The family of Mickey Mantle has claimed through their attorneys at Bracewell & Giuliani LLP that an auction house authenticator’s withdrawal of his earlier claim of authenticity for a “game used” Mickey Mantle “corked” baseball bat further proves that the online sports memorabilia marketer who promoted it “engaged in a patently false, misleading and deceptive claim.
“In addition, a basic chain of custody research revealed that the bat was originally given by Mickey Mantle to former major league pitcher Milt Pappas, who, in a sworn declaration, stated that he had holes drilled in the bat to help create a stairway handrail in his home,” according to the attorneys.
Pappas told MLB.com, “Any so-called claim that the Mickey Mantle bat I possessed had been corked and ‘game-used’ by Mickey Mantle is false.”
The Mantle Family has continued to press for an apology from Grey Flannel, an online sports memorabilia marketer, which already has withdrawn the bat from auction.
“Our Dad loved the game of baseball and played throughout his career with absolute integrity,” said Danny Mantle, Mickey Mantle’s son. “We all know that our Dad wasn’t a cheater — that principle is a constant and repeatedly has been reaffirmed. We think the time is long overdue for Grey Flannel to show integrity as well and do the right thing: retract the claims it made about our Dad and the bat it advertised on its web site and apologize. Our family, and the legion of fans who remember how Mickey Mantle played and loved the game of baseball, are owed and rightfully expect a full and unqualified restoration of his rightful legacy. We hope that the people who were quick to doubt my Dad will now give him the respect he deserves.”
Bracewell attorneys Jonathan Halpern and Drew Kastner said in a joint statement that “after the Mantle Family requested our assistance, we asked some fundamental questions and conducted some research, and we soon obtained confirmation that the claims that Grey Flannel and others made about a game-used corked bat were entirely false. The Mantle Family expects a full and unqualified retraction.”
The firm also sent the following warning: “The Family intends to take all appropriate measures against those who engage in misleading and deceptive misconduct and to hold them accountable.”
