I am 70 and nobody is or was better. Look at what he did. None of the advanced training, nutrition, computer generated information. He was just a joy to watch patrol center field.
My Baseball Hero Mr. Mays... Grew up in Brooklyn, NY as a kid of the '60s and '70s and would mimic his basket catches... LOL!!! followed him even as a die-hard NY Yankees fan... My All-time MLB Outfielders Aaron, Mays, Clemente👊🤛
@@johnnypastrana6727 well said, you guys in Pittsburgh we're blessed to have him along with The Pirates Won the 1960 World Series from the Yankees. When Clement got back to Puerto Rico, my Dad and his buddies were so proud of him. I was 4 years old then. But I didn't realize it until later on when Clemente was playing in the 1971 WS. He was my favorite player, as a NY Yankees fan.
I AM A 67 YR. OLD WHITE MAN HE IS MY Hero forever -my favorite # is 24 - I carried his love and never Hated anyone -just like Him. I am an authority on Mays - every book, -everything since he was 8 yrs old - all the great, and good, and Bad. And I will cry when he dies, just because , he earned that from me.
To be fair, Aaron also served in military that split up his playing years too. Willie's putout total is truly jaw dropping. My favorite part of Willie's game was watching him defensively in centerfield. Lucky to have grown up in the Bay Area from 1958-68. Priceless memories. Thank you Willie.
Willie Mays is Barry Bonds' godfather. We lost Hank but who many consider the 2nd greatest baseball player of all-time is still alive at age 90. Happy birthday, Willie Mays. Great name for a legendary athlete like Kobe or Trey Lance.
what do you mean 2nd greatest player of all time willie was the best bar none yes the babe pitched and was great but willie mays was the ultimate five tool player babe wasn't by far the greates all around player is the say hey Kid
Willie’s father taught him how to play every position. Willie was a coach on the field. His father played factory ball. Willie grew up around the diamond. He’s the best five tool player ever and he had a sixth tool- entertainer. I saw Willie play at Candlestick Park. Game 7 of the 1962 World Series was the worst day in sports history for a Giants fan. Tommy LaSorda ranked Mays the best. Better than Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider and Joe DiMaggio.
22 extra inning home runs, at least one home run from inning 1 to inning 16. 2 MVP’s 10 years apart. 2 -50 home run seasons 11 years apart. 3 triples in one game. 4 home runs in one game. To me he is the greatest!
Unfortunately Willie played in Candlestick park, arguably the worst stadium ever. Willie McCovey estimates Mays lost over 100 homers playing in that fog encrusted dump
@@jamesryan4618 Totally agree about Candlestick...went to a game there in August of 1966...temps in the low 60s with high winds blowing in off the water. Tough park to play in for a power hitter.
Nothing beats being at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California on a beautiful day with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background. It's so relaxing. Both baseball and horse racing can be so relaxing because they're done outdoors.
In 1971 I went to see the Giants play the Mets at Shea Stadium in New York. It was a nothing game at the end of the season. Neither team was in contention but the ballpark was packed. The Giants were taking batting practice. All of a sudden, one of the Giant's players stepped out of the dugout and waved his cap to the fans. The hometown crowd gave a standing ovation to the greatest player of his generation, Willie Mays.
@@treygray2817The other two could not do all that Willie could do - Hit for average, hit for power, hit to all fields, hit doubles and triples as well as home runs, run the bases with great speed, rarely strike out, steal bases, throw like no one else (Ted Williams is quoted as saying that Willie May's had the greatest throwing arm that Ted had ever seen), play center field like no one else - Willie's 7000+ put out record is not even approached by any other player, play any position, and, make the greatest catch in history of Vic Wertz's 440 ft. drive to center field in the Polo grounds with his back to home plate - and throw to the infield to keep runners from advancing. Today's center field fences are typically only 410 ft.
I'm 75 years-old and Willie Mays in baseball, and Jim Brown in football are the two greatest players I've ever seen. Stats are very telling, but you had to see these two guys in real life to get any idea of how great they really were! Willie not only played center field, but covered part of LF and RF. LOL!!
Just thinking about baseball makes me miss the times I would play it as a kid. Or go to the batting cages on a hot summer day. Sip on some lemonade after. Baseball remains my first love. Fun to play. Relaxing to watch in person.
Willie Mays...the All Time Greatest Baseball Name Ever !!! Maybe Babe Ruth comes a close 2nd. Ted Williams said the All Star Game was an event 'specially created for Willie Mays'. Leo Durocher said Willie could do it all: hit for average and for power, field, run, throw, etc. and then he added: "if he knew how to cook I'd marry him !!!"
Baseball, boxing, and horse racing were the three most popular sports in the United States like 60-80 years ago. From the 1930s to 1950s, horse racing was it. Now it's all about the NFL and then NBA globally.
My 8yo son knows all of the old guys. Gibson, Ruth, Foxx, Cobb, Rose, Schmidt and Aaron are his favorites. But Mays is his #1. His #1 item on his list to Santa is a Willie Mays signed baseball.
