Rolltydr
TUG Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2019
- Messages
- 4,961
- Reaction score
- 7,997
- Location
- St. Augustine
- Resorts Owned
- CWA, Ocean Blvd, Fairfield Glade
RIP Willie! The greatest baseball player of all time has passed.
I loved Willie Mays. I grew up an hour south of Birmingham where Willie was born and started his professional career with what were then known as the Birmingham Black Barons. As a kid, I would try to copy his famous “basket catch”, usually successfully. I still don’t understand why that didn’t catch on and become normal. Willie was so much fun to watch play the game. He had all the skills. He could run, throw, catch, hit, and hit with power. I won’t list his stats here but they still stand up against anyone that ever played, or still plays, the game. And he played it with so much youthful exuberance, even in his final years.
Tomorrow, in Birminghams’ historic Rickwood Field, a major league game featuring the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will be played to honor the men who played there before he was allowed to play in Major League Baseball. Of course, Willie was already scheduled to receive a special honor, but had informed the planners that he would be unable to attend. How appropriate that he will be honored in his hometown by his own professional team a couple days after his passing.
Say hey!
I loved Willie Mays. I grew up an hour south of Birmingham where Willie was born and started his professional career with what were then known as the Birmingham Black Barons. As a kid, I would try to copy his famous “basket catch”, usually successfully. I still don’t understand why that didn’t catch on and become normal. Willie was so much fun to watch play the game. He had all the skills. He could run, throw, catch, hit, and hit with power. I won’t list his stats here but they still stand up against anyone that ever played, or still plays, the game. And he played it with so much youthful exuberance, even in his final years.
Tomorrow, in Birminghams’ historic Rickwood Field, a major league game featuring the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will be played to honor the men who played there before he was allowed to play in Major League Baseball. Of course, Willie was already scheduled to receive a special honor, but had informed the planners that he would be unable to attend. How appropriate that he will be honored in his hometown by his own professional team a couple days after his passing.
Say hey!
