The family of baseball legend Mickey Mantle, protecting the revered Yankees outfielder's image, has kicked off a legal and PR battle after an online memorabilia seller marketed a "corked" game bat allegedly used by Mantle.

Corked or hollowed-out bats are illegal in baseball because of an apparent advantage to a hitter.


The family, through Mantle I.P. Holdings, has engaged Washington-based Bracewell & Giuliani for legal and communications support to fight back the claim by Grey Flannel Auctions that the doctored bat was used by Mantle during his career.

In a statement through B&G, the family called Westhampton, N.Y.-based GFA's claim "outrageously false, misleading and deceptive."

"The claim has spread throughout the Internet, and news media outlets have repeated and republished the marketer's false claims, baseless implications, and purported statements of the marketer's so-called authenticator," the family said. "Our Dad's legacy must be protected and the injury to his reputation must be corrected - he does not deserve to be the subject of these outrageous fabrications."

After B&G intervened, GFA removed the bat from sale and from display on its website. A partner at the firm, Jonathan Halpern, said May 13 that requests by the family to view and authenticate the bat have not been returned.

B&G senior principal for strategic communications Paul Nathanson and director of government affairs George Felcyn work the PR side for the Mantle family.

An authenticator who worked on the bat for GFA told the New York Daily News that there is "no question it is a Mantle bat," but he added that "we don't know anything about when it was used."