Say Hey! Willie Mays passes

He is on the short list of the greatest baseball players of all time. Nothing he couldn’t do on a baseball field. Very sad, he was to be honored this weekend at a game in Birmingham Alabama, where he had played in the negro League. RIP Kid

I remember this happening live on the old "Game of the Week".  Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds at Candlestick. April 1970 if you can believe it.



Back in the days when outfield fences could be good old galvanized chain link.  Also remember he lost nearly 2 prime early career seasons serving in the US Army (1952-53).

On the Mets scoreboard, where they posted the scores of other games, they also posted upcoming home series. So it might read, Phillies July 12, 13, 14 Pirates July 16, 17, 18. When the Giants were coming to town, though, they simply posted, Willie July 26, 27, 28.
He was a god in New York.

I didn't become a Giants fan until they moved to SF in 58. From then on, Willie was it. No. 24 was the most popular jersey in all sports. I got to see him play once. It was at an old-timers game in Denver. They couldn't play too hard, but it was still fun to watch. During pre-game warmups, Willie was playing catch with a kid maybe 12 or 13 years old. I was 40+ years old, and I wanted to be that kid.

1:47 in the clip.