Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

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Edgy MD
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Tue Jun 18, 2024 10:34 pm

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Frayed Knot
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Frayed Knot » Tue Jun 18, 2024 10:59 pm

One of the things I find myself wondering is if whoever's anchoring SportsCenter tonight has been briefed as to who Willie Mays is.
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Bob Alpacadaca
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Bob Alpacadaca » Tue Jun 18, 2024 11:29 pm

I remember watching on TV the night they had for him in 1973, and he said, “Willie, say goodbye to America.”

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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Tue Jun 18, 2024 11:37 pm

"A flag for the people of New York."
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Marshmallowmilkshake » Wed Jun 19, 2024 7:42 am

https://www.wsj.com/sports/baseball/wil ... =wknd_pos1

I know there will be many wonderful tributes today. I thought this one was excellent.
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MFS62
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by MFS62 » Wed Jun 19, 2024 9:46 am

Willie would play a double header , then go out and play stickball with the kids in the neighborhood.
And that joy in playing the game is how I'll remember him.

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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by G-Fafif » Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:52 am

I’ve never existed a day when Willie Mays couldn’t be identified as the greatest ballplayer alive. I doubt I’m ready to start now.
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MFS62
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by MFS62 » Wed Jun 19, 2024 11:18 am

G-Fafif wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:52 am I’ve never existed a day when Willie Mays couldn’t be identified as the greatest ballplayer alive. I doubt I’m ready to start now.
A beautiful tribute, Greg.
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"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large group". George Carlin
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Wed Jun 19, 2024 2:37 pm

Like the children of George Washington and Babe Ruth before him, Willie's only child was adopted. Whatever chance or spirit watches over America sometimes seemingly decides that a bloodline has fulfilled its destiny, or perhaps that it's too much for another generation to bear.
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metirish
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by metirish » Wed Jun 19, 2024 3:51 pm

Love this picture, and that Mets cap
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G-Fafif
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by G-Fafif » Wed Jun 19, 2024 8:58 pm

Joe Posnanski:
Yes, you see him, even if you never saw him, Willie Mays turns on a fastball, anybody’s fastball, Koufax’s fastball, Gibson’s fastball, Drysdale’s fastball, turns on it and sends the ball screaming like a toddler rushing back to mom. Nobody’s bat was quicker, his swing was Ali’s jab, a cobra strike, a magician’s sleight of hand, and if you ever dared throw at him—to scare him, to intimidate him, to move him off the plate—he’d hit the dirt, dust himself off, and shout out in his bird tweet of a voice: “Don’t you be throwing at me!”

“Then,” Tom Seaver would say, “he’d rip the ball off the wall.”
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Frayed Knot
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Frayed Knot » Wed Jun 19, 2024 9:07 pm

Yeh, Willie was up there with Mike Tyson and Jack Nicklaus in the top athlete/high-pitched voice Hall of Fame

He'd also taunt pitchers who'd throw at him by saying, 'Keep trying, you can't hit me'.
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metirish
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by metirish » Thu Jun 20, 2024 12:30 pm

Lovely stuff
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by The Hot Corner » Thu Jun 20, 2024 8:01 pm

A part of my childhood innocence died with the passing of Willie Mays. I have always been a Mets fan, but as a youngster playing Tee Ball and Little League, my favorite player, my hero, was unequivocally Willie Mays. He was the epitome of greatness. He was a tremendous ambassador for the game of baseball both during his playing days and during his long life following his career. Rest in Peace Mr. Mays. Thanks for the wonderful memories.
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by G-Fafif » Tue Jun 25, 2024 3:45 pm

Anthony DiComo reports Michael Mays, Willie's son, will throw out a ceremonial first pitch tomorrow. There will be a moment of silence for Willie before tonight's game.
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Tue Jun 25, 2024 10:58 pm

Jay Horwitz is a dilly, as Mazzilli remembers Willie.

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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by G-Fafif » Sat Jun 29, 2024 9:17 am

3 + 15 + 24 patchwise the rest of the season. The Grote family will be at the ballpark today.


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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Batty31 » Sat Jun 29, 2024 4:04 pm

Willie is the reason I became a Met fan. My dad was a diehard Yankee fan and was raising me to be one too. Then one day I went and watched TV with my brother. He was a diehard Mets fan. I was seven years old and I saw Willie Mays play and I dropped the Yuckees in a heartbeat!
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Frayed Knot
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Frayed Knot » Sat Jun 29, 2024 4:57 pm

A Batty sighting!!
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Sat Jun 29, 2024 5:10 pm

It wasn't easy. The goons working the door wouldn't let her in.
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Batty31 » Sat Jun 29, 2024 5:57 pm

Hey Frayed! 👋

Edgward had to let me in and briefly logged in as me. I’m just grateful he didn’t change my avatar to something dreadful like Bobby Bonilla or Celine Dion 😂
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by whippoorwill » Sat Jun 29, 2024 6:47 pm

It’s not nice to laugh in a memorial thread but lolol
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by Edgy MD » Sat Jun 29, 2024 8:57 pm

whippoorwill wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 6:47 pm It’s not nice to laugh in a memorial thread but lolol
Willie wouldn't have it any other way.
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Re: Willie Howard Mays, Jr., 1931–2024

Post by G-Fafif » Mon Oct 07, 2024 5:20 pm

Michael Mays will be saying hey on behalf of his dad at Game Three.
By Jay Horwitz

It’s not going to be easy for Michael Mays to get to tomorrow afternoon’s playoff game with the Philadelphia Phillies. Michael has been in San Francisco the last few days taking care of his father’s affairs and he is going to have to fly redeye to get to Citi for the 5:08 P.M. first pitch.

But Willie’s son felt he had to be here is person to root on his dad’s last team. The 2024 Mets remind Michael of the Mays 1973 team which battled the odds to win the pennant on the last day of the season and came within a heartbeat of winning the World Series against Oakland.

“I know dad would have loved these Mets,” he told me. “All the late inning comebacks. The ninth inning rallies. It’s been something to see. The last week has been like an all out war. They have been boxing matches. I have been exhausted just watching.”

In addition to honoring his dad’s memory, Michael wants to say thank you to Steve and Alex Cohen for being so nice to his family.

“Here’s my observation and it’s just my opinion, but I think the Mets really started their upswing when the club began wearing 24 on their jersey sleeves,” he said. “You don’t know how great it makes me feel when I tune in to these games and I see 24 hasn’t been forgotten.”

Michael Mays still speaks glowingly of the ceremony in 2022 when the team retired 24 and it now is part of the roof at Citi.

“I can’t tell you how much that meant to my father and all of us,” he concluded. “It couldn’t have been done without Steve and Alex fulfilling a promise. That’s why it was so important for me to be here. I hope team can take it one step further than we did in 1973 and win the whole thing.”
https://metsinsider.mlblogs.com/michael ... e06d34e1ee
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