Henry Aaron once spoke of the comparison between himself & Willie. (consolidating & summarizing ) . "we both could do anything on the field & at bat at the highest level." The difference was if you saw me you could expect me to do it. If you saw Willie you may see him do something you never saw before or would see again. That was the carbonation & crackle of Willie Mays
2 giants of the game,none better Mr. Aaron is so gracious for a superstar which is why sports was loved so much more than rather than now, the players were likable compared to today's millionaires
Just based off GREENYS stats given, I would honestly say he is the greatest player of all time considering everything he had to deal with on and off the field.
@@clydeb7713Except that it wasn’t cheating MLB wasn’t testing for steroids at that time, MLB was awarding accolades onto dozens upon dozens of players that were clearly using steroids So, no, Bonds didn’t ‘cheat’ Secondly…… was Mays a better defender than Bonds? Yeah, but Bonds was still a very good defender Bonds was such an overwhelmingly better hitter than Mays, that it completely overshadows the defensive edge you’d have to give to Mays
@@ifbfmto9338 PEDs were banned since 1991. They WERE illegal, they just didn't test til 2003. For six years Bonds average went up and Home run production by ,50%! He added about 120 home runs extra over 6 years.
@@clydeb7713Irrelevant…… just because something was technically banned, doesn’t mean anything It wasn’t enforced By your logic we could ban probably most pitchers in the hall of fame, because they have technically violated ball handling regulations
Watch old movies and actors spoke very fast with a Transatlantic accent. There was usually a horse racing reference. Like in I Love Lucy, there was a Whirlaway reference and Johnny Longden was in an episode.
Willie Mays hit 3rd. Home run hitting Willie McCovey hit 4th. With all those stolen bases, Mays rejected stealing 2nd many times to keep the pitcher from walking McCovey.
People will debate this till the end of time. Never saw Micky Mantle, never saw Babe Ruth. But I did see willy mays along with a bunch of other hall of famers in the 60,s and I can honestly say he's the greatest player I ever saw and it wasn't even close. I thought baseball was a boring game until I saw what he could do on the field. He transcended the game itself.
@@johnniepalacios9381 So. what,s your point? unless he came to candlestick and I happen to see him I didn't pay much attention to him. Not like there were a lot of TV broadcast in those days.
I remember Mays and say him first back in 1967 at the stick when I was 8 and on a number of occasions after that before being traded to the Mets. Of course, he was past his prime, but still capable in the late 60's. What I remember most is waiting for autographs after the game near the players parking lot and Mays, who'd never stick around to sign, would jump in his Pink Cadillac and zip past. Of course at that time he was the star of stars in sports. So I just asked my youngest daughter, soon to be 19, if she knows of Mays. Though she's not a big baseball fan, she knows who Mays is. I'm going to take credit for passing that down, so I've got that going for my legacy.
People say but Babe Ruth pitched! Mays never tried to pitch and with his cannon of an arm, Mays would destroy hitters in the Dead Ball Era of baseball.
It is a great comparison for greatest of all-time, between Ruth and Mays. Ruth was an incredible pitcher, with over 100 wins, and and ERA just over 2 for his career When Ruth was hitting 60 HRs, no one else was hitting 25. Barry Bonds is probably #3. (Knocking him down for PED use)
@@InvestBetter. Thats facts. Ruth didn't play against the best talent in an integrated league. Plus he dominated a relatively weak era, he's the Wilt of baseball.
Huge Mays fan. Greatest ever. Hands down. First true 5-tool player. Ruth, Cobb, Hornsby, Speaker, Wagner... none of these guys played against a person of color... so to call any of those guys the greatest not possible without a fair playing field. Mays all the way. And, a GREAT man to boot... at a difficult time in history to be a black athlete.
2007 All Star Game Willie Mays was honored by him throwing the ceremonial first pitch (from center field). TV (Fox) went to a commercial and we all missed it….a terrible insult I will never forget. You can watch on youtube now if you like. Not the same though. He was the Greatest Of All Time!
Ruth is by far the best and way beyond a shadow of a doubt the most important baseball player if not the most important American athlete in US history. Had he kept pitching barring injury he would have won well over 300 games, that's what separates him from the pack.
But Willie was better, would have hit more HRs than Ruth or Aaron with those two seasons included. And his everyday defense over twenty years won more games than Ruth did as a pitcher, I'm pretty sure.
Mays played a lot of his career at Candlestick Park, where the wind from the bay knocked down a lot of home runs by right handed hitters. Tag on another 40-50 home runs if he played in another ballpark. As far as speed and power, Mays had the greatest career, but before he tore up his knee, Mickey Mantle was as fast as Mays, had more power and was a switch hitter. But if you look at all ot the markers for a position player: Speed, catch, throw, baserunning, power, batting average...Mays did it better for longer than anyone.
@@rldeuce8829 calm down buddy, mantle has a 510 on base on year He’s at worst the second best player of the 50s, him and Mays are a toss up Mantles offensive numbers are much better but had worse defense And Aaron…. Was never even close to the best but people still mention him for some reason.
@@rldeuce8829 Before you LOL compare Mantle and Mays' world series stats...no comparison. Mantle was one of the greatest players in big games because he came up big.
