Still a (Say Hey) Kid at 90, Willie Mays is honored by Giants and their fans.
Happy Birthday! Fans, celebrities help celebrate
Things happened quickly. As they always did when Willie Mays owned the baseball diamond.
The legendary ballplayer appeared in the front seat of a 1956 turquoise and white Oldsmobile convertible, which pulled out of the opening in the leftfield corner and made a lap around the Oracle Park field, Mays doffing his cap to elated fans wishing him a happy 90th birthday.
Then the Olds retreated through the opening, and the birthday kid retreated to his suite overlooking left field.
“He’s the summer wind,” said Danny Glover, Friday evening’s narrator, his voice bellowing throughout the stadium just before Mays made his first onfield appearance at 24 Willie Mays Plaza since 2019.
“His very essence is movement,” continued
Glover, the actor, director and San Francisco native whose words were accompanied by classic highlights shown on the centerfield scoreboard. “Running out from under his cap. Stealing bases. Chasing fly balls. The basket catch. His windmill of a swing. The most famous catch in baseball history.
“No player is better defined by how he did it than what he did than Willie Mays.”
After Glover’s tribute, PA announcer Renel BrooksMoon introduced the man of the hour and the man of all time, “The Hall of Famer … No. 24 … Mr. … Willie Mays.”
The roar of the crowd, still limited because of the coronavirus, greeted Mays, whose smile lit up Third and Mission, a sight welcomed by all who waited a long time to return to the ballpark, waited a long time to see their hero, making his first visit to Oracle since late in the 2019 season.
In his suite, Mays was jubilant. Back at his second home, where a statue of his likeness greets passersby, he was in his element and among friends, not just the 9,219 fans in attendance but those fortunate enough to hang with him in his suite.
On this night, that meant Barry Bonds, Glover and Keena Turner and many other pals who have stayed close over the years — Jeff Bleich, Malcolm Heinicke and Dan Sanchez and Giants officials Larry Baer and Mario Alioto, to name a few — especially during the pandemic when Willie needed to shelter in place, wasn’t able to attend
Giants games and appreciated the friendship.
Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church greeted Mays before the game, and Willie’s son, Michael; his godson, Phillip Saddler, and his beloved assistant and friend, Rene Anderson, rode in the backseat of the convertible during the pregame lap as a recording of The Treiners’ “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)” was played over the sound system.
Festivities moved upstairs, where Mays sat in one leather chair in the middle of the room and Glover sat in the other. Balloons, a cake and a huge “Say Hey 90 poster” were reminders of the special occasion.
Mays spoke of how appreciative he was of all the love and phone calls he received the past couple of days. Glover spoke of how he loved watching Mays play as far back as
Seals Stadium, inspiring his pregame narration.
Throughout the game, the scoreboard showed many videos of shoutouts to Willie including from Bonds, Vin Scully, George W. Bush, Steph Curry, Steve Young, Magic Johnson, Gavin Newsom, Wayne Gretzky, Snoop Dogg, Ronnie Lott, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Kerr, London Breed and Tom Brady (who actually received some boos).
After the third inning, BrooksMoon led a chorus of the Happy Birthday song, and Mays and Bonds, his godson, cut the cake. It was shown on the scoreboard, and fans cheered and cherished the moment and the presence of greatness.