(Part 2) Of course every SF Giants fan knows in his heart that if MLB had the same Playoff structure they have now, Willie would have won several World Series Rings in the 1960’s! When, in 1973, the Giants traded Willie Mays to the NY Mets, I felt like someone in my family died!
Of course most of my memories of Willie Mays took place after he retired. The fact that I had Willie Mays phone number in my phone just brought out the little kid in me. I would just stare at it.
Sometimes I’d get a call from Willie and he would talk baseball. I never told him I was in Europe and it was 4 in the morning. Getting hitting tips from Willie is still unreal to me to this day,
“Stop doing too much business!,” (I was moving my hands too much). Willie had a knack for bringing ‘the kid’ out of all of us. Willie’s joyful playing, his love of, and his passion for the game were as generous as they were contagious. While I am deeply saddened for the loss, I am grateful for every hit, every catch, every home run and every story Willie ever told me. My heartfelt condolences go out to Willie’s family, his friends, New York and SF Giant Fans and to baseball fans EVERYWHERE!
HEAVEN just got their Center Fielder! Number 24!
Rest in Peace my friend,
Love,
Rob
Willie Mays Jr. I don’t know where to begin. One of my earliest memories is my Dad taking me to Candlestick Park and telling me “That man in Center Field is Willie Mays! He’s the greatest baseball player who ever lived.” Of course he hit one of his 660 home runs that day. I wanted to be one of the kids who almost broke their ankles jumping from the bleachers onto the hard cement past the outfield fence to get a souvenir from the Say Hey Kid. I used to go to ‘the Stick’ and run down to above the Giants dugout where Willie would be patiently signing for the hundreds of kids jammed together trying to get a Willie Mays autograph. I didn’t need one. For me it was enough just to see him standing on the field in his Giants uniform, barrel chested with his hat slightly back. That same hat he would sit slightly ajar on his head so when he would run to make one of his famous ‘basket catches’ his hat would fly off, further adding to the excitement of his play! Willie was a true showman. He knew the game was a grand show, and his unparalleled abilities allowed those talents to shine above literally every one who ever played the game of baseball. There are too many stories that Willie told me to tell here, but I will leave a few; Willie missed almost 2 seasons in his prime after being drafted during the Korean War, the season he came back he hit over 50 homers…just add that to his 660 and you are in Ruthian numbers! Willie told me when he played in the Negro Leagues (at 16! for the Birmingham Barons) he had a note in his pocket from his Dad, Willie Sr. saying he had to do homework, just in case he was ever tired and wanted to come home early. Willie said the reason he could hit so well was because as a child he used to play stick ball with a bottle cap (try hitting that thing!), Willie told me his most embarrassing moment was after getting a triple, St. Louis 3rd baseman Ken Boyer asked Willie to step off the bag so he could dust it off and then tagged him out. Perhaps among my favorite things was when Willie said during the 1990’s “If I knew getting 30 homers and 30 stolen bases were gonna be a thing, I would have done that every year!” And he could have. (P1
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Announcing tickets on sale for my Rescue Husband comedy tour! Artist Pre-Sale starts at 10am central tomorrow, code UCANDOIT and general on-sale is Friday. For ticket information click the link in my bio. #RescueHusband
Last-minute ticket alert! Rob Schneider is bringing his hilarious comedy to River The Venue this Friday, and you don't want to miss it! Grab your tickets now for a night of laughs and entertainment. Hurry, they're selling fast!
