Say HEY! Willie Mays, 75 on Saturday

Willie seems like an OLD 78... :\

77

Memoir coming next month:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/baseball/31mays.html?hp

sorry, my Sunday morning comprehension is iffy -- it's essentially an authorized bio, not a memoir.

say h80!

50th anniversary (Sunday) of a pretty good game.

http://www.highheatstats.com/2013/07/50-years-ago-a-look-back-at-marichal-and-spahn/#more-14489

http://www.highheatstats.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Spahn-Marichal-Box-score-212x300.jpg

looks like marichal's game score was 112! spahn's was a mere 97.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196307020.shtml

i can't seem to find a way to look up the pitch counts, though.

Seven HOF'ers, with four of them accounting for 2448 HR, and the two starters just over 600 wins. Attendance: 15,921!

Z S:

Marichal threw 227 pitches; Spahn threw 201.

From a nice little article: http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_23576887/marichal-spahn-epic-duel-was-50-years-ago

Alvin Dark tried to take Marichal out for the first time in the ninth. The conversation did not go well. Marichal refused to go, pointing to the Braves dugout at the 42-year-old counterpart and telling his manager, "I am not going to come out of that game as long as that old man is still pitching."

Dark tried again in the 12th, again to no avail. Before the 15th, Marichal thought he spotted a reliever coming in from the bullpen, so he hastily grabbed his glove and cap and raced out to the mound to reclaim his territory.

when men were men and hitters weren't that good.

Didn't realize this was out there till I saw it in a bookstore today:

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t427/sayhey1/barra_zps4fbec2dd.jpg

Still on the expensive side. Barra's great.

superstar living, 1954

http://thestacks.deadspin.com/willie-mays-mvp-eats-breakfast-in-his-little-rented-a-1349890009

I love the first comment: "This photo is why Marvin Miller should be in the Hall Of Fame"

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/10/16/6990323/heres-a-picture-of-willie-mays-holding-a-dog-in-an-elevator

OMG PUPPEH!

Happy now?

yeah you also ignored the beautiful 'happiness is a mets victory' picture i posted FOR YOU MORBS.

yes, yr a good man. xp

No, I didn't! Just silent. I've read about that kid's banner for decades (it's not me).

I'll put this here instead of the Trout thread:

http://www.halosheaven.com/2015/9/30/9424049/mike-trout-five-tool-players-in-mlb-angels

Bought an old issue of Life today (James Earl Ray/Sirhan Sirhan cover) and found this ad inside:

https://smokingwithhank.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/willie-mays-franks-redhot1.jpg

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/12278622_10153199025701828_7951385441482582750_n.jpg?oh=418ca45407ac7a388f73e0b8f5b7eb16&oe=56E5C5FB

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChzLJSIXEAAw9Zb.jpg

85

I had my vintage Mays shirt on at the Jays game tonight.

Happy Birthday to the Say Hey Kid. 85 and was at the ballpark for his birthday.

You've probably seen this by now--can't figure out how to embed the clip.

http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2016/5/6/11614296/president-obama-willie-mays-happy-birthday

Little things mean a lot. Notwithstanding that there's staff there to initiate and look after these things, I don't think you'd have seen this if McCain or Romney had been president.

that was Great! thanks for sharing clemenza.

otoh everyone would give Kissinger a medal, that we all know

...that is, Jesus fucking Christ.

I've tried hard the past year-plus not to respond to your idiocy, but this time I will. Did it ever occur to you that a gesture like that might mean something to Willie Mays?

it was fine til you brought McCain and Mitt into it. Just pretend America isn't here.

When I saw his name at the top of that newsy Facebook sidebar, I assumed that was it. No--anniversary of the Catch.

On this date in 1954, Willie Mays made one of the most iconic defensive plays in World Series history. The Giants center fielder tracked down Vic Wertz's long fly ball to make "The Catch" — an over-the-head basket grab in deep center field at the Polo Grounds — during a crucial moment in Game 1 against the Indians. The Giants went on to win the World Series in a four-game sweep.

