In Memoriam: A few words about Willie Mays

June 19th, 2024

New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, William C. Greene/via Wikimedia Commons

Willie Mays, 1931 – 2024

___

…..I know. Sports figures really shouldn’t be heroes, and it is hard to imagine finding anything heroic about athletes in an era when news of nine figure contracts are normal, and money has become much bigger than the game itself.

…..But Willie Mays played during the time of my youth, and in the city where I grew up. When baseball was the national pastime, and players were a part of the middle-class like any longshoreman, welder, plumber, teacher, salesman or grocery store manager. They were relatable.

….. I read about his on-field feats in the daily newspaper. I heard them on the radio. I witnessed them at Candlestick Park, and when Giants games were televised. His daily triumphs were discussed around the dinner table.

…..He was charismatic and graceful as a player. Watching him run the bases and chase down fly balls was the greatest entertainment on Earth.

…..You hear a lot about how he played simply because he loved the game. It’s true. And he loved the game and was great at it during a time when it was challenging for a Black athlete to be great in America. In spite of that, he had a joy for life – and the game he played – that hasn’t been seen since.

…..He loved his community, even if the community didn’t always love him. He stared hatred down, and fought it off like a Koufax fastball.

…..In retrospect, in addition to unleashing my passion for baseball, he was influential in setting this young white man on the right course regarding understanding the complexity of race in America. In my book, that alone is reason enough to call him heroic.

…..And yes, I also call Willie Mays my childhood hero.

Joe Maita

Editor/Publisher

Listen to the 1955 recording of the R&B group The Treniers performing “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)” [Star Music]