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The following biography
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Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931 in
Westfield, Alabama outside nearby Birmingham) is a former star baseball
player and an American icon. Mays, nicknamed The Say Hey Kid was elected
to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
During his playing days, Mays won two MVP awards and made twenty-four
appearances in the All-Star Game.
His first major league manager, Leo
Durocher described Mays' abundance of talent thusly: "He could do the
five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run,
throw, and field. And he had that other ingredient that turns a
superstar into a super superstar. He lit up the room when he came in. He
was a joy to be around."[1]
Upon his Hall of Fame election, Mays was
asked to name the best player that he'd seen during his career. Mays
replied, "I don't mean to be bashful, but I was."[2]
****
Personal Info
Birth May 6, 1931, Westfield, Alabama
Professional Career
Debut May 25, 1951, New York Giants vs.
Philadelphia Phillies, Shibe Park
Team(s) New York Giants (1951-1957)
San Francisco Giants (1958-1972)
New York Mets (1972-1973)
HOF induction: 1979
Career Highlights
All-Time Rankings
T-1: Most All-Star Game Appearances (24)
4th: career home runs (660)
3rd: career total bases (6,066)
5th: career extra-base hits (1,323)
7th: career runs (2,062)
9th: career games (2,992)
Notable Achievements
2 MVP Awards (1954 and 1965)
Led NL in home runs 4 times
Led NL in stolen bases 4 times
Played for one World Series champion (1954)
First of only 4 men with both 500 home runs
and 3,000 hits (Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro)
Member of the National Baseball Hall of
Fame
Willie Mays
"Say Hey Kid"
Inducted as a member of the New York
Giants, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets (24)
Year Inducted: 1979
First Year Elligible: 1979
****
Early years
Willie Mays' athleticism was evident from
an early age. At high school he played quarterback on the football team,
and was offered college scholarships in both football and
basketball.[citation needed] Mays opted to play professional baseball
instead of attending college. In 1947 he played briefly with the
Chattanooga Choo-Choos in Tennessee. Shortly there after, Mays returned
to his home state and joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro
American League. The Black Barons paid him one dollar per game to play
center field for them. He was scouted by a number of teams over the next
several years. Finally, in 1950 Mays signed with the New York Giants and
went to their Class-B affiliate Trenton, New Jersey.[3]
While in New Jersey, Mays was exposed to
many examples of racism. He was forced to stay in a black-owned hotel
during his first road trip with the team to Hagerstown,
Maryland.[citation needed] Mays was also subjected to racial taunts from
the crowd,[citation needed] but gained a measure of revenge by hitting
two home runs and a double.
After Mays hit .353 in Trenton, he began
the 1951 season at AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association.
With the Millers, Mays displayed his offensive skills and defensive
ability. After he hit .477 in 35 games, Mays was called up to the major
leagues in May, 1951. Giants owner Horace Stoneham took out a full page
advertisement in several Minneapolis newspapers, apologizing for taking
him away from the Millers.[citation needed]
New York Giants years
Mays started his career hitless in his
first 13 at bats.On his 13th at bat he hit a homer over the left field
fence of the Polo Grounds off of a Warren Spahn fastball [4]. From then
on, Mays' steadily improved his hitting. Although his .274 average, 68
RBI and 20 homers (in 121 games) would be among the lowest of his
career, he still won the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award. During the
Giants' amazing comeback in August and September 1951 to overtake the
Dodgers in the 1951 pennant race, Mays' fielding, and great arm were
often instrumental to several important Giant victories. Mays ended the
regular season as an on-deck batter when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot
Heard 'Round the World against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Giants met the New York Yankees in the
1951 World Series. Mays hit poorly and the Giants lost the series four
games to two games. The six-game set was the only time that Mays and the
aging Joe DiMaggio would play on the same field.[citation needed]
Mays joined the U.S. Army in 1952. As a
result of the conflict in Korea, he missed part of the 1952 season and
all of the 1953 season. This despite the fact that he did not see any
combat action.
'Say Hey' returned in 1954. He won his only
batting title that year. The race for the title was so close that Mays
did not secure the crown until the last day of the season.[citation
needed] Mays hit .345 with 41 home runs and the Giants went on to win
the National League pennant and the World Series. Although the Giants
swept the Cleveland Indians, the series is remembered most for a single
Mays moment.
