Comments on: The Best There Ever Was Turns 81

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:19:25 +0000

Willie was always my favorite. The first game I ever saw was in the sixties in the Old Philies ballbark (I was around nine). Philies aganist the Giants and Willie was in his prime. Around the sixth inning, I went down to around the dugout and asked for “Mr Mays”. Unbelievably he came over and gave me his autograph. Something I’ll never forget. I’ve been told by older fans that as great as his over the shoulder catch was, the throw after doubled off a runner. Unbelievable player and person……..

By: lloydmdl

lloydmdl — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:22:18 +0000

Believe it or not Bayonne, that game was against the Giants. I believe the Mets won 6-5 or 5-4 I can’t remember…

By: Metstheory22

Metstheory22 — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:22:08 +0000

Yes and he had 660 HRs in two of the most difficult places to hit HRs, Candlestick and Polo Grounds.

By: Hank

Hank — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:10:12 +0000

I’m not old enough to have never seen Willie play, but I was young enough to read about his super-hero like exploits. Guys like Willie made you blessed to be a baseball fan and commanded the love and respect of anyone ho stopped to take a look. There are many nuances to the best player ever debate, but you can’t go wrong with Mays at the top of your list.

By: David Skolnik

David Skolnik — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:43:52 +0000

I appreciate Willie Mays today more than ever because his heroics were achieved in a non-roids era. Plus the ballparks were spacious, not tiny bandboxes.

By: Donal

Donal — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:16:51 +0000

When my dad came to this country, he was crashing with a friend of his a few blocks from what was then the Polo Grounds. He didn’t have a great deal of “disposable income” so his main entertainment was at the local bars watching the baseball games or getting in when he could get cheap tickets.

Willie Mays was one of the guys who made him fall in love with the game.

By: trs86

trs86 — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:14:36 +0000

Willie Mays was like a GREAT version of Barry Bonds before the roids, like a healthy for a career version of Ken Griffey JR. Amazing. And to do it in the time period he did? Staggering.

By: Des

Des — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:11:10 +0000

Ralph Kiner said that the best player ever to play the game is not known. Players play in different times with different rules and there is not one person alive who has ever seen all the players who’ve played the game. So, Ralph asks, how can we say one is best?

Mays was awfully good, though his blend of talents was surpassed by the individual talents of other players. For example, Ted Williams had a lifetime batting average of .344 to Mays .302. Williams led Mays is other offensive categories too. But Williams could never do what Mays could defensively. Mickey Mantle was faster than Mays down the baseline. Hank Aaron hit more career home runs.

So who was the best ever? Ralph Kiner says we’ll never know.

By: XtreemIcon

XtreemIcon — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:59:16 +0000

In one of the last chapters of Lane Leavy’s Mantle book last year, she asked lots of people who played and/or coached back then who they thought was better, Willie or Mickey. I forget who said it, but one guy answered “that’s like asking me which child I love the most.”

Most of the people asked said Willie had the better career because of what alcohol and DiMaggio’s pet drain pipe did to Mantle, but during Mantle’s prime in the mid-50′s, no one had ever been better, even Willie in his prime.

Questions with no answers are the most fun to debate.

By: XtreemIcon

XtreemIcon — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:53:38 +0000

It was Fosse behind the plate. Tenace played first that day and made the error that allowed Bud to reach third, setting up his play at the plate.

By: Alex68

Alex68 — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:36:37 +0000

IMHO, the best player in the history of the game… He hit for power, avg, could run, throw, defend.. I mean, the guy did it all… Hell, even the saber guys could agree, as he even led the league in OBP once

By: Metstheory22

Metstheory22 — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:35:06 +0000

Still one of the best ballplayers I ever saw, even late in his career.

By: Russell Zanca

Russell Zanca — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:03 +0000

The Say Hey Kid!

“Say hey, Willie, won’t you hit one out here…”

The Amazin’ Willie Mays!!!

By: srt

srt — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:57:28 +0000

Willie announced his retirement, ‘saying good-bye to America’ on Sept 25, 1973.
*****************

I as at this game with my family. Good memories.

We’d get to see him just a little longer in the pennant and WS that season. Too bad they didn’t pull off that win and give him one more ring on his way out.

By: Kay

Kay — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:47:45 +0000

I was at the game, with my family at Shea, when Willie Mays hit home run number 660.

By: rob

rob — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:40:41 +0000

Gene Tenace? Not Ray Fosse?

By: Fonzie13

Fonzie13 — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:28:56 +0000

Bayonne, Willie was protesting the play at the plate when Bud Harrelson was phantomly tagged out by Gene Tenace. Yogi asked the ump where did he tag him and the ump said right on the ass. Huge play.

By: rob

rob — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:50:35 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, Bayonne.

Yes, the play was game 2 of the 73 series in Oakland. Buddy Harrelson was called out at the plate (on a Sac Fly, I think) The replay clearly showed Buddy was safe and yes, Willie, who was on deck, down on one knee. I clearly remember that as well. HP ump was Augie Donatelli. (I have a head full of useless knowledge) Mets on the game anyway in extra innings, though but still….

73 was my first year watching Baseball and yes, that is one of my most vivid memories of Willie with us. That–and seeing him on Camera Day, walking along the railing with John Milner.

By: Bayonne Mets Fan

Bayonne Mets Fan — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:31:08 +0000

It’s stories like this that separate this site from any other Mets site on the internet (Do you you hear that Matt Cerrone and Metsblog?)

I remember as a very little kid watching a game on TV when Rusty Staub hitting a grand slam in the 1st inning vs a team i don’t remember. Anyway the visitors tied it and later on Willie Mays hit a homer to put the Mets ahead. Lindsay Nelson would always say “WILLIE MAYS” with excitement lol.

And my other biggest memory of him as a Met when he was kneeling down and pleading with an ump, i think, after he had just blown a play at home plate against the Mets during the 1973 World Series. Can anybody confirm this?