Willie Mays turned 90.

[tarheelbybirth]

My husband and I took our kids to Phoenix in 1987 for spring break, to catch a little MLB spring camp and take a side run up to the Grand Canyon.
So we're walking into the park near Scottsdale and a gentleman I didn't recognize in a SF shirt is walking towards us and says "Hi Folks, welcome, enjoy the day" we say thank you and he walks on. My husband was so quiet and suddenly says "I need to sit down". I'm concerned cause he's white as a sheet and he looks like he's going to cry. I said what is wrong and my husband said "That was Willie Mays and I think I'm gonna faint". Mays was on the staff of the Giants by that time.
The only other time he ever did that was when he was playing ball and Gino Marchetti introduced himself.
Say Hey Willie Mays! Happy Birthday to a legend.

Totally different story but kind of the same. My Louisiana born-and-bred wife no pic took a group of kids to the planetarium in Chapel Hill on a field trip in the early 90's. After the show they toured the campus and decided to take in the Dean Dome. They just walked in and were looking at all the trophies when some kids asked if they could go out on the basketball floor.

My wife is telling me all this that night.

So she says...I don't know, I'll check. She tells me she looked around and found the coach's office. I'm staring at her by this point.

So you just...walked in to Dean Smith's office??

Yeah...asked for a tour. Dean came out. He was very nice and said he was waiting on a phone call but he'd get somebody to show us around.

So my wife got a guided tour for her and her kids - walked on the floor...toured the locker rooms - the hand dryers were at the height of her head. But what puzzled her was that her kids were in absolute awe of the guy showing them around.

So...who showed you around?

Ummm...I think his name was...Phil? Something.

Phil...something? Phil....Ford?

Yeah...that was his name. Very nice man.

Sometimes it pays to not know what the hell you're doing. So not Willie Mays but still the greatest point guard in the history of UNC basketball gave my wife and her students a guided tour of the Dome. She had no idea who he was. And I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

 

[Panic1769]

My dad told me that Ruth was the most complete ballplayer in his day. He was the original 5 skills ballplayer. Agree that a lot of the film seen today is from late in Ruth’s career..Dad said he was always “fat” but he was very quick on his feet, had tremendous reflexes and was fantastically (hand-eye) coordinated as well as a very good/ smart base runner.

My Aunt met Babe Ruth back when she was in the Campfire Girls. They went to a local radio station and the Babe Ruth show was on. She actually got a ask him a question, which was fed to her, during the show. She said he was incredibly nice and a wonderful guy. She shook his hand which she said was huge. Also got an autographed baseball which we still have today.

 

[joelbc1]

My Aunt met Babe Ruth back when she was in the Campfire Girls. They went to a local radio station and the Babe Ruth show was on. She actually got a ask him a question, which was fed to her, during the show. She said he was incredibly nice and a wonderful guy. She shook his hand which she said was huge. Also got an autographed baseball which we still have today.

There was a reason why George Herman Ruth was “The Babe”...There has never been another athlete in America who has approached The Babe’s reputation.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

Post it up.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

I was never much of an NL guy....My dad was a huge Gas House Gang/ Cardinal fan though. Pops said that the two best ballplayers he ever watched were Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson of the Negro League. Dad said Ruth’s power is legendary but his “on foot” quicknes is what made him special...dad, who was a catcher, said Gibson was the strongest ballplayer he ever saw...strong arm, and dad said he saw him hit a couple of homers in Springfield Ill. one day and both those balls still might be orbiting the earth! Rumor has it Gibson caught a ball dropped from an airplane on a bet!

He did think Willie was a great one, though.

Well my dad said Stan Musial was better than either and that Cleveland was/is the most racist town in America. Dad said...

 

[mstp1992]

Mays also missed almost two seasons (roughly 260 games). Following his military service, Mays hit 41 and 51 homers each of the next two seasons.

Mays was a better outfielder (his arm was far superior to Bonds') and more importantly, he was a far better teammate than Bonds.

