Saying 'No way' to the Say Hey Kid

Baltimore Sun ^ | April 22, 2005 | JoAnna Daemmrich

[Cincinatus' Wife]

HAGERSTOWN - It was 1950 when baseball great Willie Mays made his minor league debut at the humble ballpark here to catcalls and racial jeers. He hit two doubles and a home run. Almost no one applauded.

Years passed, and this blue-collar town in Western Maryland wanted to make amends with the Giants' legendary center fielder. When a reluctant Mays returned last summer, after turning down earlier invitations, Mayor William M. Breichner publicly apologized to the 73-year-old Hall of Famer and promised to name a street in his honor.

Unfortunately, the street the mayor picked - Memorial Boulevard - proved more sacred to some townspeople than the national pastime.

Scores of war veterans protested that Memorial Boulevard is the only tribute to them in town. Insulted veterans groups circulated petitions; old-timers wrote angry letters to City Hall. Faced with a growing backlash, Breichner and the City Council rejected last week the plan to rename the street "Willie Mays Way."

......Memorial Boulevard seemed a natural choice because it starts at Municipal Stadium, the little ballpark where Mays played as a member of the visiting Trenton Giants and which is home to the minor-league Hagerstown Suns. But the busy street also passes Rose Hill Cemetery, where many fallen soldiers from the Civil War are buried. Its proximity to the cemetery, local veterans say, is the reason the street's name was first changed, in 1934, from Willow Lane.

"Around this town, it's about the only thing that's named for veterans," said John Heckman, first vice commander of Amvets Post 10. His friend, Joe Mills, a 61-year-old Vietnam veteran, called the mayor's proposal "a disgrace."

"People went over and fought and died for our country," said Mills, sitting at lunch at the smoky Amvet post, not far from the stadium. ..........

[ajolympian2004]

I saw Willie Mays play in the last game ever at old Crosley Field in Cincinnati back during the 1970 season. After the Red's won the game with back to back homeruns by Johnny Bench and Lee May.

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THE FINAL CROSLEY HOMER June 24, 1970 - Eighth Inning

It was fitting that the last game at Crosley should be such a classic game. The lead changed three times in seven innings. Giants, 1-0 - Reds, 2-1 - Giants, 4-3. The first two batters in the bottom of the eighth were Johnny Bench and Lee May. The pitcher was Juan Marichal. Reds radio announcer Jim McIntyre (with help from his co-announcer, Joe Nuxhall) called the final Crosley Field homer:

"Johnny Bench's home run has just tied it at 4-4, and Mr. Marichal has now allowed the Reds nine hits, and we've got a brand-new ball game here in the eighth inning. Two and two to May. On deck, Bernie Carbo...Now the pitch. Swung on, a high drive, deep center field!" In the background, Nuxhall shouted, "Get outa here, outa here, babe get outa here! I tell ya, out, out, outa here!" McIntyre finished: "...its over the center-field fence! A home run for Lee May! And the Reds have taken the lead, 5-4."

With Tito Fuentes on deck, Wayne Granger got Bobby Bonds to hit an easy grounder back to the mound for the final Crosley Field out. The Reds had won, 5-4 and the final chapter had ended for Crosley Field.

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After the game a helicopter swooped in to take homeplate over to the brand new Riverfront Stadium.

As we were getting ready to leave our seats behind the Giants dugout a man behind us said, "hey kid, go over by the on deck circle and collect some of that dirt that Willie Mays knocked out of his spikes. Mays also hit a homerun in this game and made one of his signature great running basket catches going back onto the warning track.

Those were the days...

http://www.crosley-field.com/

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you for a great post!

[libs_kma]

Thanks for that pic! That park brings back some good memories. My Dad used to take me there to see the Reds play when I was just a young Conservative.

[muir_redwoods]

Okay, this is painfully obvious. This is a town with ONE reference to veterans, the obscurely named "Memorial Boulevard" AND the town hosted the debut of Willie Mays?

The solution is obvious. Rename the Boulevard for Willie Mays and get their collective a$$es in gear and build a memorial (or three) to their veterans. This is not an either/or proposition. They owe the vets a better memorial and they should certainly honor a baseball icon like Willie. How dull are these folks? Times a' wasting.

[ajolympian2004]

Thanks for that pic! That park brings back some good memories. My Dad used to take me there to see the Reds play when I was just a young Conservative.

I was only eight years old when we attended the last game played there. Check out the the website at the end of post #2 for a major stroll down memory lane for any Cincinnati Reds fan. You will also see a link to the new Crosley Field in Blue Ash, a suburb north of Cincinnati. They built the field with the original scoreboard and I think with some of the original seats. A good friend of mine acquired 8 original seats before they demolished the park and to this day they are still in use in their basement movie theater.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Here's more from the article in the Baltimore Sun...

