A Tribute to the ‘Say Hey Kid’

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.

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.

The dignitaries at the event in person included President Bill Clinton and former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. President Barack Obama appeared by video. Also attending was Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Some of the ballplayers there were Joe Torre, Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Juan Marichal, and Buster Posey, just to name a few.

Mays started his Major League Baseball career in 1951. Previously, at the age of 16, he played in the Negro League, competing against men twice his age. In 1950, at the age of 18, he signed with the New York Giants for $15,000. Then-manager Leo Durocher stated, “I’d never seen anyone quite like him.” Mays became the Giants’ center fielder and won Rookie of the Year honors. “If he could cook, I would marry him,” Durocher said.

Mays was born in 1931 in Alabama, where both of his parents were athletes. His dad was an exceptional center fielder himself.

In his career, Mays hit 660 home runs, the fifth most of all time. He played in 24 All Star Games and received 12 Gold Gloves. What really separated Mays was his speed. He stole 339 bases during his career. To get some perspective, when he stole 40 bases in 1956, it was the most by any National League player since 1929. He was also a fantastic defender. He was one of the greatest defensive center fielders of all time. His signature basket catch was a phenomenon that has never been duplicated.

Yet, Commissioner Manfred called Mays “a humble person.”

When Barack Obama invited him on Air Force One, Mays simply said, “That’s pretty good.”

One time, when he was having dinner at a five-star restaurant, he asked for ice cream for dessert, only it wasn’t on the menu. A worker at the restaurant hurriedly ran to the nearest market, bringing back a pint of Mays’s favorite. When the owner of the restaurant asked if he could put it in a bowl, Mays refused, saying he preferred eating it right out of the carton.

Vin Scully, the Dodgers’ famous announcer, called Mays “the best he had ever seen.” Mays’s famous catch in the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians was the greatest catch of all time. Hall of Famer Ted Williams said, “He was born to play baseball” and that he did.

He will be missed by many. I was fortunate enough to watch him play and looking back realize there will never be another quite like him. He was pure baseball. Rest in peace, Willie. Forever Giant.