 

[nu2u]

Mays also missed almost two seasons (roughly 260 games). Following his military service, Mays hit 41 and 51 homers each of the next two seasons.

Mays was a better outfielder (his arm was far superior to Bonds') and more importantly, he was a far better teammate than Bonds.

As a life long Giants fan, I loved both players. Bonds had fantastic power but Willie Mays was clearly a better overall player - no serious sports journalist or BB historian disagrees; its virtually unanimous.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Ruth couldn't run or field. Bonds couldn't throw. Mays is the superior five tool player to both of them.

Willie couldn't pitch. Had he stayed on the mound, Ruth would STILL likely have made the HoF. He was that good.

 

[TheCainer]

No mention of Willie May having a birthday today. He is 90.

Not a Giants fan, but Willie Mays is the greatest baseball player of all time. I just can't imagine what type of money he could command if he played today.

I just did some quick math and it looks like I saw him hit his 430th HR. It was in the second game of a double-header in July, 1964 at Wrigley Field. He hit it off Cub great Ernie Broglio..........

 

[SSG T]

Post it up.

At Mays peak, from 54-65, he slashed .318/.392/.605/.997, with 481 HR, 876 BB, 816 K

Bonds, starting at the same point of his career (1989) and going through 1999 (1 fewer season), slashed .296/.426/.583/1.009 with 380 HR, 1239 BB, 840 K. His slash line is GREATLY reduced by that 1st year...1989. Take that off and just use the 10 years of the 90s, it was .302/.434/.602/1.036

Bonds was every bit the hitter Mays was, and against better pitching. Their adjusted marks favor Bonds even more.

 

[fezzador]

At Mays peak, from 54-65, he slashed .318/.392/.605/.997, with 481 HR, 876 BB, 816 K

Bonds, starting at the same point of his career (1989) and going through 1999 (1 fewer season), slashed .296/.426/.583/1.009 with 380 HR, 1239 BB, 840 K. His slash line is GREATLY reduced by that 1st year...1989. Take that off and just use the 10 years of the 90s, it was .302/.434/.602/1.036

Bonds was every bit the hitter Mays was, and against better pitching. Their adjusted marks favor Bonds even more.

Barry Bonds basically had two careers. The first half of his career (let's say up until 1995 or 1996 or so), his career was very comparable to Willie. His power and hitting weren't really "elite" like Willie's, but he could bat .290 or .300 and hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases with regularity. Then in the late 90s he basically became another Ted Williams, where his baserunning and overall defensive prowess clearly declined, but his power and OBP skyrocketed.

He was a legit 5-tool player at one point, and people often forget that. HIs arm (at least earlier in his career) wasn't ever on Mays' level, but it was plenty good.

 

[joelbc1]

Well my dad said Stan Musial was better than either and that Cleveland was/is the most racist town in America. Dad said...

Stan was pretty good, my dad loved him....but Stan wasn't that good.... my dad was pretty level headed and realistic. Cleveland has its race problems.....but St. louis has always had real problems with race....St. Louis is an "old South" city in many, many ways. Russell talked frequently about the problems he and his black Celtic mates had lodging, eating and playing in St. Louis. I'm sure Russell was just making that stuff up, though.

 

[billanole]

No mention of Willie May having a birthday today. He is 90.

Not a Giants fan, but Willie Mays is the greatest baseball player of all time. I just can't imagine what type of money he could command if he played today.

Say hey, kid. He was phenomenal on the field, and is a helluva guy to boot.
Props, Willie.

 

[joelbc1]

Mays played in the pre-expansion era of baseball.....Mays played back in the day of the "high" pitching mound, (Bonds broke into MLB the year they lowered it (from 15" to 10"), they also "shrunk the strike zone" that season)....Mays played a lot of baseball when travel was more difficult and time consuming....His godson was one helluva of a player though.....I'd give Mays a slight nod, though....

