“Hopefully, they can say, ‘There goes the best baseball player in the world.’ I honestly believe I did everything in baseball that a baseball player can do, and I did it with love.” ~ Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. died of heart failure last Tuesday, June 18th at the age of 93. I was watching the White Sox game and received an alert on my iPhone and just couldn’t believe it. I know he was 93, but somehow as I received the news, I was 10 years old again and it was 1968 and Willie was just 37 and still hitting home runs, making amazing catches, and winning his last of 12 Gold Glove Awards. Of course, he wasn’t the player he previously had been, but he was a player I looked forward to watching on tv and reading about in articles and the daily box scores. He was one of my childhood’s heroes. I loved hearing stories from my grandfather and uncle about him. I was 10 years old, and Willie was going to play and live forever.
I remember watching him play with the Mets his last two seasons. By now I was in high school. Willie had announced his retirement on September 20th. I realized he would not be playing ball forever. In the National League Championship Series, he only appeared in Game 5 with a pinch-hit RBI single. Watching him play in the 1973 World Series against the Athletics was painful, he played his centerfield position, stumbled on four different plays and committed an error that allowed the A’s to tie Game 2 in the 7th inning. Willie did hit an RBI single off the amazing Rollie Fingers to break the 7-7 tie in the 12th inning and the Mets won that game 12-7. That was his last career hit. He pinch-hit for Mets’ pitcher Tug McGraw (Ya Gotta Believe) and grounded into a force play. That occurred on October 16, 1973. The Mets lost the series in seven games and Willie never appeared in a major league game again. It was time. Being a bit older I saw that too. It was terribly sad to see him go out like that. It was also terrible sad to see a hero fail.
I have written about Willie previously in a post titled “Oldest Living Hall of Fame Player” (you can read it by clicking the hyperlink or go to the Archives Page) back on May 6, 2021, on a previous platform and then re-published here on Substack as a #THROWBACKTHURSDAY post on July 29, 2022. That post contains personal data, records and such. It’s a nice look at his career. Today, I just needed to think and write a bit on Willie.
Here's what some others have said about him during his lifetime:
“They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays.” ~ Ted Williams
“Outside of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays is the greatest all-around baseball player of my time. Certainly, he’s been the most daring. Mays would steal home, a tough play and one in which you’ve got a great chance to look bad. Willie didn’t even think of that, he’d just go. Nine times out of ten, he’d make it.” ~ Mickey Mantle
“Mays is the only man in baseball I’d pay to see play.” ~ Ty Cobb
“Willie Mays is the greatest ballplayer I’ve ever seen. I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if Joe DiMaggio was better than Willie Mays, he belongs in Heaven.” ~ Roberto Clemente
"If somebody came up and hit .450, stole 100 bases, and performed a miracle in the field every day, I'd still look you right in the eye and tell you that Willie was better.” ~ Leo Durocher
"The best Major League ballplayer I ever saw was Willie Mays. Ruth beat you with the bat. Ted Williams beat you with the bat. Joe DiMaggio beat you with the bat, his glove and his arm. But Willie Mays could beat you with the bat, with power, his glove, his arm and with the running. He could beat you any way that's possible." ~ Buck O'Neil
"The only man who could have caught that ball just hit it." ~ Unknown Radio Announcer speaking about Willie Mays
“Mays scooped the ball up at the base of the 406-foot sign, whirled and fired. It came in on one bounce, directly in front of the plate, and into the glove of catcher Tom Haller, who put it on the astonished Willie Stargell. It was described by old-timers as the greatest throw ever made in ancient Forbes Field.” ~ Bob Stevens, San Francisco Chronicle, August 25, 1965
(Wish I could have found a video of this play.)
“I couldn’t believe Mays could throw that far. I figured there had to be a relay. Then I found out there wasn’t. He’s too good for this world.” ~ Willie Stargell, commenting on the same play.
