March 1, 1969

The Mick calls it quits. Mickey Mantle, the 37-year-old slugger for the New York Yankees, announces his retirement with a total lack of emotion. He has neither a lump in his throat nor a tear in his eye at his press conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"I can't hit any more," says Mantle, whose .245 and .237 averages the last two seasons dropped his career mark to .298. "I feel bad that I didn't hit .300. But there's no way I could go back and get it over .300 again."

Despite being injured for much of his 18-year career, Mantle was one of the game's shining stars, and his 536 homers trail only Babe Ruth's 714 and Willie Mays' 587. The Yankees' center fielder won three MVP awards, four home-run titles and in 1956 won the Triple Crown with a .353 average, 52 homers and 130 runs batted in.