This weekend marked the 80th birthday of a member of Major League Baseball's royalty.
Willie Mays, the legendary "Say Hey Kid" who debuted 60 years ago for the then-New York baseball Giants, reached the milestone this weekend and was honored by his old team, the San Francisco Giants, on Friday night.
The five-tool player from Alabama teamed up with the amazing Mickey Mantle, the great Number Seven of the New York Yankees, and Brooklyn Dodger Edwin Snider, the famed "Duke of Flatbush," to form the celebrated trio of centerfielders in New York's Golden Age (1947-1957 ) of baseball. "Willie, Mickey, and The Duke" live on today in song, memory, and Cooperstown. Sadly, Mickey and The Duke are gone, as are the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. Only Willie remains with us in person, and we are all grateful to have him still here, to pay tribute to, and to thank him for what he has meant to the American national pastime, and to our country.
Long live the Say Hey Kid, and long live his legend.
Willie was a super player, and because of his durability, stands a notch above Mickey and The Duke. That said, we're still waiting for the Say Hey Kid's first World Series homer. By contrast, Mantle hit a record 18, Snider walloped a NL-record 11. So perhaps they were superior clutch hitters. Warm regards, D.H.