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Tutor & Plan. On the field. Manager Casey Stengel has been his tutor-in-chief since Mickey became a regular. Casey, who once called Mickey "treemenjous" and hawked him to the skies, now talks of his man in careful understatement ("a pretty good ballplayer"). The job now is to keep the fans from expecting too much from No. 7 whenever he marches to the plate or trots out to centerfield.
If all goes according to plan—Mutt's plan, Casey's plan, Mickey's own plan—Centerfielder Mantle should have a good dozen years ahead of him in the big leagues. The big numeral 7 on Mantle's back should take its place in Yankee legend with the 5 that Joe DiMaggio wore, the 4 that Lou Gehrig wore, and the 3 that Babe Ruth wore (a number now officially retired by the Yankees). That would mean years of recurring headaches for American League pitchers, years of merrily clicking turnstiles for Yank:ee Stadium.
No. 7 is sometimes asked about all this. One form the question takes: Does he think he will be another DiMaggio. Gehrig or Ruth? "That's just something some writer said," answers Mickey Mantle. "I guess he knows more about it than I do."