He also played 12 years at Candelstick park. One of if not the hardest parks to hit in period much less hit home runs. They figure Mays lost atleast 15 hr’s a year by playing there. So not only is he the greatest “all around “ player but all things being equal he would have also been the HR king. Its not even a close second to Willie Mays in baseball history. The obvious greatest.
I might also get back into horse racing 🏇 as it's also a very relaxing sport. It's a year-round sport and 5 days a week. But I really only watch the Triple Crown races these days. I don't care about the Breeders' Cup like before.
Those are great stats. Mays has always been my favorite player but I only knew one of those. He truly is the greatest of all time and it does not seem to be close. It always irked me that Joe Dimaggio was referred to as the greatest living player up until his death. As great as Joe was he was no Willie Mays Another thing I would like to point out in regards to home runs is that Henry Aaron always played in ballparks that were friendly to hitters and it was the opposite for Willie. On top of everything else he may have been the greatest home run hitter of all time.
Best all-around player--run, throw, hit, field, play various positions, and think. Aaron was a better hitter, not just for HRs but also for average, though Milwaukee County and Atlanta stadiums may have been friendlier to batters. Don't kid yourselves; Aaron was a good fielder and baserunner. He could do it "all," too, but he wasn't as spectacular as Mays and didn't have the arm. In Mays' two seasons after the army, he hit 92 HRs, so we can assume that he would have hit at least 80 over '52-53. I saw Mays and Aaron homer in the same game in the late 60s. The two flights of the ball were so typical of each: Mays' HR was a high fly that was almost blown back into play by that horrible wind at Candlestick, but it managed to drop dramatically over the left field fence, almost as if Mays, ever the showman, planned it that way. Aaron's was a long line drive that just kept going. It was like a golf ball off the tee, but in Aaron fashion, he hit the top of the ball a bit so that it bent back down after speeding over the left field fence. Aaron hit .355 one season, whereas Mays' highest hitting pct. was .347. But Aaron never hit 50 or more HRs in a season, and Mays did it twice. Mays, Aaron, and Clemente--now that's an outfield to dream of.
hank was great very close to Willie and he had a very good arm in right field as well, early in his career in the Milwaukee days he was closer to a Clemente high average hitter rather than a prodigious home run hitter but that certainly changed what wrists bad Henry had all time great just like Willie
Willie Mays did not received 100% induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. My question to the Baseball Writers' Association of America members who voted no, "On what planet is Willie Mays not good enough to be in the Hall of Fame? Really?"
Greatest hitter? No. Greatest base runner? Maybe. Best fielding outfielder? Yes. All combined? Without a doubt the best player ever. Happy 90th Willie!
Willie vs. Babe is my consideration. Willie big edge on defense, of course. But Babe winning all 3 World Series games he started and only allowing 3 runs in 32 innings (including a 14 inning stint in his first) makes me favor Bambino. Could have had a HOF career as an outfielder or pitcher.
Mays played center field for 22 seasons so of course he would have a lot of putouts...Clemente leads all right fielders with 4,400...with the much better arm. What was Mays' all time batting average in world series games? How many homers and rbis did he have in the world series? Great players come up big in big games do they not? Willie Mays had a batting average of . 230 with 17 hits, 6 RBIs and 10 runs scored 0 home runs 2 stolen bases in 21 games in the World Series in his career. No question that like Arod, he was a great regular season player. In world series play, not so much. I saw him play at old Forbes Field and he loved facing some of those underachieving Pirate pitchers.
Hank played in a park" 315 down the line and 400 feet to center. Compare that with the Polo Grounds, the park Willie played in; 480 feet to center - and 379 feet down the lines! Willie had to hit the ball 80 feet farther than Hank. Hank played in a 'hitter's park' with only 315 down the lines and only 400 feet in center. Then, to make matters worse - in 1958, Willie moved to Candlestick park where who knows how many homers were returned by the wind through the left field opening (even closing up the wall did not help much). Finally, Willie missed two years of ball due to military service. He was a much, much better homerun hitter than Hank! Moreover, Hank was not the fielder nor baserunner in the same league with the great Willie Mays. Finally, Willie was the greatest baseball genius of all time; there has never been a smarter ballplayer. Am I biased? Well, there has been a Giant fan in my family lineage for over 100 years! As an eight years old, I almost caught a grand slam ball that he hit (actually, being so small, I did not have a chance - but I thought I did!).
Common polo grounds left field and right aint even 300 feet furthermore theres only 5 defenders in the history of baseball that can go get a ball in center at polo grounds so allot of extra base hits. And i want to see his home and road splits because people keep talking about he had to play in candlestick and polo grounds.
NO. Willie was GREAT, but Ruth, Gehrig and Williams were better. Also, a good argument for Mantle, Musial and Di Maggio can be made. If you took the best 12 years of Mantle and compared them to Willie’s best 12 you’d see that Mantle comes out ON TOP.
What a joke. None of the other players were half as good as Willie was in the field, nor could they run, and only Ruth had more HRs. Baseball is a game played at the plate and in the field. Please don't show us how little you know about baseball. I watched Mays, Mantle, and Musial play. None were close to Willie Mays. And I loved Mantle, but he should not enter the discussion, not the others either.
