Willie+Mays


 * Willie Mays

Quotations with Meaning: ||
 * "My father had always been a symbol of strength to me, strength and ability. I measured my own talent by his. But one day you grow up and you surpass your father" (Mays 22).

-This quote simply shows that just like most normal teenagers, Willie Mays modeled himself after his father. Whether in playing baseball or just life in general, Mays wanted to do everything like his father did. However, as in most cases, there is a time when a son will become greater in ability at most tasks than his father. Just like most, Willie Mays experienced this somewhat sad yet proud occurrence.

"This way, it wasn't the Yankees or Giants or White Sox getting beaten by Negro ball players, it was just some collection of white ball players" (Mays 34).

-Basically, people were worried about the reputation of white baseball players. This quote further shows that the Negro league players were very capable of playing against and beating white players. Also, further proved is the fact that people were not quite ready to believe that the black players were just as good and equal as the white players.

"I learned, for example, that you do things on a ball field that your instincts and your upbringing wouldn't let you do anyplace else" (Mays 41).

-Willie Mays was a quick learner and somebody who did things based on his gut feeling. The quote here simply shows that the baseball field is unlike any other place in the world. On the field, one is to make decisions, like Mays, based on what they feel is right. Even though going by one's instincts typically is not condoned in most places, the ball field is where instincts take total control over the game. Overall, second guessing was something Wille Mays learned to disregard.

"No one knew that I would have played baseball for nothing just for the chance to be in the big leagues" (Mays 47).

- Not only was Willie Mays a fantastic baseball player, he was also one of the most generous players in the game. He was the type of person that only wanted to play ever since he was young. No matter what, and for no matter what amount of money, he just wanted to play because he loved the sport for what it was. Unlike the majority of players today, the money was not the moast important thing to him.

"There were times when he'd eat with me in the kitchen of a restauraunt, either in Hagerstown or Wilmington, so I wouldn't be alone. Those were moments I still treasure" (Mays 50).

-Chick Genovese was a very special person to Willie Mays not only as a manager, but also as a caring person. Especially when the times were toughest for Mays, when he could not eat or stay with the team, his manager actually cared and made an attempt to help Mays. Even though he did something as little as eating with Mays when he was alone, they were still moments in Mays' life that made him believe Chick was just as significant as anyone in Mays' life.

"I was learning, though, not to pay any attention to everything I heard" (Mays 74).

-This quote simply is important because of the fact that Willie Mays did not need to reply or stand up against any hateful or jeering comments. Most young players would be offended and try to defend themselves, but Mays was different in that he was more mature. Instead of using words to reply, he eventually let his playing do the talking for him. ||

media type="youtube" key="gUK9lG-7HTc" height="344" width="425" || Say Hey || ||
 * Willie Mays
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Summary:

Willie Mays was born on May 6 in the year 1931 in Westfield, Alabama. He started to play baseball professionally at 17 with the Negro League Birmingham Black Barons. He then was picked up by the New York Giants in the year 1950. Willie Mays became a part of the army in 1952-1953. Throughout Willie Mays' wonderful career, he won the Rookie of the Year, was the MVP and his team played for the World Series multiple times. Finally, he became a member of the Hall of Fame in 1979 to cap off his fantastic career. ( Russell,1727-1728) ||  ||   || Concluding Paragraph:

Segregation, especially in baseball was pointless. The black could play just as well, if not better, than the white players. To many white people it was a shock to see black players playing on the same field as white players, But to see the them actually play just as well or better than the white players was something many could not take. Also, I learned that even though segregation was a dark time in baseball, and in general, it showed us the equality that every man and woman in the world deserves. For the people who were treated less than equal, segregation, especially in baseball, was just something that would motivate them more to do even better and show up the people who thought lesser of them.

Works Cited: "may0-046.jpg" 29 Oct. 2009, web. [].

Mays, Willie. //Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays//. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. Print.

Russell, Thaddeus. “Willie Howard Mays//.” Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History.// Ed. Jack Salzman, David Lionel Smith, Cornel West. Vol. 3. New York: MacMillan Library Reference USA, 1996. 1727-28. Print.

"Willie Mays Famous Catch" 29 Oct. 2009, web. <[]>.