Last Updated on July 2, 2024 by BVN
Jon D. Gaede | BVN Sports
Goodbye Willie Howard Mays Jr. (1931-1924). The “Say Hey Kid” is imbedded in the memory of every young person who wished they could play with the ability that Willie did for so long. He had no weaknesses in his game and truly transcended it. We are only left with the images of a young Willie playing stick ball with local kids on a Harlem neighborhood street, or wheeling around the bases to leg out a triple, Willie’s special flair and exuberance for the game, always pulled us in. From the early years with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues to the New York and San Francisco Giants (23 seasons), we watched in awe as he gave us memories to last a lifetime.
Bestowed with the “Presidential Medal of Freedom” by President Barack Obama in 2015, Godfather of Hall of Famer Barry Bonds, served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1952-54).
Willie left us just two days before he was to be honored at a special Major League Baseball (MLB) tribute game played at historic Rickwood Field- Birmingham, Alabama for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues at age 16. In those early days, Willie wore number eight on the vintage flannels and played only on Sundays during the school year. Baseball remained a segregated game until Jackie Robinson broke the modern-day color barrier on April 15, 1947.
“Baseball is such a beautiful game that I just want to play forever.”
Willie Mays
Young Willie played in the era of the all-time Negro League greats to include: Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Jud Wilson, Turkey Stearns, Cumberland Posey, Blue Moon Odom, Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson to name a few. Paige didn’t get a chance to play in the major leagues until age 42, but Jackie Robinson, followed by Hank Aaron and Mays were among the younger stars who made the transition and Hall of Fame MLB careers.
A “five tool” player, Willie Mays is widely considered to be the best all-around baseball player to put on a pair of cleats. He hit for an average (.301); total hits (3,293); for power (660) home runs; RBI (1,906); he stole 339 bases; and ran down almost every ball hit his way. Mays was named “Rookie of the Year” in 1954, played in a record 24 All-Star games, National League MVP (1954 and 1965), 12 “Gold Glove” awards, two time MVP, World Series Champion (1954) and MLB All-Century Team.
During the Centennial Celebration of the Negro Leagues, on behalf of the 3,400 players from that era (1920-1948), the Major League Baseball commissioner announced their official inclusion into Major League Baseball, ”All of us who love baseball have long known the Negro Leagues produced many of our game’s best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice. We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong, as major Leaguers within the official historical record,” said Commissioner Robert D. Manfred.
From 1949-1962, several “Most Valuable Player” award (MVP) recipients initially played in the Negro Leagues including: Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Ernie Banks, Don Newcombe, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Maury Wills, Elston Howard and Willie Mays (twice).
“Baseball is such a beautiful game that I just want to play forever,” Mays once said.
So long, Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid” who will permanently play center field in baseball heaven.