The Greatest has passed- Willie Mays at 93

[Panama pfRedd]

If he's not the greatest baseball player ever, he's in the top-3. God broke the mold after making Willie Mays. A sad day and the end of an era.

[Buckeye Dale]

RIP Say Hey...

[oujour76]

Jun 18, 2024 21:35:02 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

If he's not the greatest baseball player ever, he's in the top-3. God broke the mold after making Willie Mays. A sad day and the end of an era.

Yes, he was a special player. RIP

[daleko]

Jun 18, 2024 21:35:02 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

If he's not the greatest baseball player ever, he's in the top-3. God broke the mold after making Willie Mays. A sad day and the end of an era.

Agree he was special.

[Panama pfRedd]

Jun 19, 2024 14:04:55 GMT -5 daleko said:

Jun 18, 2024 21:35:02 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

If he's not the greatest baseball player ever, he's in the top-3. God broke the mold after making Willie Mays. A sad day and the end of an era.

Agree he was special.

As I've said many a time, if he didn't play all those years at Candlestick with the constant prevailing west winds he would've easily broken Babe's and Henry's HR tally.

[oujour76]

Jun 19, 2024 14:20:33 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

Jun 19, 2024 14:04:55 GMT -5 daleko said:

Agree he was special.

As I've said many a time, if he didn't play all those years at Candlestick with the constant prevailing west winds he would've easily broken Babe's and Henry's HR tally.

Certainly with Aaron. For Ruth, and others, also have to take times AB into consideration. If Ruth had as many AB’s as Willie, his HR total would be over 900.

[daleko]

Jun 19, 2024 14:20:33 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

Jun 19, 2024 14:04:55 GMT -5 daleko said:

Agree he was special.

As I've said many a time, if he didn't play all those years at Candlestick with the constant prevailing west winds he would've easily broken Babe's and Henry's HR tally.

And Josh Gibson would have topped both had he been permitted to play.

[Walter]

Jun 19, 2024 16:44:41 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Jun 19, 2024 14:20:33 GMT -5 Panama pfRedd said:

As I've said many a time, if he didn't play all those years at Candlestick with the constant prevailing west winds he would've easily broken Babe's and Henry's HR tally.

Certainly with Aaron. For Ruth, and others, also have to take times AB into consideration. If Ruth had as many AB’s as Willie, his HR total would be over 900.

Then again, Ruth had that short porch...Put him in the Polo Grounds and then Candlestick for a career with the same number of at bats as Mays, and let's see what happens.
Vin Scully called Mays the greatest player he'd ever seen play the game.

That's 67 years talking.
I'll roll with that.

[oujour76]

Jun 20, 2024 12:57:02 GMT -5 Walter said:

Jun 19, 2024 16:44:41 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Certainly with Aaron. For Ruth, and others, also have to take times AB into consideration. If Ruth had as many AB’s as Willie, his HR total would be over 900.

Then again, Ruth had that short porch...Put him in the Polo Grounds and then Candlestick for a career with the same number of at bats as Mays, and let's see what happens.
Vin Scully called Mays the greatest player he'd ever seen play the game.

That's 67 years talking.
I'll roll with that.

Polo Grounds had 2 short porches, FWIW. Center field was a long way, down the lines, not so much. Left field was 280’ and right field was 260’. Remember hearing about Bobby Thompson’s HR that won the pennant for the Giants in 1951? Went about 300 feet.

[Walter]

Jun 20, 2024 14:12:12 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Jun 20, 2024 12:57:02 GMT -5 Walter said:

Then again, Ruth had that short porch...Put him in the Polo Grounds and then Candlestick for a career with the same number of at bats as Mays, and let's see what happens.
Vin Scully called Mays the greatest player he'd ever seen play the game.

That's 67 years talking.
I'll roll with that.

Polo Grounds had 2 short porches, FWIW. Center field was a long way, down the lines, not so much. Left field was 280’ and right field was 260’. Remember hearing about Bobby Thompson’s HR that won the pennant for the Giants in 1951? Went about 300 feet.

260!!!
Did they at least have a screen like the LA Coliseum or a Boston green wall-like thing?

[oujour76]

Jun 20, 2024 17:38:31 GMT -5 Walter said:

Jun 20, 2024 14:12:12 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Polo Grounds had 2 short porches, FWIW. Center field was a long way, down the lines, not so much. Left field was 280’ and right field was 260’. Remember hearing about Bobby Thompson’s HR that won the pennant for the Giants in 1951? Went about 300 feet.

260!!!
Did they at least have a screen like the LA Coliseum or a Boston green wall-like thing?

Nope. In fact, there was an upper deck in left that jutted out about 20 feet, over the field. Made home runs even shorter.

[Walter]

Jun 20, 2024 18:54:56 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Jun 20, 2024 17:38:31 GMT -5 Walter said:

260!!!
Did they at least have a screen like the LA Coliseum or a Boston green wall-like thing?

Nope. In fact, there was an upper deck in left that jutted out about 20 feet, over the field. Made home runs even shorter.

Holy crap...
Okay, that made me look it up.
Check out this pic of the left field line.
Unbelievable...It shows the second level over the in-play portion of the field.

Also, those seats in the foreground were 440+ feet from home plate.





In looking at the pic, I think the 279 in left and 260 in right was to the edge of the second level, not the ground level, which is inconceivably weird..

[oujour76]

Jun 20, 2024 19:50:31 GMT -5 Walter said:

Jun 20, 2024 18:54:56 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Nope. In fact, there was an upper deck in left that jutted out about 20 feet, over the field. Made home runs even shorter.

Holy crap...
Okay, that made me look it up.
Check out this pic of the left field line.
Unbelievable...It shows the second level over the in-play portion of the field.

Also, those seats in the foreground were 440+ feet from home plate.





In looking at the pic, I think the 279 in left and 260 in right was to the edge of the second level, not the ground level, which is inconceivably weird..

Very weird layout. The area between the bleachers is the clubhouse and locker rooms.

[Walter]

Poor Vic Wertz hit a 421 foot bomb that was...F8...

[oujour76]

Jun 21, 2024 7:31:52 GMT -5 Walter said:

Poor Vic Wertz hit a 421 foot bomb that was...F8...

Pretty sure only 3 players in MLB hit a HR to that spot in the Polo Grounds….Joe Adcock, Hank Aaron and Lou Brock. And, in those odd baseball stats, Brock and Aaron did it on consecutive days in 1962.

Loved Willie Mays, one of the best ever. Another odd stat and a trivia question…..how many HR’s did Willie hit in World Series play?

FTR, he played in 4….1951, 1954, 1962 and 1973 with 74 total AB’s.

Surprisingly, the answer is zero.