Willie Mays, 1961 | Credit: World Telegram & Sun photo by William C. Greene

Willie Mays was my hero. At the age of six, I watched him on TV. He was hypnotizing. His energy and ability were beyond normal.

1952 Bowman Willie Mays baseball card | Photo: Wikipedia Commons

On July 8, I attended the memorial for Willie Mays at Oracle Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants baseball team. Mays was 93 years old when he died on June 18. Roughly 3,000 ardent fans came to pay their respects to the “Say Hey Kid,” a nickname Mays was given because he had the habit of greeting people with the phrase “Say hey.”

San Francisco Giants Hall of Fame announcer John Miller was the emcee for the event. When Miller stepped up to the podium, he simply said, “Willie, the best to ever play the game of baseball.” The crowd erupted with applause. How could you not? It was simply the truth.

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