By Andy Loigu

Virtually everyone who is interested in baseball in Warren County, even though it is Yankees Country, knows about Willie Mays and the impact he made on the sport, particularly in the New York metro area.

Fans my age all have memories of him, whether they be from watching him on the NBC Game of the Week, the All-Star Game (Willie played in 24 of them) or in person when the Giants played the Mets at Shea Stadium. In fact, Willie played the final two seasons of his distinguished career as a New York Met. The Mets retired his number 24 even though Willie only played two seasons with them. It was fitting since Willie began his career with the New York Giants, played in two World Series classics with them, and would have been a lifer in the Big Apple had not Horace Stoneham decided to move his team to the West Coast in the late 1950s.

For New York baseball fans, even the ones who rooted against him when the Giants faced the Yankees in the 1962 World Series, Willie was New York’s adopted son.
He was part of the Willie, Mickey and the Duke trio who were highlighted in the nostalgic song by Cashman and West, looking back at the three-way Giants, Yankees and Dodgers rivalry for bragging rights and the hearts of New York fans in the 50s. The song, by the way, was entitled Talking Baseball.

My fondest Willie memory is from August of 1979, when the Philadelphia Phillies staged an old-timers’ game, at now demolished Veterans’ Stadium, played before a regular-season game which counted in the standings.

The 1964 Phillies (yes, the team that had a historic September collapse) faced the 1964 National League All-Stars with “Say Hey” Willie Mays covering center field.

Now, remember that the guys in old-timers’ games are way past their prime playing days and nobody hits the ball very hard or far in those exhibitions. Most of the men in that game, for fun and memories, were in their 50s. Mays was 48 and positioned himself very shallow in the field, as did all the outfielders..

They may have forgotten that former Phillie Johnny Briggs was one of the younger players there. Briggs hit a booming blast toward the wall in right center and Mays ran it down with cap falling off (a Mays trademark) and made a spectacular over the shoulder catch on the fly. At age 48, he still had it in him, still had that speed and flair.

RIP Willie Mays, now playing at the Field of Dreams at age 93, an unforgettable performer and personality.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.