Could pick any of these : Mantle, Aaron, Gehrig, Henderson, Frank Robinson, Schmidt, Ripken, Joe Morgan, Johnny bench, pujols, Musial, Hornsby, Griffey, Trout! Bonds / Rodriguez if no steroids Roger Clemens , Greg maddux, randy Johnson, Pedro martinez, Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Walter Johnson, Warren Spahn, Mariano Rivera also options
So the nba fans like to discredit the bill Russell’s and wilt chamberlains because the league was “watered down” do baseball fans say the same of legends like Willie Mays?
Loved Roberto, but no he was not better than Willie. He was so gifted in the field with a laser arm, and he hit for average, too. But Willie hit 660 HRs and was as flawless in the field and batted over .300 for a twenty year career. Willie was better, but Roberto is my all-time right fielder. They are the only two outfielders with 12 Gold Gloves!
@@tom7471 Left field down the line was 365 feet in Forbes Field...ballooned out to 457 to the left of center...right center was 435 so no cheapies in that park. Clemente had the far better arm...no contest there...and Roberto came up big in world series games especially in 1971...Mays can't say that. Numbers don't lie, look his WS stats up.
@@tom7471Actually correct. Mantle was clocked at 2.9 seconds to first base. The fastest time ever for a player. Mantle hit one of the longest home runs ever. A greater distance than Mays ever hit. I watched a home run hitting contest between Mays and Mantle called Home Run Derby. It was from about 1961. Mantle won the contest. But clearly, Mays was the better all around player.
@@gregshirley-jeffersonboule6258 Possibly, because my father liked to hit me and beat me and call me names all my life until I went into the navy and after that retired from the forestry fire service for 21 years. I served my country and my community. What did you do? live in your parents basement and get drunk and get welfare and food stamps? The worthless generation.... millennials.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm 68 years old Willie Mays has always been my #1 in baseball and now 1 yr and 4 days after his 91st birthday I'm still grinning.
I am 70 and nobody is or was better. Look at what he did. None of the advanced training, nutrition, computer generated information. He was just a joy to watch patrol center field.
Happy 91st birthday to THE GOAT, Willie Mays. Everyone else can fight for #2 but there is no doubt that Willie is the king.
Watching Willie play in person was pure joy.
Mays has always been my favorite player since I was a small kid. I wish I could have watched him play.
My Baseball Hero Mr. Mays... Grew up in Brooklyn, NY as a kid of the '60s and '70s and would mimic his basket catches... LOL!!! followed him even as a die-hard NY Yankees fan... My All-time MLB Outfielders Aaron, Mays, Clemente👊🤛
Can't go wrong with that trio...I am biased as I watched the great one (Clemente) play in Pittsburgh...what a cannon for an arm.
@@johnnypastrana6727 well said, you guys in Pittsburgh we're blessed to have him along with The Pirates Won the 1960 World Series from the Yankees. When Clement got back to Puerto Rico, my Dad and his buddies were so proud of him. I was 4 years old then. But I didn't realize it until later on when Clemente was playing in the 1971 WS. He was my favorite player, as a NY Yankees fan.
I AM A 67 YR. OLD WHITE MAN HE IS MY Hero forever -my favorite # is 24 - I carried his love and never Hated anyone -just like Him. I am an authority on Mays - every book, -everything since he was 8 yrs old - all the great, and good, and Bad. And I will cry when he dies, just because , he earned that from me.
90 YEARS IS INCREDIBLE! 90 down, a lifetime remaining. HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIE MAYS.
Rest in Peace Willie Mays. One of the greatest baseball players ever. You’ll never be forgotten! ❤
Greeny is class personified. This is an great video appreciating greatness.
Guy is a BS artist...puts a lot of icing on his cupcakes.
HBD Willie Mays... The 🐐, no question
To be fair, Aaron also served in military that split up his playing years too. Willie's putout total is truly jaw dropping. My favorite part of Willie's game was watching him defensively in centerfield. Lucky to have grown up in the Bay Area from 1958-68. Priceless memories. Thank you Willie.
He appeared to be moving toward where the ball would be before the hitter finished his swing. He had the greatest baseball instincts.
@@jamesryan4618 100% agree. Saw that too. Best jump on the ball on baseball ever.
Willie May's is the best
Willie Mays is Barry Bonds' godfather. We lost Hank but who many consider the 2nd greatest baseball player of all-time is still alive at age 90. Happy birthday, Willie Mays. Great name for a legendary athlete like Kobe or Trey Lance.
Willie is THE greatest all around baseball player ever.
what do you mean 2nd greatest player of all time willie was the best bar none yes the babe pitched and was great but willie mays was the ultimate five tool player babe wasn't by far the greates all around player is the say hey Kid
Babe Ruth ain't top 5. Dude is the Wilt Chamberlain of baseball.
@@Zack_410 Yeah, both still #1.
Willie’s father taught him how to play every position. Willie was a coach on the field. His father played factory ball. Willie grew up around the diamond. He’s the best five tool player ever and he had a sixth tool- entertainer. I saw Willie play at Candlestick Park. Game 7 of the 1962 World Series was the worst day in sports history for a Giants fan. Tommy LaSorda ranked Mays the best. Better than Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider and Joe DiMaggio.
