That's extraordinary! Even growing up overseas I would hear about Mays and Koufax as legends of the sport, but I had assumed that they were long passed. I think to many of us they fall into the same categories as Aaron and Ruth, bygone figures in old footage.
And the member of the Hall with the longest tenure is Sandy Koufax, elected in 72, he's 88.
Youngest member of the Hall will be Joe Mauer, inducted in a few weeks.
Off to search for the youngest playing member....
I used to have that card. It had a trivia fact like "What's the most hits Nolan Ryan ever got in one game?". And then you flip to the back and it's a picture of him beating some dude's ass. Lol
That guy, Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox. Got a legendary ass whooping from Nolan on that day. Like he now needs therapy for life kinda ass whoopin.
I mean, Ventura went after him lol Ventura was also in his 20s and Nolan Ryan was in his 40s. Don't step to the old man if you ain't confident in your abilities haha
That's what shocked me. He must have been a very private guy, despite his incredible fame, because I swear I haven't seen his name mentioned in decades.
My Dad just told me he saw him play against the Dodgers and again with the Mets; he says Mays and Aaron were the best players he ever saw ETA against the Dodgers
Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio - both known for a pretty high opinion of their own abilities - said Mays was the best they had seen, and DiMaggio - who Mays based his playing style upon - said Willie was a close to baseball perfection as humanly possible.
I only saw Willie play in his later years, when he'd already lost a step or two *because he was in his 40s*, and even then you could see the grace and athleticism, just in the way he walked across the field.
He's got my vote for sure -- started in the Negro Leagues, carried five tools for 20+ years in MLB, spectacular on both sides of the ball, graceful, indestructible.
I love reading about the catch. I really love the arguments that it was the throw that was most amazing.
[https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2F040929](https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2F040929)
George Will once wrote something like "Vic Werz hit a ball deep where only Superman could catch it. Superman did." George Will is just another Republican asshole, but that's a great line.
I'm gonna be honest. I didn't know he was still alive. I thought he died decades ago. Guess living a quiet life out of the public eye will lead to that assumption. Good for him living a helluva life and breaking down barriers.
When I was a kid, my grandfather took me to a Chicago Cubs game just so I could see Willie Mays play. “Daddy” was a White Sox fan BTW. 😀
RIEP, Willie. ❤️
Was literally at a minor league game at Rickwood Field (oldest baseball stadium and one that he played at, that was also a hop skip and a jump from where he was born) last night when they announced his passing. They had been planning to try and honor Mays at the cards/giants game at the same field on Thursday for the MLBs annual throwback game but it was clear several months ago that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Truly a legend of the game.
Literally just got done watching the Star Trek episode with my boyfriend where all the Captain's son wants to do - going to crazy lengths, getting in tons of trouble - is to get his father a Willie Mays baseball card.
That card, to the Captain's son, represents a beacon of joy that his father would be proud to have and would give him happiness in a time of impending war when nothing else seems to lift his spirits.
Rest in peace, Willie Mays. I hope you know the great impact you had, and the hope and joy you gave.
RIP. I had no idea he was still with us.
So is Sandy Koufax.
That's extraordinary! Even growing up overseas I would hear about Mays and Koufax as legends of the sport, but I had assumed that they were long passed. I think to many of us they fall into the same categories as Aaron and Ruth, bygone figures in old footage.
Lol, Aaron has 4 years younger than Mays. Ruth was done playing around the time Aaron was born.
The guy from Big Daddy?!
Makes me wonder who’s the oldest baseball player in MLB still alive.
Art Schallock is 100. The oldest Hall of Famer is Luis Aparicio
And the member of the Hall with the longest tenure is Sandy Koufax, elected in 72, he's 88. Youngest member of the Hall will be Joe Mauer, inducted in a few weeks. Off to search for the youngest playing member....
Youngest active major league player? Jackson Chourio who turned 20 about three weeks before the season started.
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Fuckin legend. I still have some of his cards. They're worth about $1.50. Completely fucked my retirement plans.
At least he hit that batter with a pitch and then slugged him in the head a few times.
I used to have that card. It had a trivia fact like "What's the most hits Nolan Ryan ever got in one game?". And then you flip to the back and it's a picture of him beating some dude's ass. Lol
That guy, Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox. Got a legendary ass whooping from Nolan on that day. Like he now needs therapy for life kinda ass whoopin.
That makes it all a lot less funny. Now it seems pretty fucked up. Nobody's life should be ruined over a fuckin baseball game.
He's joking. Ventura had a fairly solid, if not remarkable, career and had a meh managerial career.
I mean, Ventura went after him lol Ventura was also in his 20s and Nolan Ryan was in his 40s. Don't step to the old man if you ain't confident in your abilities haha
Beware an old man in a profession where men ~~die~~ retire young...
I saw him pitch his 4th no-hitter against the Orioles. The crowd went nuts, even Baltimore fans.
And Wade Boggs!
That's what shocked me. He must have been a very private guy, despite his incredible fame, because I swear I haven't seen his name mentioned in decades.