Today, Major League Baseball announced that the World Series MVP trophy has been renamed in honor of the Say Hey Kid.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/256686298/world-series-mvp-award-renamed-for-willie-mays/

That rules

88 today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UduDreaZq6c

And Happy Birthday too to Orson Welles and Sigmund Freud--May 6, genius day.

and John Flansburgh of They Might be Giants and frogbs

Have a good one--great day for your birthday.

say HEY

90 today. (Can't find the thread I once started on May 6 birthdays--Mays, Orson Welles, and Freud.)

91 today, happy birthday

https://www.mlb.com/news/willie-mays-best-stats-and-accomplishments

Hope to see this somewhere:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hbo-willie-mays-documentary-1235229775/

Still one of the greatest moments in baseball history pic.twitter.com/EsPYqCXRaf

— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) December 13, 2022

It really was, I'd agree. I don't think Mays is all that mobile these days, but if at all possible, I really wish they'd do the same for him next All-Star Game.

He was at one of the last games of the season - had hip surgery recently and wants to be at spring training.

There was a good SI piece about this, about how he didn’t want to be seen as a a museum piece and just enjoys spending time in the clubhouse with players.

I respect anything Willie says or wants, but watching all those players gather around Williams that year was just unbelievable--especially Gwynn next to him, whose chance at .400 five years earlier was cut short by the strike. (If you have a sharp eye, apparently there are 19 HOF'ers in that photo.)

I kept meaning to post this and today I found it in my tabs: Willie Mays talking to young Giants rookies in winter 2009. Bold from the original formatting, italics his!

The 25 or so young players sat in chairs encircling Mays, who sat behind a small table.

“All right, guys, c’mon, what else?’’ Mays said, prompting the next question.

Ever get timed in the 60?
“No, no! I didn’t run! I told them, ‘I can’t run the ball over the fence.’ When they were out running, I was asleep in the clubhouse. They got you just running here? You doing some hitting?’’

No, the players said. Just conditioning work.
“That’s not fun! Maybe I should say something. You want to hit a little bit and then go run. You got to enjoy yourself.’’

He told them about his struggles against Drysdale, Gibson, Koufax and Bob Rush then added: “I made up for it on all the other guys, the scrubs. I destroyed them.’’

Best players you ever saw?
Robert Clemente, Mays said. Barry Bonds — “If I don’t say Barry, he’ll start a fight.’’ Bobby Bonds (Now, he could run!’’ ) , Maury Wills (“Played a good shortstop.’’) and Frank Robinson (“Triple Crown winner’’).

What did you do in the off-season?
“Work, man, work! That’s a very good question. I played basketball, football — touch football — they didn’t know I played football! I had a 32 waistline. I worked out and played all the time. No time to lay around. Had to keep myself in shape. Played winter ball two times.’’

We’ve heard from other major-league players about what makes a good teammate. What’s your definition?
“In 1962, they made me captain. I positioned the outfielders, the infielders, I’d call pitches from centerfield — he didn’t have to take them but I wanted him throw a pitch I thought I could catch. You had to get 25 guys playing together even though nine or ten don’t play much at all and it feels bad. I’d go to the manager and say, ‘I want this guy to play because he needs to feel part of the team.’ The guy would go 9 for 10 and he’d go sit down and feel like a part of the team. When guys had problems at home, they’d come to me and I’d call their wives. I knew the wives better than I knew the players!’’

Your greatest baseball achievement?
“Man, I had so many! I think my greatest achievement was when I signed my major-league contract.’’

Greatest moment?
“Hitting four home runs in Milwaukee (with 8 RBI) was the greatest thing I ever did.’’

Best park to hit in?
“Wrigley. To me the ball went out of there pretty good.’’

