1953 Tri-State Miners 

In writing about area baseball I have mentioned Mickey Mantle"s twin brothers and Mick's first cousin, Max Mantle. You can see them here. Roy and Ray I saw play in Galena and Max in Miami. The subject of Max came up in an unexpected way a few short years ago. I attended a bluegrass festival in Bon Aqua, Tenn., July 1, 2017, and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver headlined the show. I noticed the Dobro player for Quicksilver. I have an affinity for that instrument and have written for major publications about its history. I took an opportunity to talk to the Dobroist when the band finished its set. The relatively young fellow was Eli Johnston, from -- of all places -- Columbus, Kansas. Our conversation quickly switched to baseball. It seems he played baseball (in a much later era than mine) under the tutelage of Max Mantle and spoke highly of him. He is familiar with some of my Columbus relatives (mostly pretty girls) and others in the town -- Bryce Martin

Eli Johnston: guitar, Dobro guitar, banjo, vocalist, songwriter

Back Row: Ray Mantle, Johnny Lafalier-Cardin/Picher, Oklahoma; Leroy Scoles--Miami, Okla.; Steve Green, -Picher, Okla.;- Don Boyd-Joplin, MO; Mash Spangler-Welch, Okla.: Jack McGoyne and Roy Mantle, Commerce, OKla.

 

Front Row: Gaylon Enos, Joplin, MO; Max Buzzard and J. E. Landon-Seneca, MO, Howard Scheurich, Joplin, MO; Max Mantle-Commerce, Travis Kunce and Bill Drake, Joplin, MO.. (Seven of the guys played pro ball. All the Mantles, Max Buzzard, Travis Kunce, Gaylon Enos and Bill Drake

...

From John Hall:

“In 1953 the team for whom three of the Mantles played was known as the Treece Tri-State Miners. They called Treece, Kan. their home so as to be eligible for the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita. Max recalls going to that tournament where they took on some of the best amateur teams in the country and placed third. Although Ray and Roy played for the Tri-State Miners they didn’t qualify playing with the team in the Wichita tournament. They still hadn’t graduated from high school. In 1954 both of the Mantle twins and Max were signed by the Yankees and sent to McAlester, Okla. One night all three were playing the outfield at the same time. Max recalls the Rockets were wearing the hand-me-down New York Yankee uniforms from three years earlier. When he checked the name on his uniform it turned out to have been worn by Cliff Mapes. Oddly enough, Max’s cousin Mickey was the one who replaced Mapes with the Yankees. Even more amazing, Mickey Mantle is the one who influenced Mapes to move to Oklahoma. Mickey got the job done by telling him of the great hunting and fishing sites in the area.”

The KOM Flash Report

John Hall

Week of May 8—14, 2016