Good evening. Welcome to Dead Legends. The baseball newsletter that digs up old stories and brings them back to life.

Let’s dive in.

Today’s story is about the time MLB banned two Hall of Famers for doing meet-and-greets.

As we all know, the league used to have a very strict policy against gambling and anything that was even tangential to it.

Nowadays, MLB has embraced the casinos, even getting into business with people like MGM and DraftKings.

You may or may not know this, but MLB even OWNS a portion of DraftKings.

So with that in mind, it’s funny to think that once upon a time the league actually banned two of the game’s most iconic players. 

Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Sound familiar?

Pretty much ask any baseball fan in the world, and they'll know these guys.

So what on God's green Earth could they have done to get a lifetime ban?

Did they bet on their own games? No.

Did they get paid by gamblers to throw a game? No.

Mays and Mantle were banned from baseball after they retired, simply for shaking hands with people at a casino.

If this sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is, but this actually happened.

Let me explain.

Back in ’79, Willie Mays had signed up to be a “goodwill ambassador” for the Bally’s Park Place hotel & casino in Atlantic City.

Basically his duties were showing up, being famous, and saying hello to some folks at corporate and charity events.

Mays was the hitting instructor for the Met’s at the time, so it’s not like this was his full-time gig by any stretch of the imagination.

Not to mention, sports gambling wasn’t even available in NJ at the time.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn didn’t give a shit about any of that.

He cited the MLB’s rules about players, coaches, and team personnel being involved with gambling.

Mays was forced out of his job and completely banned from working in baseball.

In ’83, Mantle had the opportunity to take a similar position at the Del Webb Claridge Hotel & Casino.

The commissioner warned him that he would be banned as well if he took the job.

But in classic Mickey Mantle fashion, he told Bowie that the threat was “stupid” and took the job anyways.

Basically, Mantle gave Bowie the bird.

Kuhn banned Mantle as well.

The very next year, Commissioner Kuhn did not get a contract extension as he expected, and the league set out to find a new commissioner.

They brought on Peter Ueberroth, and one of his first orders of business was to reinstate Mays and Mantle.

A few months into his tenure, Sports Illustrated dropped this cover.

He called Mays and Mantle “two of the most beloved and admired athletes in the country,” and said “they belong in baseball.”

MLB did not relax their policy regarding gambling for active players and coaches, but they made some exceptions moving forward for retired players and personnel.

Especially for things like meet-and-greets and memorabilia events.

BASEBALL BOTTLE OPENER

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It's the best 13 bucks you'll ever spend.

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is

Hazewood was drafted 19th overall by the Orioles in 1977.

He made his big-league debut in 1980, but despite his impressive .583 batting average in spring training, he didn’t join the Orioles until September.

When he got his chance, Drungo went out there put on an absolute clinic - on striking out.

He struck out four out of his five AB's.

Word on the street is that he had trouble hitting the curveball - story of my life.

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

If you like this story, check out some of our past favorites:

• The Escape: José Fernández attempts to make it to the US

• The Boss Gets Banned: How Steinbrenner's ban created a Yankee dynasty

• The Sneaker Ring: Former MLB sells millions in fake shoes and then goes on the run

That's it for today. Tomorrow we're back at it like a bad habit. See ya!

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