The “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays – graduated from this planet and dimension today at 93 trips around the sun.
Willie Mays was one of the greatest American baseball players of all time. Mays had a remarkable career spanning 22 seasons in Major League Baseball.
Mays began his professional career in the Negro Leagues with the Birmingham Black Barons, getting passed over by multiple teams due to the color of his skin before joining the New York Giants in 1951.
Despite his huge skills and popularity, Mays faced discrimination, as was certainly the way in that foolish era. He was even denied the opportunity to buy a home in San Francisco in 1957 — because he was Black. Yuck.
His “godson” Barry Bonds said, “I am beyond devastated and overcome with emotion. 💔 I have no words to describe what you mean to me- you helped shape me.”
Jackie Robinson was critical of Mays for not being more outspoken on civil rights issues. Mays maintained, as Michael Jordan, that he did what he could, his way, quietly — just being himself.
Mays’ magnetic personality helped him become the first Black ballplayer to cross over into the greater raceless public consciousness, paving the way for future stars of any race.
With his iconic catch in the 1954 World Series, his 660 career home runs (then the second most behind Babe Ruth), leading the National League in home runs and steals in four seasons and in slugging five times, with a batting average over .300 ten times, he was the consummate player and teammate.
Leo Durocher once said “If somebody came up and hit .450, stole 100 bases and performed a miracle in the field every day I’d still look you in right the eye and tell you that Willie was better.”
The photo is of Mays’ 1951 Bowman #305 rookie card, in mint condition worth close to $1 million. There may only be six or eight of these in the world.
The Story of the Absurdity of Racism https://lnkd.in/ek94_r8j