Happy birthday to the say hey kid Willie mays 90 years young
22 extra inning home runs, at least one home run from inning 1 to inning 16. 2 MVP’s 10 years apart. 2 -50 home run seasons 11 years apart. 3 triples in one game. 4 home runs in one game. To me he is the greatest!
Unfortunately Willie played in Candlestick park, arguably the worst stadium
ever. Willie McCovey estimates Mays lost over 100 homers playing in that
fog encrusted dump
@@jamesryan4618 Totally agree about Candlestick...went to a game there in August of 1966...temps in the low 60s with high winds blowing in off the water. Tough park to play in for a power hitter.
@@johnnypastrana6727 I also heard that the air got very heavy at night.
Happy belated 92nd birthday to Willie!
My kids know who Willie Mays is and what he did because they heard me talk about him so many times. Even my grand kids have heard of Willie Mays!
Nothing beats being at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California on a beautiful day with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background. It's so relaxing. Both baseball and horse racing can be so relaxing because they're done outdoors.
It truly is a beautiful racetrack.
In 1971 I went to see the Giants play the Mets at Shea Stadium in New York. It was a nothing game at the end of the season. Neither team was in contention but the ballpark was packed. The Giants were taking batting practice. All of a sudden, one of the Giant's players stepped out of the dugout and waved his cap to the fans. The hometown crowd gave a standing ovation to the greatest player of his generation, Willie Mays.
Not arguably...he is the greatest ball player.
It's him, Ruth, Williams or Bonds. It's definitely arguable
@@treygray2817 Take Ruth out please
@@treygray2817The other two could not do all that Willie could do - Hit for average, hit for power, hit to all fields, hit doubles and triples as well as home runs, run the bases with great speed, rarely strike out, steal bases, throw like no one else (Ted Williams is quoted as saying that Willie May's had the greatest throwing arm that Ted had ever seen), play center field like no one else - Willie's 7000+ put out record is not even approached by any other player, play any position, and, make the greatest catch in history of Vic Wertz's 440 ft. drive to center field in the Polo grounds with his back to home plate - and throw to the infield to keep runners from advancing. Today's center field fences are typically only 410 ft.
I'm 75 years-old and Willie Mays in baseball, and Jim Brown in football are the two greatest players I've ever seen. Stats are very telling, but you had to see these two guys in real life to get any idea of how great they really were! Willie not only played center field, but covered part of LF and RF. LOL!!
Just thinking about baseball makes me miss the times I would play it as a kid. Or go to the batting cages on a hot summer day. Sip on some lemonade after. Baseball remains my first love. Fun to play. Relaxing to watch in person.
"Say hey Willie won't you hit one out here"
Mays is the best all around player to ever play the game hands down!!!
Willie May's is the Goat!
Willie Mays...the All Time Greatest Baseball Name Ever !!! Maybe Babe Ruth comes a close 2nd. Ted Williams said the All Star Game was an event 'specially created for Willie Mays'. Leo Durocher said Willie could do it all: hit for average and for power, field, run, throw, etc. and then he added: "if he knew how to cook I'd marry him !!!"
It amazes me how stupid the public schools have made some people!
@@researcher3981 Yeah, I know what you mean...
greatest ever
Baseball, boxing, and horse racing were the three most popular sports in the United States like 60-80 years ago. From the 1930s to 1950s, horse racing was it. Now it's all about the NFL and then NBA globally.
My 8yo son knows all of the old guys. Gibson, Ruth, Foxx, Cobb, Rose, Schmidt and Aaron are his favorites. But Mays is his #1.
His #1 item on his list to Santa is a Willie Mays signed baseball.
Henry Aaron once spoke of the comparison between himself & Willie. (consolidating & summarizing ) . "we both could do anything on the field & at bat at the highest level." The difference was if you saw me you could expect me to do it. If you saw Willie you may see him do something you never saw before or would see again. That was the carbonation & crackle of Willie Mays
2 giants of the game,none better Mr. Aaron is so gracious for a superstar which is why sports was loved so much more than rather than now, the players were likable compared to today's millionaires
Mays is my favorite MLB player - the GOAT!
Willie will actually turn 91 tomorrow but I just couldn’t contain myself.
Just based off GREENYS stats given, I would honestly say he is the greatest player of all time considering everything he had to deal with on and off the field.
Case closed! Also never a bad word said about him. He played clean and pure with raw talent!
Bonds was even better than Mays
Do I care whatsoever about steroids when literally half the league was doing it? Nope
@@ifbfmto9338 That doesn't make cheating right, ever! Mays could run and field better than Bonds
@@clydeb7713Except that it wasn’t cheating
MLB wasn’t testing for steroids at that time, MLB was awarding accolades onto dozens upon dozens of players that were clearly using steroids
So, no, Bonds didn’t ‘cheat’
Secondly…… was Mays a better defender than Bonds? Yeah, but Bonds was still a very good defender
Bonds was such an overwhelmingly better hitter than Mays, that it completely overshadows the defensive edge you’d have to give to Mays
@@ifbfmto9338 PEDs were banned since 1991. They WERE illegal, they just didn't test til 2003. For six years Bonds average went up and Home run production by ,50%! He added about 120 home runs extra over 6 years.
