Scott Halpern's column on August 30 concerning the demise of Jerry Garcia and Mickey Mantle was interesting and insightful, yet two points merit further consideration.
Halpern portrays Mantle as arrogant by indirectly quoting Mantle's "boast" that even God would want his autograph. When taken in context, however, the quote assumes a decidedly different tone; journalistic rigor demands a Paul Harvey-esque "rest of the story." The full anecdote, as Mantle would tell it, went something like this: Upon Mantle's approach to the pearly gates, God would greet the center fielder and solemnly inform him that despite his pinstriped heroics, the Yankee's off-field lifestyle had cost him a place in heaven. Mantle would sorrowfully nod and walk away, at which point God would stop him to ask, "But wait, before you go, could you do me favor and sign some baseballs?" The conclusion was a regret-tinged punch line, not egotistical braggadocio.
Nonetheless, Halpern does graze a more serious issue: the ability of American society to accept, indeed embrace, a blatant double-standard concerning drug and alcohol use and abuse. Athletes are vilified for substance abuse, often summarily discarded as failures.
Consider the recent posthumous character defamation suffered by former Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis based on nothing more than unsubstantiated allegations of cocaine use. On the other hand, popular musicians are celebrated for similar behavior; the adoring public thus unknowingly encourages the artist to continue in his or her self-destruction. To wit, the Beatles' legend is only enriched by their tribute to Lucy's diamond-studded sky. As cultural heroes can assume (willingly or unwillingly) role model status, such a grave inconsistency cannot be disregarded. With the passing of Mantle and Garcia, perhaps the time is appropriate to reconsider and question this discrepancy in our cultural code.
Kevin Gross
Trinity '96
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