legend, Mickey Mantle. While he kept praising Mantle for his winning mentality, the ace sportscaster revealed some interesting conversations he had with Mickey.

Costas revealed Mantle had a self-realization that he was nowhere close to Stan Musial’s legacy. Not only as a player, Mickey admitted that Stan was also a better person than him.

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“Well, Mickey was in St. Louis to do a charity event at my request and he stayed at our home in St. Louis… He is a giant icon but a person who had regrets… We invited Stan Musial and his wife Lil over dinner because we thought Mickey should be around people he knew. After Stan and Lil had left… Mickey and I are sitting talking well past midnight, and he just says something in that Oklahoma twang was really eloquent in its own way,” Costas revealed.

Mantle said unlike Stan, he had many regrets in his life.

He said, “I should have been as good a player as Stan. Nobody had more power than me. Before I got hurt, nobody could run faster than me. But Stan was a better player than me,” Mantle had said to Costas. “Because he is a better man than me… So, he does not have to live with the regrets that I live with. He admired Stan not just as a player, but as a person.”

Mantle v/s Musial in MLB

When talking about their game, Mickey Mantle and Stan Musial were exceptional for their respective teams. Mickey won seven World Series for the Yankees, while Musial also won three World Series titles for the Cardinals.

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They were two of the very few players who played for a single franchise throughout their professional careers. Considering their contribution to the game, MLB honored them with the Baseball Hall of Fame induction.

What is your take on Mickey Mantle’s thinking towards Stan Musial?