“You used to think if the score was 5-0, Mays would hit a five-run homer.” ~ Reggie Jackson
"Willie Mays was to me the greatest player I ever watched. People ask me that, and I don't hesitate. He could have been an All-Star shortstop, that's how good an athlete he was. He could run backwards as fast as he could forward." ~ Don Zimmer
“Willie Mays, to me, was the best ballplayer I ever saw in my life. Nobody in the history of baseball is going to see anyone like Willie Mays. Everybody loved Willie in the clubhouse. Willie used to do a lot of things for different players, especially the rookies. Willie used to take players to clothing stores to buy them clothes. Sometimes he would get free clothes, shoes, and stuff, and give them to the players. He was like the mother of the team.” ~ Juan Marichal
(Found on Facebook. Assuming Public Domain.)
Some quotes on his passing:
“Willie Mays was Willie Mays, one of a kind. The way he played, the way he hustled and the way he ran the bases, I just loved watching him play. And then I get to play for the Giants, and you get to meet Willie, and what a guy, even better than I could have imagined. He was one of the humblest people I’ve ever met, but I always remembered how fast he talked. He was just so amazing to me, somebody who grew up loving him. Getting to meet somebody like him, probably the greatest player to ever do it, I was just so honored.” ~ Willie McGee
“Willie Mays wasn’t just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power. He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person, and an inspiration to an entire generation. I’m lucky to have spent time with him over the years, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family.” ~ Barack Obama
“One of the best to ever play the game and even a better person. Thoughts and prayers are with Willie’s family and loved ones.” ~ Derek Jeter
“My heart is on the floor. That's the best way I can describe it. To hear the news today is devastating.” ~ Ken Griffey, Jr.
“My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Willie Mays. I always felt like a big kid playing this game, and now we will miss one of the greatest kids to ever play. Willie Mays, your legacy and impact on the game will never be forgotten. Your passion, talent, and spirit will continue to inspire generations of players and fans. Thank you for all of the unforgettable moments and the joy you brought to baseball. Rest in peace, legend." ~ Curtis Granderson
“I had a lot to say about the death of my friend, and one of my favourite players of all time – Mr. Willie Mays. When I was a kid, baseball was my first love and Willie Mays was the reason for that. He made impossible catches and lightning-fast plays that made me believe he could walk on water if he really tried. The true testament to his greatness for me as a kid was that I deeply admired him even though I was a Dodgers fan and he played for the rival Giants. To me, Willie was a one-man game. Later, when I played basketball, I would recall amazing plays that he made and that inspired me to push myself to be more like him. I didn’t just want to be great, I wanted to be Willie-Mays great!
In 2005, I attended a dinner honoring the Negro League umpires. For two hours I sat next to Willie and basked in his charm and positive personality. Throughout the dinner, people would come up to our table and ask him to sign a baseball for them. He politely asked them to leave the balls and he would sign them later. He proceeded to eat, stopping every once in a while, to sign a couple of balls, pointing out the owners at their tables, and asking me to run the balls over to them. This went on until all the balls were signed. I couldn’t have been happier being his ball boy that evening.
I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend less time mourning the deaths of my friends and heroes and more time celebrating their lives. As one of the first Black professional baseball players, Willie Mays endured unimaginable hardships. Because of him, I was able to pursue my own sports career and live a better life. Every Black athlete owes him a debt of gratitude. We walked an easier path because he cleared it for us. Even in passing, Willie has left me with so many wonderful and joyous memories that I can’t help but smile and be grateful.” ~ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Baseball will miss Willie Mays. I will miss Willie Mays. I wasn’t alive to see this catch and throw, but I thought I’d share it anyway. “The CATCH”, click here to see it. Willie made this catch on September 29, 1954, at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, New York City in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. Jack Brickhouse on the call. It was one of many of the highlights in his career. I knew of this catch as a kid, but watching Willie play, seeing him run, seeing him hit, and see him smiling, enjoying every moment on the field, I think that is what drew me to him. I thought he’d play forever, I was wrong, and I knew he wouldn’t live forever, but even at 93, he’s gone too soon.
Thanks for being a huge part of my childhood Willie. Rest in Peace sir.
Thanks,
~ Coach Mike
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Mike, great writing for an even greater man ! He will be missed
Excellent, Mike.