Just saw that he passed ..he was in his 90s and one of the greatest baseball players to play the game.
So glad I was able to see him play albeit at tail end of his career. Arguably greatest baseball player ever.
Mays' election to baseball hall of fame was overwhelming but not unanimous. Afterwards an outraged sportswriter challenged the dissenters to stop hiding behind anonymity and tell the world why they think Willie Mays should not be in hall of fame. They didn't.
When I was very young, (in the mid-60s) all the kids my age only knew and idolized two players. Mantle and Mays. In Little League, it would drive the coaches crazy when we would all try to copy Willie's "basket catch" style. I remember my dad always yelling at me: "There's only one Willie Mays, and you aren't him"
have loved listening to local Bay Area sports talk the past day celebrating the life of the great Mays. Story after story from fans, players, and people in the organization relaying small anecdotes that guided their lives to amazing feats that dropped jaws. Maybe my favorite was how after day games in SF he'd regularly take part in playing pickup games with kids. I truly wish I could have seen him play as beyond the greatness, everyone relays what joy he brought to the game each and every day. Tomorrow's game should be an amazing event STOMP
