HELD ON MAY 1, 2013
NYGPS Member Peter A. Magowan, the former managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants and now the Giants President Emeritus, was kind enough to send us his introduction of W…illie Mays at Mae Mays’ funeral ceremony a few weeks back. What a beautiful piece!! Here is his speech:
THANK YOU, MALCOLM FOR THAT VERY GENEROUS INTRODUCTION. AS YOU KNOW, LARRY BAER, WHO RUNS THE GIANTS, IS RECOVERING FROM AN UNEXPECTED SURGERY, AND CANNOT BE WITH US TODAY, MUCH AS HE WANTED TO BE. HE HAS ASKED METO REPRESENT THE GIANTS AS WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TO WILLIE AND HIS FAMILY.

I’D LIKE TO BEGIN BY TELLING A STORY THAT I THINK SHOWS HOW MUCH WILLIE LOVED MAE.

RIGHT AFTER WE BOUGHT THE GIANTS I ASKED WILLIE TO VISIT ME. WHEN HE ARRIVED I SAID THAT THE GIANTS WANTED HIM TO ASSUME A PROMINENT ROLE IN OUR ORGANIZATION. WILLIE ASKED IF THERE WOULD BE A CONTRACT AND, IF SO, FOR HOW LONG AND I TOLD HIM THE GIANTS WERE PREPARED TO OFFER HIM A LIFETIME CONTRACT. WHEN I SAID LIFETIME THE TEARS STARTED ROLLING DOWN HIS CHEEKS. HE WAS THAT SURPRISED AND THAT HAPPY.

TEN YEARS WENT BY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I GOT A CALL FROM WILLIE ASKING TO SEE ME. SO WE GOT TOGETHER AND HE SAID “I NEED TO DISCUSS MY CONTRACT”. I WAS QUITE SURPRISED, AS WE WERE PAYING HIM WHAT I THOUGHT WAS QUITE A GENEROUS AMOUNT ANNUALLY. I ASKED HIM, “IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE MONEY?” “OH NO”, HE REPLIED, “THE MONEY IS FINE”. “IT’S THE LENGTH OF THE CONTRACT THAT BOTHERS ME.” “THE LENGTH OF THE CONTRACT”, I ASKED, QUITE SURPRISED, “DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE IT SHORTER”?.. “NO, NO” WILLIE REPLIED, “I NEED AN EXTENSION”. “AN EXTENSION”? NOW I’M REALLY SURPRISED. “AN EXTENSION ON A LIFETIME CONTRACT? I NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.” “YES, THAT’S WHAT I NEED. I NEED ONE MORE YEAR FOR MAE TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT WHEN I’M NO LONGER THERE TO TAKE CARE OF HER”.

SO THAT’S WHAT WE DID – AND I THINK THAT EXTENSION SAYS TWO THINGS ABOUT WILLIE. 1] HE IS A WORLD-CLASS NEGOTIATOR AND, 2] HE TRULY LOVED MAE.

MAE WAS A SWEET, KIND, BEAUTIFUL, GENTLE WOMAN WHO LOVED AND PROTECTED HER HUSBAND. SHE MADE EVERYBODY FEEL AT HOME – I KNOW SHE MADE ME AND LARRY BAER FEEL THAT WAY. MAE AND WILLIE SHARED A VERY SPECIAL LOVE FOR
LOVE FOR CHILDREN. SHE WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW
PEOPLE SHOULD BEHAVE, AND SHE HAD A VERY SPECIAL GIFT OF ONLY SEEING THE BEST IN OTHER PEOPLE.

HOW CAN SOMEBODY INTRODUCE A LEGEND LIKE WILLIE MAYS? MAYBE I SHOULD FOLLOW THE KIND OF INTRODUCTION THAT IS ALWAYS GIVEN FOR PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES – WHICH IS VERY SIMPLE – “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I PRESENT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”. BUT I WAS TOLD THE GIANTS COULD NOT GET AWAY WITH THAT FOR WILLIE.

WILLIE IS USUALLY INTRODUCED AS “THE GREATEST LIVING BASEBALL PLAYER”. OR, “THE BEST ALL-AROUND PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY” – THAT’S WHAT OUR OWN MEDIA GUIDE SAYS. OR, THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER – THAT’S WHAT BOB COSTAS SAYS. I SAY, WHY DO WE HAVE ALL THESE QUALIFIERS – THE GREATEST LIVING PLAYER? THE GREATEST ALL-AROUND PLAYER? THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER? NO – SIMPLY – THE GREATEST PLAYER THE GAME HAS EVER SEEN. SINCE OUR GAME HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST 150 YEARS, THAT’S
QUITE A STATEMENT. WOULDN’T YOU ALL AGREE WITH THAT?

