Memoirs of America: The Mickey Mantle He Stole from a Kid

by David Kilimnick

That's the nightmare I had the other night.

Some things in life stick with you, and they're all negative. And I like sharing those experiences.
The piece of Ganev that ripped me off when I was eleven years old. He wanted my Mickey Mantle card and he wanted to trade his Mike Greenwells, and for some reason he didn't feel bad lying to me. And that's when I learned, there are jerks in the hobby, and I will hold a grudge for forty years.
This is hard to relive. Have you ever had a horrific experience that brings back bad memories that hurt to think about? Have you ever been to war? Ever been to prison? Ever broke your femur? I have to look at Mike Greenwell cards. Do you know what that feels like? To have to see Mike Greenwell cards?!

Here's the Story
It was recess and we only had fifteen minutes. That's all you get. Fifteen minutes. It's intense. Deals have to happen. That's fifteen minutes and then life is over. You're back in class, and you're dead. That's how I viewed death in elementary school. Studying. You get recess and then you die.

Earlier, on the bus on the way to school, Evan was showing me his book of Mike Greewells. A whole book of Mike Greenwell rookies. It looked glorious with all the beautiful colors. Glorious and dumb. Why would anybody need that many Mike Greewells?!
Evan was telling me how the Mike Greenwell rookie cards are rare. I was wondering how he had seventy of the rare card. How does he have all seventy ever made? How did they all end up in Rochester, New York?
I thought he had the only seventy Mike Greenwells ever made. And he confirmed he had all seventy. And I was amazed.
Turns out there were another seven million Mike Greenwell rookies made. But Evan only knew of the seventy that he had. His seventy were very rare. Nobody else had them. And that's when I learned that "rare" is a state of mind when you're ripping people off.

He buttered me up on the bus. And now it was time for 10am recess. Where deals are made and then you die.

The Deal
We're at recess, not getting exercise. I'm thinking, "I really love my Mickey Mantle card." Evan, the eighth grader is thinking, "I really love his Mickey Mantle card." Evan approaches me, and I said, "No. I think I'm going to keep the Mickey Mantle." And then came the conversation. Evan started with "Mike Greenwell is amazing." I responded with a, "Then why do you want to get rid of his cards?!" Which was a statement that seemed to make no sense to Evan. And that's when I learned that when somebody is trying to take your Mickey Mantle, logic is not part of the discussion.

And the back and forth kept going, with Evan:  
"He hit .300."
"But Mikey Mantle hit over .300 for his career."
"Mike Greenwell hits a lot of singles."
"Who cares about singles? Mickey Mantle hit home runs."
"But Mr. Greenwell focuses on singles. Anybody can hit home runs." He called Mike Greenwell, Mister. Somehow that gave more respect to his cards. I can't disrespect my elders. Mike Greenwell was now a Sir. And Mickey Mantle was never a Sir. "And you're getting seventy cards for one."
"But those cards only cost fifty cents each."
"But it's seventy of them."
"That doesn't make sense. I understand Mr. Greenwell is an excellent man. And he may have been knighted. But with all due respect, Mickey Mantle's card is very valuable."
"Look you're going to lose out on the deal if we don't do it now." Evan was an amazing negotiator. Might have been a thief. Not sure. That deflection was brilliant.
"But it's not a good card."
"But they're rookie cards."
"Rookie cards that nobody cares about. I think it's a good thing to lose out on this deal."
"It's a deal. Deals are good." Evan had a point. From what I remember, deals are good and they don't have anything to do with people taking my Mickey Mantle. "And you're getting a book."
"It's a trapper keeper." Trapper keepers were cool. A binder with Velcro. I would've given the Mickey Mantle for that book. And it had a spaceship on it.
"I'm bigger than you." "I'm bigger than you" is an excellent negotiating tactic. And then Evan added, "He's not playing anymore. That's how bad Mickey Mantle is." I couldn't argue against that. If Mickey was truly that good, he would've been playing late into his sixties. I was sold and Evan was bigger than me.

Evan then took the card. He's now smiling. Jumping for joy. I'm thinking, "This guy lied to me."
"Why are you so happy?" I asked.
Evan then said the words that resonate to this day, "I'm happy for you. You ripped me off."
"Something feels off here." But it was convincing. "Why would anybody lie to me. Evan's a good guy."
And that's when I learned, I am a sucker. And people are jerks.

The Problem with Deals
I knew I shouldn't have done it. It all seemed off. He was happy.
The problem is I get caught up in the moment. You couple the older guy lying, the fact recess is almost over, and the rarity of a card that there are only seven million of, and I am now thinking, "I've got to do the deal. The teacher just called us in. I'm going to be dead in a minute."

Now Mike Greenwell was a decent hitter, and I'm sure an even better man. Mike hit over .300 with nineteen home runs. Who would've ever thought he wasn't going to be a star. We were hitting .800 in little league.
We thought he was going to be good. Ever heard of Jerome Walton? Exactly.
​And that's the problem with watching the news. He had one good game the night before the trade. I saw that. I heard Evan. I said "no" and Evan continued. And I felt like I was in a corner. And it was Topps '87. I love the design. Looks like an old card. That's how he got me. "The Mickey Mantle is an old card, but the Topps '87 card looks like an old card. And let's say Mike Greenwell ever makes it to a hundred home runs... that's the Hall of Fame right there." Who in pee wee little league ever hit a hundred home runs?!
And they were Topps. Not even '87 Fleer.

The problem is I felt like I had to do it. Evan said, "We have to trade." "Why do we have to trade? Why do I have to give away a card I love?! ​You want my good stuff. I get it."
But then I saw that recess was about to end. I knew I had to do the trade, as I was about to die. Or go back to class. It's all the same. As a child, I had a morbid view on life.

When Not to Do Deals
Don't do the deal when you hear stuff like, "This is your only chance." As I learned in my old age, you can still live past recess.
When they say, "It's rare. I am the only one who has it, along with seven million other people," it's probably not a great deal.
When somebody else is happy, don't do the deal. If you see the other guy smiling, do not do it. And definitely don't trust anybody who says, "I'm happy for you."

Later On
Now those Mike Greenwell cards are worth nothing, and I still hate Evan.
Mike Greenwell was injured for most of his career. Evan probably encouraged him to get injured. And I credit the fact that I'm in debt to that jerk in eighth grade and Mike Greenwell striking out. Every problem I have in life goes back to Mike Greenwell and Evan.

Evan ruined my trust in people. I don't trust anybody that's "happy for me."
Now I trust nobody. I go to the bakery, get a Danish, they smile at me, I know they're ripping me off. They say, "Have a good day." I scream back, "Ganev." They probably have a Mickey Mantle stashed somewhere.
​I go to the shuk. I know I'm getting ripped off. I'm sure every kiosk in the shuk has a Mickey Mantle hidden somewhere.
Evan is looking at his framed Mickey Mantle every night. Basking in the glory of me having to look at Mike Greenwells.
And every night, before I go to sleep, I pray to Gd and say, "I forgive anybody who wronged me, but the Ganev who traded me the Mike Greenwells." 

I'm still holding this in my heart. Shows how long resentment can last. 
​And I still get ripped off.

***Mike Greenwell was a great player who gave the Boston Red Sox hope. He should be Zoyche to bask in Gd's glory in Olam Haba.