The "One Of My Favorite Baseball Players: Part II - "Willie Mays : The Say Hey Kid" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching a video clip of my all-time favorite baseball player, Willie Mays, make an over-the-shoulder catch in deep centerfield.  I never tire of watching the catch, though I wish it were in color instead of black and white.  At the time, there was only black and white television when he made the catch off the bat of Vic Wertz during the 1954 World Series.  Actually, the entire world had a chance to watch that catch since the season had ended and everyone was watching the World Series at the time.  If you "Google" Willie Mays, you will find page after page about his life to go along with photograph after photograph as well as his famous over-the-shoulder catch clip.  But, rather than bore you with an entire story about his statistics, I thought I would pass along a few stories about Willie Mays.   Starts with a story when Bill Rigney was his coach and Willie hit a triple against the Cubs that landed at the bottom of the fence in left center, about 470 feet away.  

Willie Mays makes an over the shoulder catch.

The ball hadn't even sounded well-hit.  When he pulled into third base Bill said, "Willie, you didn't get all of that, did you?  And he replied, "No skip, I didn't get all of it.  Another time Willie was asked what his biggest thrill had been that was related to baseball.  He didn't mention his spectacular catch or his visit to the White House after the World Series or all his awards he had received.  Instead he said "My biggest thrill is playing ball every day.  I didn't say being a ballplayer.  I said playing ball."  Willie is notoriously bad with names.  One time a fellow by the name of Charlie Einstein wrote a book about Willie Mays titled "Born to Play Ball."  After he had finished the book he called Willie at the clubhouse to tell him it was finished.  Willie picked up the phone and Charlie said, "This is Charlie."  Willie replied, "Charlie who?"  "Charlie Einstein!"  

1952 Bowman bubble gum card.

After a long, quiet time, it was obvious Willie had no idea wo he was.  Charlie said, "You know, the guy you just did the book with."  Willie replied, "What book?"  Willie eventually said that he comes to the park to play baseball and once he is there, he tries to think of nothing but baseball.  Well, even if Willie doesn't worry about details, I will give you few rather important one.  May 6, 1931: Willie is born in Westfield, Alabama.  His grandfather was a pitcher and his father was a semipro ballplayer for the local iron plant.  He was born a Black man in the Deep South during the Great Depression and his parents separated and Willie worked to help provide for his family while excelling in football and basketball at Fairfield Industrial High School.  They didn't sponsor a school baseball team, but Willie did play on his dad's factory team and semi-pro baseball teams. 1950: Willie signs with the New York Giants. Previously he had played for the Birmingham Club and managed a hit off of Satchel Paige.  In 1948 he helped his team reach the Negro World Series.  Dodger's star, Roy Campanella begged his club to sign Willie, but Willie signed with the Giants for a $4,000 bonus.  May 28, 1951:  Mays get his first hit when Leo Durocher insisted he be called to the parent team.  He was put in center field and after an 0-for-12 start, homered off Warren Spahn at the Polo Grounds.  Then...another 0-13 followed but he ended with a .288 average with 19 homers and the award of National League Rookie of the Year.  September 29, 1954: Sandlot games all over the the country, including games I played in Lancaster, argued who was the best center-fielder in baseball: Willie or Duke Snider.  Then in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series Vic Wertz clubbed a ball that was headed for the center-field wall.  Willie turned and went on a dead sprint before he heard the delayed crack of the bat.  He hauled in Wertz's drive over his shoulder for the most famous catch in baseball history.  Willie quickly stopped, turned and three the ball to the infield to stop Larry Doby from scoring.  That play vaulted the Giants to an extra-inning win in the opener and to an unexpected sweep of the World Series.  "The Catch" was a lasting image for the 23 year old Mays.  He was the MVP winner with a batting average of .345, slugging average of .667, hitting 41 homers and 13 triples.  Did I say that he was 23 years old!  

1961 photograph of Willie Mays

April 30, 1961: Willie slams four homers in a game against the Milwaukee Braves.  He was the ninth player to ever complete that feat.  And, the night before he was felled with a case of food poisoning.  To compensate for his weakness due to his illness, he used Joey Amalfitano's lighter bat when he hit the homers.  That bat is now in the Hall of Fame.  September 13, 1965:  Willie hits his 500th homer.  At the time only Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams and Mel Ott had hit that many.  Willie was 34 years old at the time and he ended up winning the NL MVP with 52 homers.  

1965 photograph of Willie Mays

September 22, 1969: Willie became a member of the 600th Home Run Club.  Only Babe Ruth had hit that many.  He hit the shot off of San Diego's Mike Corkins with only 4,779 fans in the San Diego stadium at the time.  Four months later the Sporting news named him the "Player of the Decade."  He joined the likes of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Frank Robinson when he won that award.  July 18, 1970:  Willie joined the 3,000 hit club as a member of the San Francisco Giants.  It was off of Expos pitcher Mike Wegener in San Francisco'a Candlestick Park.  Only Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols have accomplished that feat.  You know.,..if I were a pitcher facing Willie with a record on the line, he'd get the best hitting pitch I could throw him.  How do you think Wegener got his name in the record books.

1972 photograph of Willie Mays

May 11, 1972:  Willie returns to New York when he is traded to the Mets for a minor leaguer.  He finally returned to the city where it all started!  "He came back to paradise," he said.  I can remember going to see the Phillies that year just so I could see Willie one last time.  Willie Mays retired after the 1973 season.  He did get to play in the 1973 All-Star Game and the Mets did play in the World Series.  Willie had his final hit in the World Series off Oakland's Rollie Fingers.  His hit drove in the winning run in the 12th inning of Game 2.  January 23, 1978:  Willie was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.  He said in his induction speech, "This county is made up of a great many things.  You can grow up to be what you want.  I chose baseball, and I love every minute of it."  We too enjoyed it.  September 29, 2017: May's name graces the World Series MVP trophy. He received a number of accolades in his retirement from baseball and in 2009 he flew on Air Force One alongside President Barack Obama to the All-Star Game in St. Louis.  

Willie meeting his hero, Barack Obama.

In 2015 Mays, along with Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench and Sandy Koufax were honored as baseball's four "Greatest Living Players."  Mays was The Godfather to Barry Bonds who surpassed Mays on the all-time homer list.  Today, LeRoy Neiman's 1996 painting of Mays in in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  My story today may have been long, but I'm not sure what I could have cut out of it.  I think I did say he was probably my favorite player, didnt' I? That is besides my grandson Caden!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

1996 LeRoy Neiman's painting of Willie Mays