My late dad played baseball a an adult with a local group in Cleveland Ohio. Loved Willie Mays and the game. As an older man he could quote statistics of many players and knew the history of baseball well. Miss him. Now our hero is on to the next inning too. ❤️
Certainly one of a handful of players deserving of best-ever consideration.
Why these days the focus on the Negro League aspect? Mays was signed by the Giants at age 19. His professional Negro League career lasted 43 at bats starting from when he was 17. He started in the Majors at age 20, which was unusual, even for that era.
He's part of the transformation of the game that started after Jackie Robinson's signing, part of the story of inclusion, not exclusion.
Why not tell the story of an all-time great whose path to greatness was not occluded by racism? Why not talk about who he was as a person? I know people who knew him, and raved about what a gracious person he was.
The media really, really sucks these days. Always the same narrative of hate and hopelessness.
I've always been a Hank Aaron fan, since he hit #715 on one of my early birthdays. But the last few days have made me realize just how great Mays was: probably better than Aaron because of his defense and speed. Perhaps the greatest all-around baseball player ever. And a really nice, cool guy, too.
People mention how Ted Williams lost five prime years to WWII and Korea. They rarely talk about Mays losing two to Korea. He could've topped Ruth if not for that.
I saw him at a double header in Wrigley field a year or 2 before he retired , the basket catch in center field , like he it owned the whole outfield , he was fast and knew how to judge the wind the hit the field what a joy to watch him out there ! I had never seen someone play defense like Mays and he was just a short guy around 5+ . With all the hits and home runs and the great defense there will never be another like Mays ! After the game I saw a bus sitting out side on the street and it looked like a player bus so I put my score card in the window , out came Mays signature , he was also pretty humble guy .
It's says a lot about current baseball where the players are 6+ foot monsters , this started sometime in the 80's and continues today . Baseball was the one sport where you didn't have to be a monster to play but it is today. The monsters in baseball today play defense like shit and mostly hit like shit and I think it's a major reason for it's decline , it used to be any size player could play the game if you had the talent like a Mays had.
My daughter played collage level 2 softball, to make level 1 you had to be 6+ tall . The level one teams would only look at travel teams where all the girls were 6+ tall. Our team beat some of those teams , that was fun , but in the end it was only 6+ tall girls . Yes a few slip though the cracks and get to level 1 but they almost never play , my daughter realized that and didn't even want to try level 1, she just wanted to play and did for 4 years , she had a blast .
I know the same goes for boy's teams today and the result is what we see monsters playing baseball badly ! Sad .
I just checked the list of players with more than 500 home runs. Mays and Ted Williams were the only two to lose any time to military service, and both lost significant time in the primes of their careers. Williams lost more, both to WWII and Korea, but Mays got drafted as the reigning Rookie of the Year and lost almost two whole years. First year back he was the MVP.
"The Jim Crow Era" is when the southern states were all controlled by Democrats. Make the point TFP losers... Don't hide from who you really are...
The Democratic Party of America, DELENDA EST!
Shut up dickhead.
“Delenda est”
LOL
That is a brilliant rebuttal. You should be proud.
It’s easy to order folk around on the internet.
no.
The Democratic Party of America, DELENDA EST!
My late dad played baseball a an adult with a local group in Cleveland Ohio. Loved Willie Mays and the game. As an older man he could quote statistics of many players and knew the history of baseball well. Miss him. Now our hero is on to the next inning too. ❤️
Certainly one of a handful of players deserving of best-ever consideration.
Why these days the focus on the Negro League aspect? Mays was signed by the Giants at age 19. His professional Negro League career lasted 43 at bats starting from when he was 17. He started in the Majors at age 20, which was unusual, even for that era.
He's part of the transformation of the game that started after Jackie Robinson's signing, part of the story of inclusion, not exclusion.
Why not tell the story of an all-time great whose path to greatness was not occluded by racism? Why not talk about who he was as a person? I know people who knew him, and raved about what a gracious person he was.
The media really, really sucks these days. Always the same narrative of hate and hopelessness.
Excellent points.
I've always been a Hank Aaron fan, since he hit #715 on one of my early birthdays. But the last few days have made me realize just how great Mays was: probably better than Aaron because of his defense and speed. Perhaps the greatest all-around baseball player ever. And a really nice, cool guy, too.
People mention how Ted Williams lost five prime years to WWII and Korea. They rarely talk about Mays losing two to Korea. He could've topped Ruth if not for that.
I saw him at a double header in Wrigley field a year or 2 before he retired , the basket catch in center field , like he it owned the whole outfield , he was fast and knew how to judge the wind the hit the field what a joy to watch him out there ! I had never seen someone play defense like Mays and he was just a short guy around 5+ . With all the hits and home runs and the great defense there will never be another like Mays ! After the game I saw a bus sitting out side on the street and it looked like a player bus so I put my score card in the window , out came Mays signature , he was also pretty humble guy .
It's says a lot about current baseball where the players are 6+ foot monsters , this started sometime in the 80's and continues today . Baseball was the one sport where you didn't have to be a monster to play but it is today. The monsters in baseball today play defense like shit and mostly hit like shit and I think it's a major reason for it's decline , it used to be any size player could play the game if you had the talent like a Mays had.
My daughter played collage level 2 softball, to make level 1 you had to be 6+ tall . The level one teams would only look at travel teams where all the girls were 6+ tall. Our team beat some of those teams , that was fun , but in the end it was only 6+ tall girls . Yes a few slip though the cracks and get to level 1 but they almost never play , my daughter realized that and didn't even want to try level 1, she just wanted to play and did for 4 years , she had a blast .
I know the same goes for boy's teams today and the result is what we see monsters playing baseball badly ! Sad .
Earned honor for a an exceptional man and athlete!
I just checked the list of players with more than 500 home runs. Mays and Ted Williams were the only two to lose any time to military service, and both lost significant time in the primes of their careers. Williams lost more, both to WWII and Korea, but Mays got drafted as the reigning Rookie of the Year and lost almost two whole years. First year back he was the MVP.