The baseball legend Willie Mays peacefully passed away on Tuesday at 93. Mays was an icon and a transcendent superstar. Growing up a Giants fan in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have always been told about the greatness of Willie Mays. Since his passing, I have learned how much more than just a Giants legend he was. This week, I’ve constantly been reading, listening to, and watching stories about Willie Mays.
As a 24-year-old, I never saw Willie Mays play live. Shoot, I have barely seen that many highlights from his playing career that spanned from the late 1940s until 1973. And I didn’t personally know him. But hearing countless stories about Willie, attending his condolence book signing at Oracle Park, and watching the Negro Leagues Tribute game at Rickwood Field in his honor Thursday night made me feel as if I was always his biggest fan.
He was more than a 24-time all-star, MVP, World Series champion, and a Baseball Hall of Famer. He was one of the pioneers in breaking the color barrier. He was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He fought for his country. He brought strangers together and made people fall in love with sports by how he played. That’s why he is widely considered the best there ever was.
Influence of Willie Mays
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After walking through the Oracle Park gates Thursday afternoon for the Willie Mays condolence book signing which went on for eight hours in the outfield (I took the pictures above), I felt a way I never had before while being in a stadium. There was a wave of emotions right as I stepped on the field. Even though I never saw him play or knew him, I could feel how much he meant to the world. That made me think about people close to me who saw him play and idolized him. Willie Mays played his last baseball game nearly 30 years before I was born, yet he still has a lasting impact on me.
I was raised by parents who are Giants fans. I was one before I was old enough to walk or talk. My dad became a Giants fan because he saw Willie play for the Giants in the first baseball game he went to as a kid. That fandom has been passed down to me and that is why I am a die-hard Giants fan still today. Willie is the core reason for that. That’s why I have gone to hundreds of games with friends or family and watched another thousand on TV. He’s why I care about this team and sport. That’s all I could think about as I walked out of Oracle. It’s a day I will never forget.
Not everyone is a baseball or Giants fan but everyone knows who Willie Mays was. He was bigger than everything. Think about an idol you have. Maybe it’s an athlete, musician, artist, or whatever they may be. What makes them your idol? Did they introduce you to an art form or game you fell in love with? Was it the way they perfected their craft at the highest level? Or just their style in how they performed? That’s what Willie Mays has been to people for generations.
The Best There Ever Was
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One of the constant things I keep hearing from those who saw Willie Mays play is that he was the best player they ever saw. He was the original 5 tool player. That means he could catch, throw, run, hit for average, and hit for power. He could do it all. Some will say he was even a six-tool player because of his smarts.
He hit a staggering 660 home runs in his career; 6th all-time. While hitting for power, his batting average was still over .300. He also stole nearly 400 bases. He then racked up 12 gold gloves as the best fielding centerfielder in baseball. In the middle of this, he was out of baseball for two years fighting in the Korean War. His most famous catch was in the 1954 World Series. He ran down a fly ball in deep center field, making an over-the-shoulder basket catch with his back to the field, then throwing the ball back to the infield to prevent the runner from second to tag up and score. This play is simply known as “The Catch”.
He could do it all, and he did it with flare and excitement. Willie was known for purposely wearing his hat high on his head so it would fly off when he ran. He said he knew the fans thought it was exciting. When he was on the Giants, he would play stickball in the streets before games with kids. That was Willie and why so many people gravitated towards him. He played because he loved the game and he wanted to give the fans a show. Willie Mays did exactly that.
Rickwood Field Tribute
The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals played the first MLB game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama Thursday night. This was where Willie Mays first played professional baseball for the Negro League’s Black Barons before joining the Giants. He also grew up right next to the stadium.
Along with the rest of the Negro League Legends Thursday night, Mays was set to get a huge ovation as this game was being played in their honor. They went through hell, facing racism, violence, and segregation. All of this while trying to play baseball at the highest level. On the pre-game show, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson kept it 100% real when talking about how difficult it was as a black man during those times. He said about what he went through, “He wouldn’t wish it on anybody”.
Just two days before the game, Mays passed away. It makes me sad he wasn’t able to see his Giants play in the game that meant so much, but I am glad he was aware that the game at Rickwood would be taking place. It made for a special evening with countless tributes.
RIP #24
For me, Willie is a big part of how I ended up being so passionate about sports. He made many want to play and watch baseball. Decades later, this is still being passed down generations, to people like me. Thank you, Willie, your legacy will live on forever. Rest in peace to The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays.
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