Barry Bonds, Barack Obama, More Post Tributes to Willie Mays After MLB Legend's Death
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVJune 19, 2024
Willie Mays, arguably the greatest all-around player in baseball history, died on Tuesday. He was 93.
"My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones," his son, Michael Mays, said in a statement released by the San Francisco Giants. "I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life's blood."
Mays was a 24-time All-Star, two-time NL MVP and 12-time Gold Glover. He ranks sixth all time in homers (660), seventh in runs (2,068), 12th in RBI (1,909) and 13th in hits (3,293).
He truly was a legend of the sport, and there were no shortage of tributes on Tuesday evening as news of his death became public:
Barack Obama @BarackObamaWillie Mays wasn't just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power. He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person - and an inspiration to an entire generation. I'm lucky to have spent time with him over the years, and Michelle and I… <a href="https://t.co/tpO3O9B9yc">pic.twitter.com/tpO3O9B9yc</a>
Be A King @BerniceKingRest well, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WillieMays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WillieMays</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/theSayHeyKid?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#theSayHeyKid</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Giant?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Giant</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLK</a> <a href="https://t.co/uKFNWjq1oq">pic.twitter.com/uKFNWjq1oq</a>
Dave Winfield @DaveWinfieldHOFIt was my pleasure and honor to have played against arguably the best <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mlb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBPA</a> player of all time. And to call <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WillieMays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WillieMays</a> my friend is incrediblyspecial <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> "Say Hey" Kid <a href="https://t.co/SFbH1kks41">pic.twitter.com/SFbH1kks41</a>
CC Sabathia @CC_SabathiaI'll never forget this day when I walked in and heard, "that's that boy who wears his hat like this."<br><br>RIP Willie Mays. You changed the game forever and inspired kids like me to chase our dream. Thank you for everything that you did on and off the field. Always in our hearts… <a href="https://t.co/Xv2ZHbKFvt">pic.twitter.com/Xv2ZHbKFvt</a>
Billy Crystal @BillyCrystalThe great <a href="https://twitter.com/willie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Willie</a> Mays has passed away. Had the honor of talking with him several times. He loved that we mentioned his '54 World Series catch in <a href="https://twitter.com/cityslickers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CitySlickers</a>.The man who hit the ball and the " Giant" who caught it signed this ball. RIP #24.. a thrill to watch you play. <a href="https://t.co/FTNSc99Kh1">pic.twitter.com/FTNSc99Kh1</a>
JIMMY ROLLINS @JimmyRollins11Willie Mays #24 was a legend amongst legends. I am blessed to have spent a few weeks around Willie and I can tell you this, baseball lived deep inside of his heart and he could trash talk with the best of them! Thank you Willie 🙏🏾🕊️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/restinparadise?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#restinparadise</a>
Former Giants great and Mays' godson, Barry Bonds, said on Instagram that he was "beyond devastated and overcome with emotion. I have no words to describe what you mean to me—you helped shape me to be who I am today. Thank you for being my Godfather and always being there. Give my dad a hug for me. Rest in peace Willie, I love you forever."
The Giants were scheduled to play the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, in honor of both Mays and the Negro Leagues.
"Thursday's game at historic Rickwood Field was designed to be a celebration of Willie Mays and his peers," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national remembrance of an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful individuals our great game has ever known."
The "Say Hey Kid" was a true national treasure, not just for what he accomplished, but also for how he played the game.
"When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing," he told NPR in 2010. "I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom and it flies right off. People love that kind of stuff."
They most certainly did. But nobody pulled it off quite like Mays.