signalmankenneth
Verified User
Truly one of the greatest of all time in baseball history? I enjoyed watching him play, especially in the 1960's?!!
Did not like waking up this morning to the news that Willie Mays had died?!!
Willie Mays, a generational baseball player known as the 'Say Hey Kid', has died at 93. He was considered by many to be the greatest all-around baseball player in history.
Mays' Hall-of-Fame career spanned more than two decades, from the 1950s to 1970s. He spent nearly all of those years with the Giants – first in New York and then in San Francisco. He was named to the All-Star team 24 times and won National League Most Valuable Player awards in 1954 and 1965.
“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began. Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise," said Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. "From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime."
MLB is hosting a game Thursday between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. where Mays once played. Baseball officials were already planning to honor Mays's extensive career at the game including an unveiling of a Willie Mays mural.
Fans are already remembering the incomparable skill and infectious joy the player nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid" brought to ballparks across the country.
What he did, as a ballplayer, was everything. In the trade, the best all-around players are called five-tool players. Mays mastered all five.
Number one – Hitting. 3,000 hits is a hallowed number in baseball. Mays finished with 3,283. His career batting average was a stellar .302.
Number two – Hitting with power. His career total of 660 home runs is the sixth most in history.
Willie McCovey was Mays' longtime teammate in San Francisco.
"His legacy will go down as the greatest player of all time," McCovey said. "I think we all know that already."
Mays' command of tools three, four and five (Speed, Fielding and Throwing) is best illustrated in one epic play in 1954.
A play simply known as "The Catch."
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/18/5300...d-baseballs-best-all-around-player-dies-at-93
Rest in Peace Willie, you will be missed, but never forgotten!
Did not like waking up this morning to the news that Willie Mays had died?!!
Willie Mays, a generational baseball player known as the 'Say Hey Kid', has died at 93. He was considered by many to be the greatest all-around baseball player in history.
Mays' Hall-of-Fame career spanned more than two decades, from the 1950s to 1970s. He spent nearly all of those years with the Giants – first in New York and then in San Francisco. He was named to the All-Star team 24 times and won National League Most Valuable Player awards in 1954 and 1965.
“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began. Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise," said Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. "From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime."
MLB is hosting a game Thursday between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. where Mays once played. Baseball officials were already planning to honor Mays's extensive career at the game including an unveiling of a Willie Mays mural.
Fans are already remembering the incomparable skill and infectious joy the player nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid" brought to ballparks across the country.
Five tools
Somehow, the name Willie Mays never was enough. Talk to those who watched him play...those who heard about what he did...and it was always the great Willie Mays.What he did, as a ballplayer, was everything. In the trade, the best all-around players are called five-tool players. Mays mastered all five.
Number one – Hitting. 3,000 hits is a hallowed number in baseball. Mays finished with 3,283. His career batting average was a stellar .302.
Number two – Hitting with power. His career total of 660 home runs is the sixth most in history.
Willie McCovey was Mays' longtime teammate in San Francisco.
"His legacy will go down as the greatest player of all time," McCovey said. "I think we all know that already."
Mays' command of tools three, four and five (Speed, Fielding and Throwing) is best illustrated in one epic play in 1954.
A play simply known as "The Catch."
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/18/5300...d-baseballs-best-all-around-player-dies-at-93
Rest in Peace Willie, you will be missed, but never forgotten!
