Willie Mays Meant More To New York Than Anywhere Else

Most people know and still talk about the year, 1957. That’s the year the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants fled New York for California. For whatever reason, the older Giants fans have never reminisced about it like the Dodger fans. A lot of Giants became New York Yankees fans, and then something interesting happened. Many of their kids became New York Mets fans when they were around in 1962, or five or six years later, like people my age. 

Getting Willie Mays From the Giants Made Headlines

When the Mets acquired Willie Mays for a pitcher, Charlie Williams and 50,000 in cash in 1972, tons of kids my age were thrilled, and fathers all around the New York area took their kids to see the “Say Hey Kid” who played in the Polo Grounds before the Mets did.

May’s Career Spanned Over Two Decades

From May 1972 through the 73 seasons, New York was thrilled to have Willie back in the fold. There was a “Willie Mays Day” at Shea, and I got an autograph from him, as did thousands of kids. Willie signed for at least an hour straight before the ceremonies began. 

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New York Loves Mays 

Mays had the numbers; we don’t need to go over them. But what he also had was a kinship with New Yorkers that went far beyond most athletes and his last go-round in the 1973 World Series cemented that even though the Mets lost to the Oakland A’s. He was a true celebrity. I’m sure fans feel that way in San Francisco but it’s nothing like this. Mets owner Joan Payson died before retiring Mays’ famous #24 as she had intended to do. And until this year, the Mets never made good on it. Steven Cohen did. Mays is 91 and was thrilled to gain this honor. It meant as much to his fans, trust me. Mays is the greatest living ballplayer, and the Mets kept this a secret for a while. Kudos to them as well for doing this on the return of Old Timers’ Day. 

The Brewers Sold Some Assets And Remain In The Wild Card Race

The Philadelphia Phillies lost a 7-0 lead recently to the Arizona Diamondback and lost an important game. The Milwaukee Brewers had won three in a row creating hope. Now they remain 2.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot. The Brewers have a string of six games against the New York Yankees and the Mets that could decide the season from Sept 16-21. If they can gain more ground on the Phillies before then, it will be fascinating. The Padres are in the mix but I don’t love their team. The Brewers’ last two games are at home against the Miami Marlins. The Phillies are still in the driver’s seat for the first or second spot, but the Brewers haven’t packed it in.