Willie Mays, an old man in baseball terms at that time, steps to the plate.
It started as a smattering of applause in a section on the 1st base side, then it spread to the entire stadium. Just as in your memory with McCovey, Crosley Field erupted in an extended round of applause for an old, respected baseball warrior. I can't say it was 15 minutes, but it went on and on and on....It's one of my neatest memories in all of baseball in Cincinnati.
It's part of what I love about baseball. A baseball fan loves a baseball player and understands a great play and will applaud an opponent. It's bittersweet, but it's an appreciation of the game itself and the jedi/samurai who play it.
The good memory was from Mr. Ellis's 5th grade class at Westmont Elementary. He let us watch the 1959 playoffs between the dreaded Braves and the Dodgers. It was getting late so we had to go home. I rode my bike home as fast as I could and caught the last several plays in extra innings. I can still here Vin Scully as if it was this morning. The batter was The Scoonj (I think that was the nickname) Carl Furillo near the end of his career. He had a rifle arm in right field. Gil Hodges was on third. And her was Scully --- "There's a bouncer...over the mound...over second base...Mantilla has it...throws low and wild and HODGES SCORES, WE GO TO CHICAGO!"