@@clydeb7713Irrelevant…… just because something was technically banned, doesn’t mean anything
It wasn’t enforced
By your logic we could ban probably most pitchers in the hall of fame, because they have technically violated ball handling regulations
Watch old movies and actors spoke very fast with a Transatlantic accent. There was usually a horse racing reference. Like in I Love Lucy, there was a Whirlaway reference and Johnny Longden was in an episode.
Willie Mays CLASS ACT N GREAT BALL PLAYER!!! 😊
How did at the moment, two people dislike this video?
Seriously, how petty do you have to be to hate on a legend during his birthday? Pathetic
Dodgers fans.
@@brentolsen5005 Indians fans
I feel like the dislike 👎🏾 button should be disabled Willie Mays is the greatest of all time
Willie Mays hit 3rd. Home run hitting Willie McCovey hit 4th. With all those stolen bases, Mays rejected stealing 2nd many times to keep the pitcher from walking McCovey.
good point
Amazing stats.
Sick starts. Absolutely love this.
People will debate this till the end of time. Never saw Micky Mantle, never saw Babe Ruth. But I did see willy mays along with a bunch of other hall of famers in the 60,s and I can honestly say he's the greatest player I ever saw and it wasn't even close. I thought baseball was a boring game until I saw what he could do on the field. He transcended the game itself.
I agree with you
You saw Willie but not Mickey? They played at the same time, same era.
@@johnniepalacios9381 So. what,s your point? unless he came to candlestick and I happen to see him I didn't pay much attention to him. Not like there were a lot of TV broadcast in those days.
I've been listening/watching all the all star games. The NL was getting destroyed by the AL until Stan Musial and Willie Mays came on the scene
I remember Mays and say him first back in 1967 at the stick when I was 8 and on a number of occasions after that before being traded to the Mets. Of course, he was past his prime, but still capable in the late 60's. What I remember most is waiting for autographs after the game near the players parking lot and Mays, who'd never stick around to sign, would jump in his Pink Cadillac and zip past. Of course at that time he was the star of stars in sports.
So I just asked my youngest daughter, soon to be 19, if she knows of Mays. Though she's not a big baseball fan, she knows who Mays is. I'm going to take credit for passing that down, so I've got that going for my legacy.
People say but Babe Ruth pitched! Mays never tried to pitch and with his cannon of an arm, Mays would destroy hitters in the Dead Ball Era of baseball.
My all-time All-Star outfield would be WILLIE MAYS ROBERTO CLEMENTE and RICKEY HENDERSON
Nice
(1) Mays, Clemente, and Aaron! (2) Griffey jr, Bonds, and Gwynn! All played with and against 'the best on the planet' their entire careers! FACT!
Mays, Clemente and Joe Dimaggio in left.
It is a great comparison for greatest of all-time, between Ruth and Mays.
Ruth was an incredible pitcher, with over 100 wins, and and ERA just over 2 for his career
When Ruth was hitting 60 HRs, no one else was hitting 25.
Barry Bonds is probably #3. (Knocking him down for PED use)
Ruth played in a all white league. Case closed
@@rldeuce8829 Whatever helps you sleep at night
@@InvestBetter. Thats facts. Ruth didn't play against the best talent in an integrated league. Plus he dominated a relatively weak era, he's the Wilt of baseball.
Ruth still has most of the longest measured home runs on record, and that includes Mantle, Howard, and the steroid boys.
Huge Mays fan. Greatest ever. Hands down. First true 5-tool player. Ruth, Cobb, Hornsby, Speaker, Wagner... none of these guys played against a person of color... so to call any of those guys the greatest not possible without a fair playing field. Mays all the way. And, a GREAT man to boot... at a difficult time in history to be a black athlete.
2007 All Star Game Willie Mays was honored by him throwing the ceremonial first pitch (from center field). TV (Fox) went to a commercial and we all missed it….a terrible insult I will never forget. You can watch on youtube now if you like. Not the same though. He was the Greatest Of All Time!
Happy birthday Willie. Glad to see a BM celebrated when he is "ALIVE STILL"
Mays is the greatest player in history. Period. Nobody could do all he did. Nobody.
Ruth is by far the best and way beyond a shadow of a doubt the most important baseball player if not the most important American athlete in US history. Had he kept pitching barring injury he would have won well over 300 games, that's what separates him from the pack.
But Willie was better, would have hit more HRs than Ruth or Aaron with those two seasons included. And his everyday defense over twenty years won more games than Ruth did as a pitcher, I'm pretty sure.
THEE GOAT
Mays played a lot of his career at Candlestick Park, where the wind from the bay knocked down a lot of home runs by right handed hitters. Tag on another 40-50 home runs if he played in another ballpark. As far as speed and power, Mays had the greatest career, but before he tore up his knee, Mickey Mantle was as fast as Mays, had more power and was a switch hitter. But if you look at all ot the markers for a position player: Speed, catch, throw, baserunning, power, batting average...Mays did it better for longer than anyone.