In Game 1, Cleveland's Vic Wertz hit a long
drive to deep center field. Mays was able to catch the ball over his
shoulder. The event has become noted in baseball history and is sometime
referred to as The Catch. The Giants, on the heels of the play, kept the
score tied at 2-2 in the 8th inning. Needless to say, New York won the
game.
'The Catch' is not to be confused with the
"basket catch." Mays also popularized the later by fielding fly balls
with a double-handed scoop around the belt buckle.
After the 1954 season, Mays won the
National League Most Valuable Player Award and the Hickok Belt as top
professional athlete of the year.
Mays went on to perform at a high level
each of the last three years the Giants were in New York City. In 1957,
he won the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards. At the same
time, Mays continued to finish in the NL's top 5 in a variety of
offensive categories.
San Francisco years
After the 1957 season, the Giants franchise
relocated to San Francisco, California. Shortly thereafter, Mays bought
a palatial home in nearby Atherton.[citation needed]
Despite playing the majority of his games
in a new city, Mays continued to place at or near the top of the league
rankings in many statistical categories. For example, Mays' quest for
the NL batting title came down to the final game of the 1958 season,
just as it had in 1954. In his final regular season game, Mays collected
three hits. Unfortunately for Mays, the Philadelphia Phillies' Richie
Ashburn won the title.
The Giants were not one of the top teams in
the National League between the years 1955 and 1960. During that span,
the team never finished higher than 3rd place or won more than 83 games
in an individual season. In an attempt to improve the team, the Giants
hired former Giant player Alvin Dark before the start of the 1961
season. Dark promptly named Mays the team captain and the team showed
improvement on the field. They finished the '61 season in third place
and won 85 games, more than they had in any of the previous six
campaigns.
The Giants won the National League pennant
in 1962. That year, Mays played in 162 games, batted .304, and led the
team in eight major offensive categories. The season was not without
turmoil or noteworthy moments. The team actually finished the 162-game
regular season in a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Giants went on to win a three-game playoff series versus the Dodgers
and advanced to play in the World Series. Unfortunately for them, the
Giants lost to the Yankees in seven games. Mays hit just .250 with only
two extra-base hits. It was his last World Series appearance as a member
of the Giants.
In both the 1963 and 1964 seasons Mays
scored over 100 runs, batted in over 100 runs, and hit 85 total home
runs. On July 6, 1963, Mays played in a game when future Hall of Fame
members Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal each threw 15 scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the 16th inning, Mays hit a home run off of Spahn and
the Giants won the game 1-0. 1964 marked the end of Alvin Dark's tenure
as the Giants manager. The Giants hired Herman Franks after Dark left.
Mays won his second MVP award in 1965
behind a career-high 52 home runs. In fact, Mays hit career home run
number 500 on September 13, 1965 off Don Nottebart. Warren Spahn, who
Mays hit his first career home run off of, was on the Giants at the
time. After the home run, Spahn greeted Mays in the dugout. Spahn asked:
"Was it anything like the same feeling?" Mays replied "It was exactly
the same feeling [and the] same pitch, too."[citation needed]
On August 22, 1965 Willie and Sandy Koufax
acted as peacemakers during a 14-minute brawl between the Giants and
Dodgers. The brawl broke out after an incident between San Francisco
pitcher Juan Marichal and Dodgers catcher John Roseboro.[5]
Mays played in over 150 games for 13
consecutive years, from 1954 to 1966, his last 100-RBI season. That
season, he finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting. It was the ninth and final
time he finished in the top 5 in the voting for the award.[1] In 1970,
the Sporting News named Mays as the "Player of the Decade" for the
1960s.
New York Mets years
Mays continued to play with the Giants
until partway through the 1972 season. He was traded to the New York
Mets for Charlie Williams and $50,000.[2] At the time, the Giants
Franchise was losing money. Owner Horace Stoneham could not guarantee
Mays an income after retirement and the Mets offered Mays a position as
a coach upon his retirement.[citation needed]
In his Mets debut, Mays hit a game-winning
home run in the 5th inning. Mays' tenure with the Mets was relatively
short. He played part of the 1972 season and all of the 1973 season
before he retired. However, he only played in 133 games with the team.
Even though he only played sparingly in 1973, Mays was on the roster for
the Mets when the team appeared in the 1973 World Series. The Mets did
not play well and lost the series to the Oakland Athletics. Mays only
registered seven at-bats in the series. When he retired after the 1973
season Mays had a lifetime batting average of.302 and 660 home runs.
