RIP Willie Mays

[5fouls]

Baseball has lost an all-time legend.  

[5fouls]

[jv1972iu]

RIP, Willie.  The Say Hey Kid.  I was privileged enough to see him play at Crosley Field back in the 1960’s.

Edited June 19, 2024 by jv1972iu

[5fouls]

5 minutes ago, jv1972iu said:

RIP, Willie.  The Say Hey Kid.  I was privileged enough to see him play at Crosley Field back in the 1960’s.

Was just telling my son that I was too young to see Willie at his peak.  I was born in '65 and he retired after the '73 season.  But, I do recall seeing him play on TV a few times.  

[IUFLA]

Very much saddened by this...back before the deluge of sports we have today, getting to see The Say Hey kid was a treat like no other...it's between him and Ken Griffey Jr for the most complete player I've ever seen...RIP Willie

[5fouls]

Willie, Mickey, and the Duke are back together again.

 

[jv1972iu]

10 hours ago, IUFLA said:

Very much saddened by this...back before the deluge of sports we have today, getting to see The Say Hey kid was a treat like no other...it's between him and Ken Griffey Jr for the most complete player I've ever seen...RIP Willie

Willie and Junior made the game look easy.  

[5fouls]

Baseball has always been and will always be my favorite sport.  One of the main reasons for that is, growing up in the 70's, reading about the former greats of the game like Mays, Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Williams, Jackie, etc.  In the spirit of Field of Dreams, I wish there was a time machine where I could go back and watch those guys play in their prime.  When I see clips of games from the 1920's through the 1950's, I see more than a sporting event.  I see a passion from both the players and the fans that is different than today.  For my money, the 1950's were the pinnacle years of the sport and Willie was front and center to that. 

[jv1972iu]

49 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

Baseball has always been and will always be my favorite sport.  One of the main reasons for that is, growing up in the 70's, reading about the former greats of the game like Mays, Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Williams, Jackie, etc.  In the spirit of Field of Dreams, I wish there was a time machine where I could go back and watch those guys play in their prime.  When I see clips of games from the 1920's through the 1950's, I see more than a sporting event.  I see a passion from both the players and the fans that is different than today.  For my money, the 1950's were the pinnacle years of the sport and Willie was front and center to that. 

It was before free agency.  Guys playing weren’t necessarily tremendous all around athletes, but they could play baseball. There were fewer teams.  And each team had their star players who stayed for years.  As a kid, you knew the players on all the teams because of the number of times each team played each other.  It was different than today.  

[IUFLA]

1 hour ago, 5fouls said:

the 1950's were the pinnacle years of the sport and Willie was front and center to that. 

Amen...

In baseball, even though it was a New York-centric time (and no doubt fueled and romanticized by the NY press), every year had a fascinating story line...From the Whiz Kids, to the Miracle at Coogan's Bluff, to Them Bums, and the Dodgers and Giants moving to the West Coast, it's some excellent reading for a kid, and I gobbled it up...

Not to mention all the great boxers, Russell's San Francisco Dons, and "The Greatest Game Ever Played." 

But the picture you posted of "The Catch" is probably a perfect capsulation of the era and Mays himself...