RIP Willie Mays Topic

contrarian23
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Maybe the greatest ever… but if not, did anyone have more fun playing than Willie?
6/18/2024 9:11 PM
crazystengel
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RIP.

A Man Named Mays (1963 documentary)
6/18/2024 9:21 PM
italyprof
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I only got to see him in his later years, rarely on Games of the Week, and then finally with the Mets.

His home run to win his first game back playing for a New York team was exciting.

6/19/2024 7:50 AM
joerat1
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One of the last of my childhood heroes. He could do it all. Fortunate enough to watch a game of his at Wrigley Field in the early 60’s. The only thing worth remembering from that game was the screaming line drive homer Mays hit directly over our heads as our group sat in the left center field bleachers. Obviously it made an impression on me remembering it all these years later.
6/19/2024 1:43 PM (edited)
contrarian23
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I started a Mays theme in the classifieds…
6/19/2024 1:33 PM
Lennybruce26
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Posted by contrarian23 on 6/18/2024 9:11:00 PM (view original):
Maybe the greatest ever… but if not, did anyone have more fun playing than Willie?
Not more then Willie but honorable mention - Ernie Banks and Pete Rose and in a short career Mark Fidrych.
6/19/2024 1:42 PM
italyprof
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Posted by Lennybruce26 on 6/19/2024 1:42:00 PM (view original):
Posted by contrarian23 on 6/18/2024 9:11:00 PM (view original):
Maybe the greatest ever… but if not, did anyone have more fun playing than Willie?
Not more then Willie but honorable mention - Ernie Banks and Pete Rose and in a short career Mark Fidrych.
And Ozzie Smith. Good list. We might be able to make a team of these guys. But yes, Willie was brilliant and enjoyed being out there.

6/20/2024 4:03 AM
italyprof
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I only rarely saw Mays play for the Giants - some Mets games against SF and maybe an occasional NBC Game of the Week on Saturday.

I wish the 1971 NLCS were on YouTube- Mays' Giants vs. Clemente's Pirates.

But it is hard to describe how excited the New York area was when he returned finally to playing for a NY team in 1972 for the Mets. They even made a Saturday morning cartoon about him.

He hit the game-winning - at the time go-ahead homer against the Giants in his first game as a Met. I remember watching it at 12 years old at home on TV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1aPBAn9dQk

It was magic, that he could do that in his first Mets game, like the Baseball gods willed it as destiny.
6/20/2024 4:14 AM
RIP Willie Mays Topic
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