The Say Hey kid, Willie Mays, dies at 93

[Smellincoffee]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3070070/2024/06/18/willie-mays-obituary-giants/

“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” Manfred said. “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise. From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime.”

News of Mays’ death hit the baseball world hard.

Rickwood Field is the oldest contiunally operating ballpark in the United States, and this summer will host a MLB game in honor of the Negro Leagues where Willie started. I won the lottery to buy tickets but the cheap seats were $300, so I noped out. Not even for the Red Sox would I pay $300 for tickets.

Mays spent 23 seasons in the majors, batting .301 with 660 home runs, 339 stolen bases and 3,293 hits. He won two NL MVP awards, a number that looks like an injustice through the retroactive lens of modern analytics: By WAR, Mays was the best player in the National League nine times.