 

[joelbc1]

I still remember watching Willie hit 4 home runs in a "Game of the Week" game vs. Milwaukee....I think Hank hit a couple in the same game. It was almost 60 years to the day ago....Willie was 4/5 and 8 RBIs that day.

 

[billanole]

I still remember watching Willie hit 4 home runs in a "Game of the Week" game vs. Milwaukee....I think Hank hit a couple in the same game. It was almost 60 years to the day ago....Willie was 4/5 and 8 RBIs that day.

Old school, no “training camp”, no all year nutrition, no weight room, just boys/men playing ball.
Wow. Hank and Willie were amazing.

 

[TheCainer]

At Mays peak, from 54-65, he slashed .318/.392/.605/.997, with 481 HR, 876 BB, 816 K

Bonds, starting at the same point of his career (1989) and going through 1999 (1 fewer season), slashed .296/.426/.583/1.009 with 380 HR, 1239 BB, 840 K. His slash line is GREATLY reduced by that 1st year...1989. Take that off and just use the 10 years of the 90s, it was .302/.434/.602/1.036

Bonds was every bit the hitter Mays was, and against better pitching. Their adjusted marks favor Bonds even more.

I wouldn't say Bonds faced better pitching. Mays played several seasons before the first expansion and Bonds played after at least 2 expansions, maybe 3. The pitching when Bonds played was very diluted compared to Mays' era. Plus the mound was higher when Mays played, all but a season or two.

 

[mstp1992]

I might also add that Mays played in an era when hitters didn't wear body armor at the plate. Pitchers would knock down their own kid during father-son games back then.

 

[joelbc1]

I wouldn't say Bonds faced better pitching. Mays played several seasons before the first expansion and Bonds played after at least 2 expansions, maybe 3. The pitching when Bonds played was very diluted compared to Mays' era. Plus the mound was higher when Mays played, all but a season or two.

Imagine facing a pitcher like Bob Gibson and he was 5" taller...

 

[TheCainer]

Imagine facing a pitcher like Bob Gibson and he was 5" taller...

Not to mention Koufax, Drysdale, Marichal, Spahn....

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

I rest my case. Thanks.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Not to mention Koufax, Drysdale, Marichal, Spahn....

Those guys are child's play. They had control. Imagine facing Steve Dalkowski. A guy that literally could kill you.

 

[joelbc1]

Those guys are child's play. They had control. Imagine facing Steve Dalkowski. A guy that literally could kill you.

The Yanks had reliever Ryne Duran....bottle thick glasses and usually his first couple of "warm up" pitches were up against the screen...and Ryne had one speed.......

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

The Yanks had reliever Ryne Duran....bottle thick glasses and usually his first couple of "warm up" pitches were up against the screen...and Ryne had one speed.......

Little know fact: Ryne Sandberg was named after him. Talk about two opposite personalities.

 

[mstp1992]

Not to mention Koufax, Drysdale, Marichal, Spahn....

To be fair, I don’t think Mays ever faced Juan Marichal.

 

[mstp1992]

Little know fact: Ryne Sandberg was named after him. Talk about two opposite personalities.

Also, he was the inspiration for the character Ricky Vaughn in “ Major League.”

 

[mstp1992]

Those guys are child's play. They had control. Imagine facing Steve Dalkowski. A guy that literally could kill you.

He never made the majors, though, did he?

 

[joelbc1]

To be fair, I don’t think Mays ever faced Juan Marichal.

Nope...but he witnessed first hand the damage Marichal could do with a ball bat (John Roseboro).....

 

[TheCainer]

To be fair, I don’t think Mays ever faced Juan Marichal.

Good point, unless he faced him after being traded to the Mets, but that would have been at the end of his career. Regardless, there were a lot of aces during that era. Jenkins, Bunning, Roberts, and others.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

He never made the majors, though, did he?