Mickey mantle lol
@@rldeuce8829 calm down buddy, mantle has a 510 on base on year
He’s at worst the second best player of the 50s, him and Mays are a toss up
Mantles offensive numbers are much better but had worse defense
And Aaron…. Was never even close to the best but people still mention him for some reason.
Mays home and away homer numbers are the same. Same with Aaron.
@@rldeuce8829 Before you LOL compare Mantle and Mays' world series stats...no comparison. Mantle was one of the greatest players in big games because he came up big.
Willie Mays is the GOAT
I’ve been preaching this for years. Imagine how many home runs he lost in the wind at Candlestick.
He also played 12 years at Candelstick park. One of if not the hardest parks to hit in period much less hit home runs. They figure Mays lost atleast 15 hr’s a year by playing there. So not only is he the greatest “all around “ player but all things being equal he would have also been the HR king.
Its not even a close second to Willie Mays in baseball history. The obvious greatest.
Rest In Peace Willie Mays
Mays the best
In one of my FB groups there was a poll for the best players since 1948. I commented Willie Mays was the best player since 1848
Goat
I might also get back into horse racing 🏇 as it's also a very relaxing sport. It's a year-round sport and 5 days a week. But I really only watch the Triple Crown races these days. I don't care about the Breeders' Cup like before.
Those are great stats. Mays has always been my favorite player but I only knew one of those. He truly is the greatest of all time and it does not seem to be close. It always irked me that Joe Dimaggio was referred to as the greatest living player up until his death. As great as Joe was he was no Willie Mays Another thing I would like to point out in regards to home runs is that Henry Aaron always played in ballparks that were friendly to hitters and it was the opposite for Willie. On top of everything else he may have been the greatest home run hitter of all time.
Willie Mays is the only player in MLB history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 average, 300 home runs, and 300 stolen bases.
Best all-around player--run, throw, hit, field, play various positions, and think. Aaron was a better hitter, not just for HRs but also for average, though Milwaukee County and Atlanta stadiums may have been friendlier to batters. Don't kid yourselves; Aaron was a good fielder and baserunner. He could do it "all," too, but he wasn't as spectacular as Mays and didn't have the arm.
In Mays' two seasons after the army, he hit 92 HRs, so we can assume that he would have hit at least 80 over '52-53.
I saw Mays and Aaron homer in the same game in the late 60s. The two flights of the ball were so typical of each: Mays' HR was a high fly that was almost blown back into play by that horrible wind at Candlestick, but it managed to drop dramatically over the left field fence, almost as if Mays, ever the showman, planned it that way. Aaron's was a long line drive that just kept going. It was like a golf ball off the tee, but in Aaron fashion, he hit the top of the ball a bit so that it bent back down after speeding over the left field fence.
Aaron hit .355 one season, whereas Mays' highest hitting pct. was .347. But Aaron never hit 50 or more HRs in a season, and Mays did it twice.
Mays, Aaron, and Clemente--now that's an outfield to dream of.
Loved Hammering Hank, but Willie was going to win you even more games with his glove, arm, legs, and bat, which he did.
hank was great very close to Willie and he had a very good arm in right field as well, early in his career in the Milwaukee days he was closer to a Clemente high average hitter rather than a prodigious home run hitter but that certainly changed what wrists bad Henry had all time great just like Willie
GOAT
Willie Mays did not received 100% induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. My question to the Baseball Writers' Association of America members who voted no, "On what planet is Willie Mays not good enough to be in the Hall of Fame? Really?"
What more did willie need to do in order to be unanimous legitimately the stupidity of the bbwaa is unfathomable truly
According to Ted Williams, Willie Mays had the greatest throwing arm Ted had ever seen.
Greatest hitter? No. Greatest base runner? Maybe. Best fielding outfielder? Yes. All combined? Without a doubt the best player ever. Happy 90th Willie!
RIGHT-WRONG-WRONG (hitter-no=RIGHT; baserunner-mabe=WRONG; best fielding-yes=WRONG
Greatest fielding outfielder...Roberto Clemente.
GOAT!
Totally agree
Willie vs. Babe is my consideration. Willie big edge on defense, of course. But Babe winning all 3 World Series games he started and only allowing 3 runs in 32 innings (including a 14 inning stint in his first) makes me favor Bambino. Could have had a HOF career as an outfielder or pitcher.
Mays played center field for 22 seasons so of course he would have a lot of putouts...Clemente leads all right fielders with 4,400...with the much better arm.
What was Mays' all time batting average in world series games? How many homers and rbis did he have in the world series? Great players come up big in big games do they not?
Willie Mays had a batting average of . 230 with 17 hits, 6 RBIs and 10 runs scored 0 home runs 2 stolen bases in 21 games in the World Series in his career.
No question that like Arod, he was a great regular season player. In world series play, not so much.
I saw him play at old Forbes Field and he loved facing some of those underachieving Pirate pitchers.
Interesting tidbit: Willie is the only player in MLB history to hit a home run in innings 1-16.
