As we all grow from a young boy to who we become as a man, there are those who influence us in the evolution of our being.
When you begin that journey, that evolution can take varying paths. Mine was baseball - ever since I signed up for Little League at age 10 in 1960. You sometimes suffer a bit of a heartache when you finally realize your dream of playing in the pros is never going to happen. Of course, mine came pretty early, but the love of the game never ceases.
Willie Mays' love of the game never ceased, but HIS talents got him enshrined into MLB's Hall of Fame. No one played the game with the spirit and joy of a young boy as he did even up till the day he retired. Even in his first old-timers game, Mays, in his first at-bat, slugged one into the bleachers and rounded the bases with the little boy enthusiasm that was his trademark.
You know your heroes as though they were a family member. Mays born May 6 in Westfield, Ala. His first MLB hit - a bomb off fellow Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. As Mays' Manager Leo Durocher tells it, Mays began his MLB career going 0-12 for the New York Giants. The center-fielder went into Durocher's office in tears saying he doesn't think he can play in the majors. Durocher erased any thoughts of Mays' self-doubt and simply said, "As long as I'm here, you are my center-fielder.'' From there, Mays went on to become, at least in this man's opinion, the greatest player of all time. If Jerry West is the logo of the NBA, then Mays' catch off Vic Wertz should be the logo for MLB.
Mays' stats are eye-popping: .302 career average, 660 home runs, 3283 hits, 2062 runs, 1903 RBIs, 338 stolen bases, 24 All-Star appearances, 12 Golden Gloves, 2 MVPs, a World Series MVP, 11 different years not making an error, the first player in history to be a member of the 30/30 club (HRs/SBs) and on and on ...
Today, a part of my youth passed away when I woke up to hear the news that Willie Mays has left us at the age of 93. Mays never smoked or drank. He believed in keeping his 5-10, 170-lb. frame in the condition that respected the game he loved to play.
What I will vividly remember most is not his career, but his welcoming and warm reception he offered when presented the opportunity to interview him while working for the Daily Press, a newspaper in Newport News. Va., in 1985. He frequently greeted people by saying "Say Hey,'' which became the moniker "Say Hey Kid.'' I will never forget him getting me as such.
RIP "Say Hey Kid'' and thank you for the memories.
I was a centerfielder as a nine-year-old. I had three heroes: Mantle, Mays and Snider. On any day, I could be any one of them, and glad for the experience. Thanks for the photo, Tim.
Great write-up JK! Willie was my father's favorite player and he passed that down to me along with so much more. I thought a lot about my Father last night and a special day at Shea Stadium that we shared, as we were in attendance together on Mother's Day in 1972 as Mays made his Mets debut. (I still have my ticket) After 21 years as a Giant, Mays made his first start as a Met on that rainy day against his former team and in the bottom of the fifth, Willie hit a line drive home run over the left field fence for his first hit as a Met, which turned out to be the game winning hit! I'll never forget the joy of that moment. RIP #24 Say Hey!