No! Not even close. He was probably the hardest throwing pitcher ever though. A whole cast of famous baseball people described his speed as otherworldly. As well as his wildness. Dalkowski had freaky tendons. His elbow and shoulder could deliver a pitch with crazy twitch.

 

[Panic1769]

Imagine facing a pitcher like Bob Gibson and he was 5" taller...

Bob Gibson had a great quote. His three favorite pitches were the brush back, the knockdown and the hit batsman.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[joelbc1]

Totally different story but kind of the same. My Louisiana born-and-bred wife no pic took a group of kids to the planetarium in Chapel Hill on a field trip in the early 90's. After the show they toured the campus and decided to take in the Dean Dome. They just walked in and were looking at all the trophies when some kids asked if they could go out on the basketball floor.

My wife is telling me all this that night.

So she says...I don't know, I'll check. She tells me she looked around and found the coach's office. I'm staring at her by this point.

So you just...walked in to Dean Smith's office??

Yeah...asked for a tour. Dean came out. He was very nice and said he was waiting on a phone call but he'd get somebody to show us around.

So my wife got a guided tour for her and her kids - walked on the floor...toured the locker rooms - the hand dryers were at the height of her head. But what puzzled her was that her kids were in absolute awe of the guy showing them around.

So...who showed you around?

Ummm...I think his name was...Phil? Something.

Phil...something? Phil....Ford?

Yeah...that was his name. Very nice man.

Sometimes it pays to not know what the hell you're doing. So not Willie Mays but still the greatest point guard in the history of UNC basketball gave my wife and her students a guided tour of the Dome. She had no idea who he was. And I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

In the same vain....
I have a friend of mine who is a real golf fan...He could never play enough...He was BAD but damn, he loved the game as much as his wife!
His wife had a chronic illness and was treated regularly at the Mayo Clinic’s in Rochester.

One day my friend is watching golf on Tv (CBS). His wife walks in the room and says, “that guy sounds just like my Mayo friend...” my friend told her she was nuts...”That’s Ken Venturi, the famous golfer!” She replied, “ it sure sounds like my friend, Ken.” She told her hubby that she and Ken would grab a cup of coffee or even have lunch together when she was up at Mayo. (Venturi was a long time Mayo pt. Because of a chronic health condition.)
Anyway, my friend dismissed his bride. A couple of months later while at work, he received a phone call from his wife who was back at Mayo. She told him she had someone who wNted to talk to him....yep..it was that Ken Venturi! He said he was calling to ask permission to take his wife to lunch lTer in the day. My friend’s bride had no clue who Ken Venturi was....other than her Mayo buddy. (She did bring home Venturi’s autograph to her hubby, though.)

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

I had heard he was an asshole, so that is good to hear

When I met him at a card show once, he was kind of grouchy unless there was a kid around. Like flicking a light switch.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Say Hey, he was my first "favorite player" when I was a kid. But since I ended up playing much more infield than outfield...I switched my primary allegiance to Joe Morgan and Pete Rose...with Willie and Jimmy Wynn being my fave outfielders.

The toy cannon was certainly an underrated player.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

This AM on Morning Joe, they spent 5-10 minutes speaking of Willie Mays. I learned the Red Sox has first dibs on Mays in MLB, but said “No thanks!”...

Yes, but they did eventually sign Pumpsie Green.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Hey, the Sox were the last team to put a black on their roster...Pumpsie Green. He just passed in this past year I believe.
Boston was never known for its racial tolerance. Ask Bill Russell...but Russell said as bad a Boston was, it was a helluva lot better than St. Louis..

The NBA supposedly had a 2 black player rule in those days, but Red Auerbach said, f**k that.

 

[HawkRugged17]

The toy cannon was certainly an underrated player.

 

[QChawks]

 

[SiouxCyty]

All things considered, Mays is the correct choice for GOAT. At least in MLB. He was the five tool player that Mantle was supposed to be.

Mantle fan here but when asked who was better, Mickey would reply, "Willie, look at the stats".