After he retired as a player, Mays coached
for the New York Mets until 1979. During this time, he also served the
Mets in a public relations capacity.
Post-playing days
After Mays stopped playing baseball, he
remained an active person. Just as he had during his playing days, Mays
continued to appear on various TV shows, in films, and in other forms of
non-sports related media.[3]
On January 23, 1979, he was elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame. It was his first year of eligibility and he had
appeared on 409 of the 432 ballots cast (roughly 95 percent) [6].
Shortly after, he took a job at the Park Place (now Bally's Atlantic
City) casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While there, he served as a
Special Assistant to the President and as a greeter. Hall of Famer
Mickey Mantle was also a greeter during that time. When he heard of
this, Bowie Kuhn, Baseball Commissioner, suspended both men from
involvement in organized baseball. Peter Ueberroth, Kuhn's successor,
lifted the suspension in 1985.
On December 6, 2005 he was recognized for
his accomplishments on and off of the field when he received the Bobby
Bragan Youth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
Although he has relocated back to his
hometown, Mays currently serves as Special Assistant to the
Mets.[citation needed]
Origin of "Say Hey Kid" Nickname
There is some debate as to how Mays became
known as the "Say Hey Kid". One story is that Barney Kremenko, a writer
for the New York Journal heard Mays blurt "'Say who,' 'Say what,' 'Say
where,' 'Say hey.'" As a result, Kremenko penned him the 'Say Hey Kid'
in 1951.[4]
The other story is that Jimmy Cannon
created the nickname. According to this account, When Mays arrived in
the majors, he did not know everyone's name. "You see a guy, you say,
'Hey, man. Say hey, man,' " Mays said. "Ted was the 'Splinter'. Joe was
'Joltin' Joe'. Stan was 'The Man'. I guess I hit a few home runs, and
they said there goes the 'Say Hey Kid.'"[5]
Trivia
Mays was married to Marguerite Wendell, and
they had two children Willmia (Billie) and Micheal.
In 1981, Mays was a focal point of the
nostalgic Terry Cashman song "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the
Duke)", which celebrated the three center fielders who had played so
well for competing teams in New York City during the 1950s.
Mays' number 24 is retired by the San
Francisco Giants. AT&T Park, the Giants stadium, is located at 24 Willie
Mays Plaza. In front of the main entrance to the stadium is a
larger-than-life statue of Mays.
Mays is the godfather of baseball star
Barry Bonds. When Bonds tied Mays for third on the all -time home run
list, Mays greeted and presented him with a diamond-studded Olympic
torch (given to Mays for his role in carrying the Olympic Torch during
its tour through the U.S.). In 1992, when Bonds signed a free agent
contract with the Giants, Mays personally offered Bonds his retired #24
(the number Bonds wore in Pittsburgh) but Bonds declined, electing to
wear #25 instead [7].
In 1999, Willie Mays ranked number 2 on The
Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the
highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to
the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Mays is the only MLB player to have hit a
home run in every inning from the 1st through the 16th. He finished his
career with a record 22 extra-inning home runs.
Mays' 7,095 putouts are the record for
center fielders.
Mays was part of the first all-black
outfield in major league history, along with Monte Irvin and Hank
Thompson, in Game One of the 1951 World Series.
Mays is one of three NL players to have
eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along with Mel Ott and Sammy Sosa.
Mays is the only Major Leaguer to have both
a 3 triple game and a 4 home run game.
Is mentioned, along with Ty Cobb and Joe
DiMaggio, in John Fogerty's popular song "Centerfield."
Is mentioned in Widespread Panic's song
"One Arm Steve".
Is mentioned in the Wu-Tang Clan song "For
Heaven's Sake."
Is mentioned in Bob Dylan's 1963 song, I
Shall Be Free, from the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/befree.html
Mays batted and threw right handed.
****
References and notes
-
^ He also finished 6th in
the balloting three times.
-
^ Mays Trade (at bottom).
Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
-
^ Mays on the imdb.
Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
-
^ Mays earns his
nickname. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
-
^ Article on Mays.
Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
David Pietrusza, Matthew Silverman &
Michael Gershman, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia.
Total/Sports Illustrated.
"Willie's Time: A Memoir Of Another
America", by Charles Einstein
****
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