Today is Willie Mays' 80th birthday.I never saw the Say Hey Kid play ball. I'm not old enough to even remember seeing him play on TV.
But this much I know: Willie Mays is a legend.
If you're a Giants fan, your favorite all-time player might be Will Clark (like me), Willie McCovey, Matt Williams, Christy Mathewson, Buster Posey, Jeff Leonard, Jeff Kent, the Alou brothers, Tim Lincecum, Barry Bonds, Rod Beck, Johnny LeMaster, Bobby or Robby Thompson, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, or Brian Wilson. (I'm pretty sure Armando Benitez isn't on anybody's list.)
Maybe your favorite player is Willie Howard Mays.
Maybe you're old enough to remember seeing him play. If so, I would love to hear your comments about what it was like watching a demigod play right before your eyes.
Even though I have only seen the footage (mostly the grainy, black and white reels at Super 8 speed), those a-Mays-ing highlights are etched firmly in my mind. The stolen bases, the lofty home runs, the 1954 World Series catch...that sweet swing!
Man, how I wish I could have seen him play.
Posey, Lincecum and possibly even Brandon Belt are Giants legends in the making, sure. But there will never be another Willie Mays. (Sorry Willie Mays Aikens, you don't count.)
I may have never seen him in action, but tonight, I'll be close. I'll be with about 42,000 other fans at the yard singing "Happy Birthday To You" to a legend. How freaking epic is that?
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