***....Now Hagerstown is in the uncomfortable position of once again having slighted Mays - something that has left bitter feelings and accusations of racial motivations a month before the May 17 municipal election.

Breichner, who is 73, like Mays, and grew up in the racially segregated city, said he believes the street-name flap reflects lingering racial divisions. After his proposal was dropped Tuesday night, Breichner told the Hagerstown Herald-Mail: "I think part of it was because of his race. I just feel bad about that."

Most opponents who signed petitions and protested at council hearings in recent months were white, according to participants. But veterans took offense at the mayor's remarks.

Ron Hovis, 70, a Korean War veteran, called it "nonsense" and pointed out that veteran groups had proposed alternatives, including renaming other streets or Municipal Stadium.

Hovis blamed Breichner, saying "he put the race issue in it," and claimed the mayor was making a politically correct move "to get black votes." Breichner, a Democrat, is locked in a tight race for a second term against Republican challenger Richard Trump and write-in candidate Robert E. Bruchey II, a former mayor. ....***

[Pharmboy]

I was in Cinti back then. I remember the first time I saw Crosley from I-75 I could not believe how small it was. Great ballpark.

[ajolympian2004]

Just have to take this opportunity to say something. If you were to take everything in the world, all the landmarks, possessions, money, natural resources, all other sports and games, the moon, planets and all of outer space, the galaxies and beyond, an F-15 fighter, Reese's peanut butter cups, LaRosa's pizza, Skyline Chili etc., etc., etc. and multiply all of that x 1000 you wouldn't even begin to come close to my love for the game of baseball. As long as there is baseball on earth life is worth living.

[12B]

Of course we are threadjacking....but cool Crosley link. Can still remember it as a kid. Woody Woodward!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

That's quite a testimonial!

[ajolympian2004]

Okay, this is painfully obvious. This is a town with ONE reference to veterans, the obscurely named "Memorial Boulevard" AND the town hosted the debut of Willie Mays?

The solution is obvious. Rename the Boulevard for Willie Mays and get their collective a$$es in gear and build a memorial (or three) to their veterans. This is not an either/or proposition. They owe the vets a better memorial and they should certainly honor a baseball icon like Willie. How dull are these folks? Times a' wasting.

This is an obvious opportunity for a win-win scenario. Maybe they need to get Cal Ripken Jr. involved. He still has major influence with the folks in Maryland.

[ajolympian2004]

That's quite a testimonial!

Yeah, you got me started talking baseball this morning. I haven't been able to concentrate here at work since. ;)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

LOL

Now, get back to work!

[zygoat]

"The solution is obvious. Rename the Boulevard for Willie Mays and get their collective a$$es in gear and build a memorial (or three) to their veterans. This is not an either/or proposition. They owe the vets a better memorial and they should certainly honor a baseball icon like Willie. How dull are these folks? Times a' wasting."

I live in Hagerstown and I have a better idea. You get your city to name one of it's streets after a guy that played ONE game of baseball in it's stadium. We've got bigger problems than Willie Mays in this town. Also, there is more than one memorial here, that particular street was so named after World War I, and most of us would like to keep it that way. regardless of the spin the liberal Baltimore Slum puts on it.

[ajolympian2004]

I live in Hagerstown and I have a better idea. You get your city to name one of it's streets after a guy that played ONE game of baseball in it's stadium. We've got bigger problems than Willie Mays in this town. Also, there is more than one memorial here, that particular street was so named after World War I, and most of us would like to keep it that way. regardless of the spin the liberal Baltimore Slum puts on it.

How about renaming Hagerstown, Maryland to Willietown, Maysland... ;) :)

[zygoat]

"How about renaming Hagerstown, Maryland to Willietown, Maysland... ;) :)"


I get the "Willie's" any time I walk to the store after dark, from the looks of some of the thugs adorning the street corners. We've got a huge prison complex south of town and the parolee's seem to want to stay in the area after release. Like I said, we have bigger problems than what some lib reporter from Baltimore would like to see happen here.

[exDemMom]

We've got bigger problems than Willie Mays in this town.

You got that right. Recently, I moved from California. The town I lived in, a little larger than Hagerstown, was really charming, with a few less nice areas, but not any bad areas. Although Hagerstown has nice areas, parts of it look like the inner city--a town that size shouldn't have areas like that. I thought the difference was in the mayors--my former hometown has a Republican, and Hagerstown has a Democrat.

No, I don't live in Hagerstown, but it seems to be the only place to go shopping in the area.