Willie Mays died yesterday at the age of 93.
Willie Mays.
I mean, really, what more needs to be said. There is certainly nothing that I can add to the marvelous obituaries that have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and other places. You can find them all over the internet, so I won't reiterate all of the numbers that comprised Mays' amazing career, but I'll throw out a few personal thoughts.
When Three Rivers Stadium opened in 1970, Pittsburgh fans were able, for the first time ever, to buy tickets in centerfield. The 200 Level of Three Rivers between the foul poles were general admission, and I can remember sitting in the first row of those seats one night for a game between the Pirates and Giants, which put us directly behind the Say Hey Kid himself. What I particularly remember about that was watching Mays talking to his left and right fielders constantly through the game, and waving them into position with each different Pirates batter. No need for the outfielders to have index cards from front office analytics geeks in their pockets telling them where to play when Willie Mays was their quarterback in centerfield.
I can also remember watching a game on TV when Mays was caught in a rundown, and proceeded to make it last long enough for the infielder to botch it up and allow Willie to get the the forward base. My brother, Jim, watching the game with me said, "Only Mays can get out of rundowns like that, and I've seen him do it a million times." Okay, maybe not an exact quote, but that was the gist of it.
A younger work colleague once asked me who was the best ball player that had ever seen in the flesh. Well, here are some of the guys that I have seen play live and in person: Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, of course, and players like Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr, Pete Rose, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Alex Rodriguez, and Stan Musial, but I didn't really have to even think to answer because it was an easy question: Willie Mays.
When Marilyn and I visited San Francisco in January 2015, we took a tour of AT&T Park. Not unexpectedly, much of the Park is devoted to Willie Mays. Seeing that I was wearing a Pirates windbreaker at the time, the Tour Guide asked me if I had ever seen Roberto Clemente play. Many times, I replied, to which he said, "Well, he was the second best outfielder ever." My reply was that well, I'll give you that one. Last year I had the occasion to meet Luis and Roberto Clemente Jr., and I told them that story. They loved it.
He was the original Five Tool Player, and I feel fortunate to have been able to see him play, and the game may never see his like again.
RIP Willie Mays.
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