Willie Mays died yesterday...

[soldierant]

https://theconversation.com/saying-a-final-goodbye-to-willie-mays-baseballs-say-hey-kid-220173

I seldom follow sports, but as a native of San Francisco, I did note this.

Short quot from link:

Mays, who died on June 18, 2024, at the age of 93, was not only the greatest baseball player of the last 80 years, and quite possibly ever, but he was an enormously important figure in American sports, culture and history. His journey from the segregated Deep South of his childhood to being honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom spans much of America’s racial history in the 20th and early 21st century.

[Skittles]

1. I always say you're not a sports legend unless not sports fans have heard of you

Willie Mays was a legend many times over

[rsdsharp]

2. Of the baseball greats, to my mind, there are Hall of Famers, Legends, and Gods.

Last edited Wed Jun 19, 2024, 06:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Willie Mays was a baseball god; perhaps the last of his era. Only Sandy Koufax might still qualify.

I met two of the gods — Ted Williams and Bob Feller, three legends — Rod Carew, Whitey Ford and Ozzie Smith, and one Hall of Famer — Andre Dawson.

[EYESORE 9001]

3. Everyone knew of Willie Mays when I was a kid

Even non-sports fans. He was erasing boundaries and changing perceptions, but I was too young to pick up on that.