Worst park to hit in?
“Candlestick. The wind’s always blowing in. We put a glove to a fence to see if it would fall and it didn’t fall. We could even hit it out in batting practice.
“I know you guys are saying, ‘Oh, hell, he didn’t do all this stuff. Oh yes I did.’’

What was your farthest home run?
“I never worried about that! You just get it over the fence! You don’t care how far it went.’’

What effect did race have back when you played?
“We went to some towns and I couldn’t stay in the same hotel. I remember once in Hagerstown, they dropped me off on the other side of the tracks. You guys from the South, you know what the other side of the track is. So they drop me off and I’m in a hotel, and at 2 o’clock in the morning two or three guys come through the window and sleep the rest of the night on my floor, and then at 6 a.m. they get up and go back out the window. They did the same thing the next night, watching out for me. Nothing was ever said.

“My father told me no matter what anybody said, never to fight. Turn the other cheek. I’d call him up and he’d ask, “Did you fight today?’ Back then, you had to make sure you were bigger than those people who called you names. They called you all kinds of names. But I knew for me to get ahead, I had to take all that kind of stuff. Every time somebody called me a name, I hit the ball.’’

What did you do in a slump?
“A slump is going to happen to everybody in some way. For me, a slump was 0-for-10. Everyone has a different way of getting out of a slump. I’d get out by swinging inside-out and getting a hit that way.’’

Throughout Mays’ talk, the young guys snapped photos with their cell phone, leaning close, recording forever their moment with the greatest player who ever stepped on a baseball field.

I have a great Willie Mays story involving a collector friend of mine.

My friend's a hardcore collector, so he wants things signed a precise way: certain kind of Sharpie, certain spot, perfectly legible, etc. He was at a show to get Mays' signature--having paid a pretty good amount, I'm sure--and when he got up to the table, Mays wouldn't use the Sharpie my friend offered him. So my friend said something like "Okay, fine; I'm going to go and get a refund." He starts to walk away, and Mays call him back. With great disdain, he takes my friend's Sharpie and half-heartedly signs whatever it was my friend had brought along (not a card; probably a photo). I can't remember if my friend was satisfied or not, but he took his item and went and stood by a wall. Mays, who had continued signing, spotted my friend and stopped everything.

"I'm not signing anything more until that guy"--points at my friend--"leaves."

That's as much as I remember; there was no great drama at the end, so I assume my friend just left, content with the autograph and the story he could tell for the rest of his life.

I really can’t understand that mentality. You’re meeting a living legend and you complain about the marker. Would personally never tell that story.

I would never pay for an autography myself (though I regret just a little not getting Thomson/Branca to sign together in one of the two Cooperstown trips I made), but that's a whole different world. Mays and players of his stature are getting paid extremely well; my friend is entitled to get a clear autograph for his money. I mean, that's the basic agreement.

I mean literally implying the guy won’t sign his name right? I’d be insulted too.

Don't get me wrong, I revere Mays. And I'm much more open to players from the '50s and '60s--especially African-American players--making good money at these signings; they were criminally underpaid throughout their careers. But with that stipulated, it's still a transaction where both parties should be happy.

I'm not sure what you mean...my friend doesn't imply that Mays wouldn't sign; it's that he wanted to sign with just a regular pen, which is just not what an autograph collector wants for his (guessing, and I'm not sure how far back this was) ~$100 or $150.

"autography"--I invented a new word. It's like an autograph, but more fun.

If you have 150-200 to spend on someone’s signature… maybe just take the L and don’t be a dick to Willie Mays ffs

Sorry 100-150!

I think where your buddy went wrong was in saying he was gonna get a refund. Makes him sound like a prima donna.

So if you can afford something, it's okay to not get what you thought you were paying for? What should my friend have done: said, "That's fine, sign with whatever you want--crayon will be fine"? If he doesn't get a clear signature, it's of no value to him--that's what a collector wants, even though such a mindset might not make sense to me or you.

