“He could do it all.”
And never got credit for the things he did because people were so tuned in to hit it catch it.
When the Giants moved to San Francisco in the late 50’s, I was in little league in central California and he came in large. I like every other kid, never really understood the things he did unil I grew up and learned the game.
Sure, he hit 600 homers and won two batting titles, but the little things were what nobody saw. He never missed a cut off man, and never threw to the wrong base. I watched him hit balls into the gaps and stay at first base so they would pitch to Willie McCovey rather than pitch around him with first base open. Interesting point is that Mays would work walks with two on and McCovey still owns the lifetime record for grand slams in the national league. Mays was one of the smartest players I ever saw.
When Juan Marichal hit John Roseboro with a bat, and while the rest of the players were fighting, Mays pulled Roseboro away and was attending to him helping to get the docs to him. He played in almost 3000 games and was never ejected. And you know they knocked him down but he retaliated with the bat, glove and his speed.
I can remember being at Candlestick on a night game and the wind was blowing out toward right. The Giants needed a run late so Mays stepped in, closed his stance, and hit a ball out in right field.
He was never the top in almost all stats. But he did all stats almost as well as the top person did and would be mentioned in the same sentence with all of them. Best all around player I ever saw and a great ambassador for the game. And one way to tell just how good he was is it is mentioned every year, it seems, that some team has found the next Willie Mays. And they never do.
wy69
You know that Willie Mays and Ernie Banks had to have experienced racism coming into the game just as the Negro Leagues were winding down. You never hear either complain about it, though.
Both had a trademark of being even tempered and great ambassadors for the game. I would also give them points for being peacemakers like the Roseboro incident that you pointed out.