Stephen E. Ball, a Crew Chief at Servpro of South Tulsa County, shared his memorable Christmas year of 1961 when he got to practice baseball under Jim McKelvey.
He experienced playing baseball that year, but never played with the team.
Baseball fans were captivated by a historic chase in 1961.
Two New York Yankees teammates, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, challenged Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record of 60 home runs in a season.
The press dubbed a powerful duo as the “M&M Boys,” and they were teammates from 1960 to 1966. Maris batted third and Mantle batted fourth in the Yankee lineup, respectively.
They traded the home run lead throughout the summer, pushing each other while facing immense pressure and constant media attention.
In the end, Maris made history, hitting his 61st home run on the final day of the season to break the record. Mickey Mantle, hampered by a serious hip injury, finished with a remarkable 54.
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A 1961 Glenpool Christmas to Remember
Stephen E. Ball’s Christmas of 1961 stands out in a lifetime of memories.
It was a year packed with events that felt larger than life to a boy growing up in Glenpool.
The summer of 1961 was electric with the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
The excitement peaked when his Grandma Ball treated the family to a ride on “The Mickey Mantle Special,” a train from Tulsa to Kansas City to see the Yankees play.
Though the M&M boys were quiet that day, Yogi Berra and Elston Howard hit memorable homers. Stephen recalls it as a thrill that happened yesterday.
Moreover, he got a taste of baseball himself back home and practiced with Keith Lankford, Bobby Selsor, Ray Cathcart, and Jim McKelvey under coach Don Ford. He never played in a game, but his team made him feel like part of the team.
Furthermore, 1961 had its trials too.
Stephen went to a hospital for tonsil surgery just before school started.
Despite its less-than-ideal style for a Glenpool boy, he learned to ride a blue girl’s bike, a generous gift from a family friend.
For days, I struggled to learn how to ride this bike. I spent more time picking myself up from the road than I did riding it, but eventually, I got the hang of it. It was quite a thrill to have wheels, and I loved that sense of freedom a bike afforded me, but this was a girl’s bike. Guys riding a girl’s bike in Glenpool back then was not a good look, but it didn’t stop me from being on wheels.
Stephen E. Ball
Christmas morning sealed the year’s magic, and he hoped to get a boy’s bike.
He got a red 26″ bike with the red pinstripes and dual lights by the tree, along with two other red bikes for his brothers.
Looking back, Stephen acknowledges the nice cars and houses of adulthood, but nothing has ever surpassed the pure joy of that beautiful red bike on Christmas Day sixty-four years ago.
What great memories, Steve. I knew all the guys you mentioned. Keith Lankford was my cousin. Those were the days, my friend.
Rick Green
