Willie Mays, who was, in my and the opinions of many baseball experts, the greatest player of all time, left us on Tuesday at the age of 93.
It's interesting to note that every headline announcing his demise referenced not only his baseball talents, but his grace, emphasizing the unique personal qualities he displayed while breaking into a sport that, for a hundred years, only white men were allowed to play.
He faced numerous racist comments and threats on his life as he entered the major leagues in the early 1950s, but still quickly dominated the game.
Baseball scouts talk of "five tool players", those who can run, throw, hit for average, hit for power and catch anything that comes their way.
Willie was likely the only SIX TOOL player ever to take the field.
He had those five tools, probably in combination never seen before or since, and then, there was that sixth tool: grace.
Willie did everything on the field with ultra-smooth moves and a love for the game that showed in the perpetual smile he wore during even the toughest of times.
You can talk about your Babe Ruth, your Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb (what a piece of human dreck he turned out to be), Rogers Hornsby, and even Barry Bonds (meh), but there may never be another player like Willie Mays.
Well…Hank Aaron, the only true home run king of all time, comes in a close second, but he didn't have the speed or defensive gifts that Willie did.
One need only do an internet search on "Willie Mays – Vic Wertz" to see what everyone considers the greatest catch by a center fielder of all time
Nope, Willie was the GOAT. No doubt about it.