| Show t L I?- t!MK Crystal homers with homage to Maris and Mantle "Billy wishing you were still sitting here and I wish I were still playing" A glove ol Mantle's that Crystal Itought at auction rests on the chair It wouldn't be surpnsing tl Crystal could reel off which balls Mantle caught in tliat glove lie knows that much about the By JACQUELINE CUTLER TVDsla Paalurm Syndli ala the windows During the summer ol w civ open In the tenements around Yankee Stadium and the mar Imm the crowd sheering Mtekcy Mantle and booing Roger Mails was enough to lenll'y toddlers “Those aren't a lather said trying to calm down monsters one gul "That's history" And history was made that summer when Roger Mans broke Italic Ruth's home run recoid lie hit the Olst homer in the 102nd game The season however was eight games longer than when Rath played so Marls went down In siortx history with an astensk next to his name That asterisk lias since been removed It was a magical time lor baseball patiicn-lail- y in the house that Ruth built as leum-ninte- s and roommates Mantle and Mans battled to break Ruth's Id27 recoid of 00 homers An entire nation tuned In to watch the sluggers' bats slam the ball with a satisfying thwack That level of excitement wouldn't be matched until I'WH when Maik McO-wu- e and Sammy Sosa fought to best Mans' recoid Until now that magic had not been captured in a movie Credit Yankees Ian extraordinaire Billy Crystal ("Analyze This") for the hi illianl directing ol "61" premiering Saturday McCiwire-Sosa Apill 2H on 11)0 I he singles! frames the movie giving it relevance today In lesser hands this could have n been usl another baseball movie with shots of I'asihnllx In Crystal's hands though this Is nothing short ol a religious 1I p? ' if n ' Yankees '"I hey called me Ram Man on the set" Crystal says lelernng to the Dustin Hoffman chat actor who sewed aicano lads and figures with astonishing accuracy Crystal who has Ivon compiling Yankee trivia since his father took Inm to lus first game on May 10 I WO applies this wealth ol knowledge to the film lie auditioned some 000 players - as exttas because they had to he right Prop man CJ McGuire blew up photos of what was in the players’ lockers so he could line the shelves with the same brands Vit('U anil on IIIIO Hum llnnmis Jane inhabit tin ivies of Hotter Worn will Mu les Month' tvsiet lively in " the new orivnutl movie "fit S imla' ollciing lie caplines the exact look mood and detail ol the Hioiix ol 100 going so far as to include a reference to I hutch Nhov-wclthe local maikel that sold MAM hot dogs a piixlucl ol the Mantle and Maris Cuip l On the phone horn Ins I os Angeles home Crystal slimes an insciipiion from one ol his cheiished possessions a chan liom the original Yankee Stadium Ills pal Mantle wrote: of toiletiles Crystal acknowledges that the Mantle and Marls home run contest happened In a different time and doesn't mmnnllclc the story by playing down the players' foibles in the film But "Ol " is far more than a baseball story It Is a tale ol Irlendship loyally and heroics And at the risk of sounding corny It Is the talc of America Wlml is more American Ilian baseball? Who Is more of a hero than Marls u quiet kid from I'argo ND who inumiged to stay focused amid the rowdiness of llic Bronx? Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan") as Maris and lliomas Jane ("Deep Blue Sea'1) as Mantle me so convincing that the players' survivoix were I Imircd unjm1 I n r“ S TTREA n1 '- -ir ‘ Htnn SruA? Al° swreim SiMt W60 Bills? Gas High List uit r old furnace your 5(Buy Ami install a now Carrier furnneo " " ' ha providing Incroacod Comfort and efficiency ' ' lor cml Tyitel 11 "Mtrl‘' r HMtwllSusii)1400 and HTftO f 11 tl lira i- - l- r- fro2 041 ft -- APRIL 21 -- 28 2001 X balwaort 430-HEAT(432- 0) Standard-Examlno- r 47 |
