Did you know..
 

...that Mickey Mantle owned a home at the Continental Country Club? Did you know that Whitey Ford and Roger Maris vacationed there for several years?

Continental Country Club History

Two things, The Villages wasn't built yet and baseball players didn't make large amounts of money like they do now. The Yankees winter home was St. Petersburg until '61 and then the Mets took their place in '62. I use to go and watch the Yankees practice at Crescent Lake in St. Pete when I was 10 to 11 years old. The field is still there, it's now called Huggins-Stengel Field. Last time I went I stood about 10' from Mickey as he played catch on the other side of the fence.

https://www.digitalballparks.com/Spr..._Box_2_V2T.jpg

The field is still there, 13 blocks north of Central Avenue.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...el_Field01.jpg

They have pictures at the Continental Country Club of Mickey Mantle. I was told they used to drink at a bar on Rt27 in Leesburg that is no longer there.

I was raised in Fort Myers where the Pirates had their spring training.

On day after school in 1960 (I believe), I went to the golf course and saw Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford on the first tee.

Later when I was in college at Univ. of Fla., I heard that Roger Maris had a house just west of Gainesville.

My older brother LOVED Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris and to this day is a huge Yankees fan.
I had no idea they ever lived down this way.