If you read the post I made right before yours, Mays speaks pretty plainly about the things he went through as a black player to the point his teammates felt the need to sleep in his room to protect him. I think living through shit like that would make anyone pretty intolerant of lots of petty nonsense. Your friend was entitled to his autograph, he wasn’t entitled to tsk tsk a guy who’s probably gone through more shit then he’ll ever live through in his life because he preferred to use a biro.

What should my friend have done: said, "That's fine, sign with whatever you want--crayon will be fine"?

Yes.

We're going to have to disagree--a first, I know. My friend knows Mays's background very well, I assure you; he knows all about Willie Mays, that's why he wants his autograph. (His favourite player ever is Clemente.) But older players, black and white, make a lot of money signing autographs. People who watched them growing up go to those shows to get their autographs. And if the autograph is to have value--display value, investment value, whatever--something that's not going to last, or is illegible, isn't good enough. That's the understood transaction that's taking place.

Jimbeaux, I think I'd love to do business with you.

Funny thing is, gyac, my friend got under my skin once by saying something I could easily imagine you saying: told me that he loves the game for the art, and I love it for numbers. I told him that he was being really sanctimonious, and that he was missing a fundamental truth that there is art in baseball numbers.

That's the understood transaction that's taking place.

I am guessing he was using something that was fit for the purpose anyway. Your friend was just being an ass.

He quite likely wanted sign with a ballpoint pen. Which are terrible for autographs.

Let me recap as I understand it:
- your friend, a collector, wants Willie Mays’s autograph
- he pays whatever fee and joins the queue
- when he meets Mays, he asks him to sign with a sharpie, Mays doesn’t want to
- rather than accept an autograph signed with a pen, your friend decides he would rather have no autograph at all and goes to leave
- Mays, clearly annoyed, calls him back, signs with the marker but doesn’t put much effort into it
- your friend hangs around, Mays would very much like this guy out of his sight
- despite the bolded sentence, the key part, we are supposed to sympathise with your friend?

I didn't tell the story looking for anyone to sympathize with him! I actually thought it was a funny story. Only after the usual crew of three or four people materialized out of thin air to argue with me did I feel the need to defend him (which he'd find highly amusing, seeing as often he and I disagree). And yeah, if you're not happy that what you're about to get isn't what you paid for--cf. the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets--you'd rather have no autograph at all. That seems pretty basic to me.

I'm guessing my friend hung around because he wasn't satisfied with the autograph and was thinking about what he should do. I don't think there was a stipulation that people were to vacate the room immediately after their item had been signed.

Forgot it was Willie Mays/Orson Welles/Sigmund Freud day.

https://www.mlb.com/news/willie-mays-best-stats-and-accomplishments

92 is quite another accomplishment, Happy Birthday!

At the ballpark:

Always a special day when we get to celebrate Willie 🧡 pic.twitter.com/UdVWn75aI5

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 7, 2023

That's great. I'll say it again: dedicate the next All-Star Game to him while they still have the chance (and try to talk him into attending).

Today is Willie Mays Day (2/4/24)* and the Giants have been sharing videos with tributes:

Will Clark:

HAPPY WILLIE MAYS DAY!!! 🐐

A story about the GOAT showing up Kevin Mitchell and me: https://t.co/80vI8ZMawO pic.twitter.com/EVhVbHZ9wO

— Will Clark (@WillClark22) February 4, 2024

24 shouts out 24 🐐 @Mariners pic.twitter.com/RmVvxX0QAF

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) February 4, 2024

At 7:24 a.m., San Francisco Mayor London Breed officially proclaimed today -- 2/4/24 -- Willie Mays Day. Here's the report from City Hall and what S.F. and the @sfgiants are doing to celebrate the Say Hey Kid: https://t.co/8MyzBMillT via @sfchronicle

— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) February 4, 2024

Will look at those when I get home. You know what my thought was when I saw this revived.

I think people have said this before, I should have prefaced with HE’S NOT DEAD

Vic Wertz, born February 9, 1925.

https://i.postimg.cc/8CkNFYp2/vic.jpg