Baseball Great & Legend Willie Mays Has Passed Away at 93

Willie was noted for starting the term "basket catch." I think he caught a fly ball hit by Vic Wertz and caught the fly ball using his glove as a basket and the announcer termed it as being a "basket catch."
 
You did great Willie, we all Love You Man! RIP. :cry:

Feel like a piece of my being has left. Saw Willie's photo in a local news site recent picture of him out at some event near the Giants park. I played endless baseball as a kid in the Sacramento area, most schools of which in that era of much open inexpensive land, had large athletic and baseball fields. Mays was a major part of my baseball rabid young life growing up though as a Los Angeles native, was a Dodger fan. But did like and were familiar with all the Giant players of that era.
 
David777 said:
You did great Willie, we all Love You Man! RIP. :cry:

Feel like a piece of my being has left. Saw Willie's photo in a local news site recent picture of him out at some event near the Giants park. I played endless baseball as a kid in the Sacramento area, most schools of which in that era of much open inexpensive land, had large athletic and baseball fields. Mays was a major part of my baseball rabid young life growing up though as a Los Angeles native, was a Dodger fan. But did like and were familiar with all the Giant players of that era.
Click to expand...
Me too! And while I was in Little League, I always tried out for the team called the Giants first. Also, I still have a little stack of his baseball cards from the 50s and 60s. A few are Hubba-Bubba Bubblegum trading cards.
 
Murrmurr said:
I'm pretty sure Rabbit Maranville was the first, and then Willie Mays, who used it a lot. It's AKA the kangaroo catch.
Click to expand...
oldman said:
Willie was noted for starting the term "basket catch." I think he caught a fly ball hit by Vic Wertz and caught the fly ball using his glove as a basket and the announcer termed it as being a "basket catch."
Click to expand...
I think Willie's catch of Vic Wertz's ball hit to deep centerfield was the first over the shoulder catch. It became known as "the catch."
 
oldman said:
Not sure who Maranville is. Was he a regular full time player?
Click to expand...
His real name is James, I think, and he was known as "the clown of baseball". From the 19-teens, he went from shortstop and second baseman to manager for the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Robins, and St. Louis Cardinals. He went on a vaudeville tour at some point, reenacting highlights of his career, but he slipped off the stage during one performance and broke his leg. He retired from baseball in the 1930s.
 
I was lucky enough to see some of the really great players play the game of baseball, including the "Say Hey Kid." I also saw Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Richie Ashburn and a whole lot more. My favorite "old-timer" was Mickey Mantle. Very quiet around people, but when he spoke to us, he was funny as all get out.

Baseball is still my favorite game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top