A Fond Farewell to the Say Hey Kid

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2024

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From his time in Negro Leagues as a teenager to his epic run of success with the Giants, Willie Mays was always student and ambassador of America’s Pasttime Mays’ performance on the field has him in the conversation as one of the best players ever. 24 All Star Games, 12 Gold Gloves, two MVP awards, and 660 homers leave him in the most rare of air. In short, putting his legacy into words is almost impossible, so we let his actions tell his story. And the stories you will hear about Willie are that he was the one player from Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle to Reggie Jackson and Ken Griffey Jr. that left every major leaguer simply star struck by his otherworldly skills and his graceful presence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Tim Kirkgen, one of the things I said when Scott Van Pelt asked me about what
0:05.9	Willie Mays was like in terms of his legacy, I said he was the best player I never saw play.
0:12.0	You did see him play. Can you describe that feeling?
0:16.0	Yeah, he's the greatest player I've ever seen and I saw him when I was a little kid so I was
0:22.1	eight years old and I was hopelessly addicted to baseball already.
0:27.0	Then we got a color TV, and the first game I ever saw on a color TV and the first game I ever saw on a color TV
0:35.2	Willie Mays hit a home run to open the 65 All-Star game.
0:40.3	Well he Paula.
0:43.0	I believe he is going to get it evidently the way he's moving by the fence, but it may be gone and
0:48.0	it is.
0:49.0	That's the way the ballgame starts.
0:51.0	Well, that's the way the 1965 all-star game starts.
0:55.0	From that moment on, I was mesmerized by Willie Mays.
1:02.0	In the golden October sunlight,
1:05.0	and with that mighty classic swing,
1:07.0	powered one high over the scoreboard and out of Forbes Field.
1:12.0	Willie connects and hammers at 380 feet over the right field fence.
1:17.0	Willie said, I knew it was gone when I hit it.
1:20.0	Maybe it was the living color and maybe it was just the perfect
1:25.0	baseball body if you could build a baseball player he would look like
1:30.2	Willie May. like will he make? The kids waiting beyond the outfield fence react with fanatical joy.
1:35.0	Because their faith was answered in one resounding instant.
	...

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