Hank played in a park" 315 down the line and 400 feet to center. Compare that with the Polo Grounds, the park Willie played in; 480 feet to center - and 379 feet down the lines! Willie had to hit the ball 80 feet farther than Hank. Hank played in a 'hitter's park' with only 315 down the lines and only 400 feet in center. Then, to make matters worse - in 1958, Willie moved to Candlestick park where who knows how many homers were returned by the wind through the left field opening (even closing up the wall did not help much). Finally, Willie missed two years of ball due to military service. He was a much, much better homerun hitter than Hank! Moreover, Hank was not the fielder nor baserunner in the same league with the great Willie Mays. Finally, Willie was the greatest baseball genius of all time; there has never been a smarter ballplayer.
Am I biased? Well, there has been a Giant fan in my family lineage for over 100 years! As an eight years old, I almost caught a grand slam ball that he hit (actually, being so small, I did not have a chance - but I thought I did!).
Common polo grounds left field and right aint even 300 feet furthermore theres only 5 defenders in the history of baseball that can go get a ball in center at polo grounds so allot of extra base hits. And i want to see his home and road splits because people keep talking about he had to play in candlestick and polo grounds.
Ted Williams. What's the best ball player? He served in both the second World War and the Korean war and the last one to hit 400
Greeny’s the best analyst on ESPN
Willie Mays was right up there with Ted williams
How about a little NYR talk with Gorton and JD being fired?
NO. Willie was GREAT, but Ruth, Gehrig and Williams were better. Also, a good argument for Mantle, Musial and Di Maggio can be made. If you took the best 12 years of Mantle and compared them to Willie’s best 12 you’d see that Mantle comes out ON TOP.
What a joke. None of the other players were half as good as Willie was in the field, nor could they run, and only Ruth had more HRs. Baseball is a game played at the plate and in the field. Please don't show us how little you know about baseball. I watched Mays, Mantle, and Musial play. None were close to Willie Mays. And I loved Mantle, but he should not enter the discussion, not the others either.
Babe ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time!!!
If Ken Griffey Jr. had not had the injuries he had, we might be talking about him as the GOAT instead of Mays.
🙏 🕊️ 👑 🕊️
Watch “SOUL OF THE GAME” it is on TH-cam
What was his ERA?
Ruth never had to play against black players.
Mount of Rushmore of baseball players willie mays HAS to be on there.
Babe Ruth
Willie Mays
Ted Williams
????
Could pick any of these : Mantle, Aaron, Gehrig, Henderson, Frank Robinson, Schmidt, Ripken, Joe Morgan, Johnny bench, pujols, Musial, Hornsby, Griffey, Trout!
Bonds / Rodriguez if no steroids
Roger Clemens , Greg maddux, randy Johnson, Pedro martinez, Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Walter Johnson, Warren Spahn, Mariano Rivera also options
Ty Cobb. Without a doubt!
@@gnielsen07 Sandy Koufax?
I'd argue that Gary Maddox was at least as good a defensive centre fielder as Willie.
So the nba fans like to discredit the bill Russell’s and wilt chamberlains because the league was “watered down” do baseball fans say the same of legends like Willie Mays?
Nobody better
Green that guy you talk to has know idea what he is talking about!!!!
Yeah
I thought I saw jay z for a second
Clemente was better!
Loved Roberto, but no he was not better than Willie. He was so gifted in the field with a laser arm, and he hit for average, too. But Willie hit 660 HRs and was as flawless in the field and batted over .300 for a twenty year career. Willie was better, but Roberto is my all-time right fielder. They are the only two outfielders with 12 Gold Gloves!
@@tom7471 Left field down the line was 365 feet in Forbes Field...ballooned out to 457 to the left of center...right center was 435 so no cheapies in that park. Clemente had the far better arm...no contest there...and Roberto came up big in world series games especially in 1971...Mays can't say that. Numbers don't lie, look his WS stats up.
"Defensive Outfielder"? Sounds like saying "Offensive Quarterback".
Naw Marcell Ozuna is a better Outfielder than Billy Hamilton but Billy Hamilton is a better fielder. Its just a position grouping.
29th comm err by
Mantle had more speed n power played bigger CF
Absolutely wrong.
@@tom7471 Mantle came up big in big games and it doesn't get any bigger than world series play...look it up if you doubt me.
@@tom7471Actually correct. Mantle was clocked at 2.9 seconds to first base. The fastest time ever for a player. Mantle hit one of the longest home runs ever. A greater distance than Mays ever hit. I watched a home run hitting contest between Mays and Mantle called Home Run Derby. It was from about 1961. Mantle won the contest. But clearly, Mays was the better all around player.
Played 2yrs too long
So did YM.
Richie Ashburn had more putouts than had Willie when both played in the 50's.
mays is overrated. he was good, but not the best player, ever. he also got to hit ahead of one of the best ever hitters.
Firs view and comment from Iran🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷
But does he know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. That is the question.
No, it's just your question. THE question is, "Were you dropped as a baby?"
@@gregshirley-jeffersonboule6258 Possibly, because my father liked to hit me and beat me and call me names all my life until I went into the navy and after that retired from the forestry fire service for 21 years. I served my country and my community. What did you do? live in your parents basement and get drunk and get welfare and food stamps? The worthless generation.... millennials.