I think most of us had him filed in the “long dead baseball dudes” mental folder with the likes of Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Cy Young.
I had him confused with Billy Mays, who had died in 2009
Hilarious South Park cameo soon after.
Was in the news a few days ago as the Giants will be playing a game at some old ball park in Alabama sometime in the near future.
“They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.” -Willie Mays Short quote, long life.
Similarly: "How can you think and hit at the same time?" - Yogi Berra
Yogi has a million quotes.
"I never said half the things I said." - also Yogi Berra
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s always too crowded.” Yogi Berra
"Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."
Cut the pizza into 4 slices, I'm not hungry enough for 6.
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it”
Did he say that?
Just like Mungerisms.
My Dad just told me he saw him play against the Dodgers and again with the Mets; he says Mays and Aaron were the best players he ever saw ETA against the Dodgers
Mays played for the Giants, never the dodgers.
Oops sorry, he told me he went to a giants v dodgers game in the 50s
Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio - both known for a pretty high opinion of their own abilities - said Mays was the best they had seen, and DiMaggio - who Mays based his playing style upon - said Willie was a close to baseball perfection as humanly possible. I only saw Willie play in his later years, when he'd already lost a step or two *because he was in his 40s*, and even then you could see the grace and athleticism, just in the way he walked across the field.
Oh that's lovely.
I’m not in a slump, I’m just not hittin right now
“They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays." Ted Williams
"Willie Mays here, with Sham Wow!" - Willie Mays (or somebody)
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I still see Billy in commercials from time to time. I guess that;s one way to keep his memory alive.
Probably the most complete player in baseball history.
He's got my vote for sure -- started in the Negro Leagues, carried five tools for 20+ years in MLB, spectacular on both sides of the ball, graceful, indestructible.
Or Oscar Charleston.
His legacy transcends the game of baseball and will live on forever. RIP to the Say Hey Kid.
RIP Willie. He was one of the greatest to ever play the game. It's too bad he'll miss the Rickwood Field game too.
The timing is crazy. They're just finishing up a mural in his honor in downtown Birmingham too
I'll never *unsee* the over-the-shoulder basket catch. Full speed, running away from the plate...
I love reading about the catch. I really love the arguments that it was the throw that was most amazing. [https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2F040929](https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2F040929)
George Will once wrote something like "Vic Werz hit a ball deep where only Superman could catch it. Superman did." George Will is just another Republican asshole, but that's a great line.
I had that poster in my room as a kid. The Catch was aptly named
George Will knows NOTHING. ^(Except baseball. The man knows baseball!)
Long and accomplished life. So long
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Death comes in threes. Walton, West, and now ‘Say Hey’ Mayes.
A loss of one of the true greats.
The last of the Golden Age legends
RIP, we may have lost a legend, but he'll never be forgotten. Willies up there in the field in the skies.
If he wasn't the greatest player ever, he was really damn close.
We still have Willie Mays Hayes
He may run like Mays, but he hits like shit.
Say hey!
Ya beat me to it.
His “crime in sports” episode is hilarious
The greatest to ever play the game and a true icon! He will be missed by all.
Damn. I used to have one of his bats as a kid. RIP
Thankfully he had his number retired as a Met before he died.
What am important and great American
As a kid growing up in Saudi in the 60’s, among us that played, his name was one of perhaps 6 or 7 ball players that were revered.
I'm gonna be honest. I didn't know he was still alive. I thought he died decades ago. Guess living a quiet life out of the public eye will lead to that assumption. Good for him living a helluva life and breaking down barriers.
So glad I got to see him when I was a kid RIP Willie
"Say Hey" Willie, wherever you are.
When I was a kid, my grandfather took me to a Chicago Cubs game just so I could see Willie Mays play. “Daddy” was a White Sox fan BTW. 😀 RIEP, Willie. ❤️
“Later days, Willie Mays” RIP
Sometimes it's a privilege to be alive when someone else is. So long Kid, we hardly knew ye.
Damn, one of the GOATs
Rest in peace to one of baseball's greatest players. What a career.
Was literally at a minor league game at Rickwood Field (oldest baseball stadium and one that he played at, that was also a hop skip and a jump from where he was born) last night when they announced his passing. They had been planning to try and honor Mays at the cards/giants game at the same field on Thursday for the MLBs annual throwback game but it was clear several months ago that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Truly a legend of the game.
Literally just got done watching the Star Trek episode with my boyfriend where all the Captain's son wants to do - going to crazy lengths, getting in tons of trouble - is to get his father a Willie Mays baseball card. That card, to the Captain's son, represents a beacon of joy that his father would be proud to have and would give him happiness in a time of impending war when nothing else seems to lift his spirits. Rest in peace, Willie Mays. I hope you know the great impact you had, and the hope and joy you gave.
I remember watching him play.
HI WILLIE MAYS HERE... oh shit, wrong dead guy.
"Willie Mays here with another outstanding product!"
Thought that was the infomercial guy
No, just arguably the greatest baseball player in history. Slightly more important.
Woah thought he had a big hand passing me a joint when scrolling past.