Happy 92nd Birthday Willie Mays!

[cgjackson222]

Willie Howard Mays turns 92 today. He is the oldest Hall of Famer.

Below is a picture of Willie in 1951 when he helped form the first all Black outfield with Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson during the World Series. He was just 20 years old at the time.

Let's hear it for Willie!

[mrreality68]

looking forward to this thread. I only have 1 framed picture of him. So looking forward to all the amazing cards, photos, and memorabelia

[JollyElm]

Here's a cool, old grouping...

WillieMays1.jpg

[Casey2296]

-Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game.

Happy Birthday "Say Hey" Kid.
-

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

-Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game.

Happy Birthday "Say Hey" Kid.
-

I love the crowd in the picture. Amazing photo

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

I love the crowd in the picture. Amazing photo

It's a powerful image, Willie stretching to the height of his ability,
perfectly timed to catch a ball hit from 400 ft away and land in his tiny glove, his arm almost perfectly centered with the young woman's raised arm in triumphant victory, if you study the crowd closely the looks are mainly hesitation, caution, confusion, retreat, except her, she knew Willie had it all the way.
The industrial background of a concrete wall and a steel roll up door. The pure innocent joy on the spectators faces as they watch their hero make another inhuman catch seem routine. The beauty of no color barrier in the cheap seats in 1951, we're all just here to see the greatest ball player in the history of baseball perform his craft on a hot afternoon in New York.

Tell me this isn't the greatest sport ever...

[Peter_Spaeth]

To me, this may be the greatest photo of Willie ever, just something about it, a kid transported from the deep South by virtue of his enormous talent, hanging with the folks in the neighborhood on the streets of New York, doing what he did so uniquely well.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

It's a powerful image, Willie stretching to the height of his ability,
perfectly timed to catch a ball hit from 400 ft away and land in his tiny glove, his arm almost perfectly centered with the young woman's raised arm in triumphant victory, if you study the crowd closely the looks are mainly hesitation, caution, confusion, retreat, except her, she knew Willie had it all the way.
The industrial background of a concrete wall and a steel roll up door. The pure innocent joy on the spectators faces as they watch their hero make another inhuman catch seem routine. The beauty of no color barrier in the cheap seats in 1951, we're all just here to see the greatest ball player in the history of baseball perform his craft on a hot afternoon in New York.

Tell me this isn't the greatest sport ever...

I have to presume you've read Don DeLillo's somewhat fictionalized account of the Shot Heard Round the World game?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Cards. Right.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I have to presume you've read Don DeLillo's somewhat fictionalized account of the Shot Heard Round the World game?

I haven't but thanks for the reference Peter, I just looked it up and it looks like a fun read.

I did however have a drinking contest with Don Larsen in a bar when I was 20, let's just say he won and I felt like the Brooklyn Dodgers the next morning...