Classic Baseball Card

I could not resist this offer that I found online.  A card featuring all time greats Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.  Two of the reasons that I fell in love with Baseball as a kid.

Two Living Legends

s

 I'm happy these two icons of baseball in the 1960s (and 1950s) are still with us.  Both Willie Mays from the Giants and Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers.

Both started on New York teams that moved to California in the late 50s.  Koufax had just retired when I started following baseball, but was a commentator on the NBC game of the week.  I learned of Mays through an article in the Scout magazine Boys Life.  Since Seattle did not have a team at the time, I adopted the San Francisco Giants as my favorite baseball club.

This picture was posted in the Sandy Koufax fan group on Facebook. 

Griffey's Number 24 Retired In Safeco Ceremony

 

Ken Griffey Jr's became the first Seattle Mariner to have his number retired as of last night.  Griffey, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame a few weeks ago was in Seattle this weekend for the ceremony.   Not only were Griffey's former teammates on hand, but baseball legend Hank Aaron spoke on the big screen. Aaron's appearance  built the anticipation that another baseball great the wore the number 24,  would appear.  MC Rick Rizzs  introduced various number 24s until Willie Mays, appeared on the big screen with his taped greetings. Then the above plaque was unveiled.  It is next to Jackie Robinson, whose number is retired throughout baseball. I found it ironic that Griffey's number is the reverse of Robinson's.
  Thank you to Root Sports, who carried the ceremony on TV before the Mariner's game with the Angels.  The M's wound up sweeping the Halo's in the weekend series.

Happy Birthday To Willie Mays

Former Centerfielder Willie Mays, my first sports hero turns 77 today. While playing with the New York Baseball Giants in the 1950s, Mays was part of a legendary triumvirate of Center fielders in New York that included Mickey Mantle of the Yankees and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers and Giants of course moved to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively in 1958. Mays of course, played for the San Francisco Giants until the early 1970s when he was traded to the New York Mets. After reading about Mays in a magazine article in 1967, I suddenly became a big baseball fan.

We Salute Jackie Robinson

Many baseball players wore number 42 today to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking into Major League baseball. Robinson became the first African American to play in the bigs. His struggles are well documented. Robinson's persistence paved the way for some of my old favorite players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Lou Brock. It was the charisma and talent of these players that drew my interest in the sport.