BUT TO ME, WILLIE IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST THE BEST PLAYER EVER. FIRST, THERE IS THE WAY HE PLAYED THE GAME – WITH PASSION, WITH FLAIR, WITH BEAUTY, AND ABOVE ALL ELSE – WITH JOY. THOSE OF US WHO SAW HIM PLAY SAW HIM DO THINGS WE JUST DON’T SEE VERY OFTEN, BUNT – FOR A DOUBLE. SCORE ON A SACRIFICE FLY FROM SECOND BASE. SCORE FROM FIRST ON A SINGLE – MANY TIMES. CATCH A LINE DRIVE THE ONLY WAY THAT BALL COULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT – WITH HIS BARE HAND. THE COUNTLESS GAMES HE WON WITH HIS LAST AT BAT. BUT WHAT I REMEMBER MOST FROM WATCHING HIM SO MANY YEARS WAS HIS LOVE FOR THE GAME – HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR IT, THE JOY THAT HE FELT WHEN HE WAS PLAYING. YOU SEE PICTURES OF WILLIE AND IN SO MANY OF THEM HE IS REALLY LAUGHING – LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE WORLD HE WOULD RATHER BE DOING.
SECOND, THERE IS THE WILLIE OUTSIDE THE BALLPARK. WHEN THE DAY GAMES WOULD END AT THE POLO GROUNDS, WILLIE WOULD WALK A FEW BLOCKS AWAY AND START PLAYING STICK BALL WITH NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS. DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER STICK BALL – PLAYED WITH A BROOMSTICK AND A PINK RUBBER BALL? AFTER THE GAMES WITH THE KIDS HE WOULD BUY THEM ICE CREAM CONES.
CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT WOULD BE THE REACTION TODAY IF ANY FAMOUS BASEBALL PLAYER WENT INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD OF POOR KIDS AND PLAYED STICK BALL AND ATE ICE CREAM CONES WITH THEM?

BUT THAT WAS THE TRUE WILLIE. AND HERE HE IS TODAY – SOME 60 YEARS AFTER THE STICK BALL GAMES – STILL DOING THINGS FOR KIDS. MANY OF THESE THINGS HE WOULD DO WITH MAE.

THIRD, AND LAST, IS THE EFFECT THAT WILLIE HAS ON PEOPLE. YOU SHOULD SEE HOW THE PLAYERS IN THE CLUBHO– USE REACT TO HIM. UNTIL THEY GET TO KNOW HIM THEY ARE A BIT AFRAID TO APPROACH HIM. BUT THEN THEY BEGIN TO DO SO. AND ARE THEY EVER HONORED TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN DO SO – CAN GO TO WILLIE FOR HELP. AND IS THERE FOR THEM VIRTUALLY EVERY SPRING TRAINING GAME, VIRTUALLY EVERY HOME GAME. THINK WHAT HIS PRESENCE MUST MEAN TO THEM. LAST JANUARY,
DEBBY AND I WERE WITH WILLIE IN NEW YORK. WE WENT TO THE BASEBALL BANQUET HONORING BUSTER POSEY AND WE LEFT THE WAY OUR PRESIDENTS DO WHEN THEY VISIT – THROUGH THE KITCHEN. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE FACES OF THE DISHWASHERS AND COOKS AS THEY RECOGNIZED WHO WAS IN THEIR MIDST. WE WENT UP TO THE CARLYLE HOTEL AND IN THE JAM PACKED BAR THE BAND LEADER STARTED PLAYING “TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME”, AND EVERYBODY IN THAT ROOM STOOD AND CLAPPED. THE BAND GUY THEN ASKED WILLIE WHO HE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR – AND HE SAID MAYBE DUKE
ELLINGTON — OR COUNT BASIE – OR DIZZY GILLESPIE – ELLA FITZGERALD – AND THEN HE SAID TO DEBBY “I — USED TO KNOW ALL THOSE GUYS”.

WELL, WE ALL KNOW WILLIE. WE KNOW HOW MUCH HE LOVED MAE, HOW WELL HE TOOK CARE OF HER. WE KNOW THIS GENTLE, LOVING SIDE OF -WILLIE – NOT EVERYBODY DOES. WE LOVE HIM BECA– USE OF WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE REPRESENTS. WE WANT TO BE WITH HIM NOW TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT FOR HIS LOSS OF HIS BELOVED MAE. WE’RE ALL VERY PROUD THAT HE HAS BEEN, AND STILL IS, A HUGE PART OF OUR GIANTS FAMILY. THE OFFICIAL ADDRESS OF OUR BALLPARK IS 24 WILLIE MAYS PLAZA. THAT’S NO ACCIDENT. HIS STATUE WELCOMES EVERYONE TO OUR BALLPARK. HE IS – AND ALWAYS WILL BE – IN OUR LIVES, AND DREAMS, AND MEMORIES.

HERE IS WILLIE MAYS.