Sey Hey Willie Mays vs. his god son Barry Bonds

[STARGAZER 12]

Who u dig?

[joekicker 53]

I never thought Barry was an actual god.

 

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[brotherbuzz 3,206]

Well. before this gets moved, I'll opine that Willie was a far better all-around player.

[STARGAZER 12]

Well. before this gets moved, I'll opine that Willie was a far better all-around player.

 

Let us not forget Say Hey missed two of his prime seasons, 1952 and 53 to military service. His first year back in 1954 he hit 41 jacks and led the League in hitting at .345, won the MVP and led the NY Giants to a 4 game sweep of the World Series over Cleavland. It was in that Series he made the most famous defensive play ever, leaving an image that will forever be etched in the annals of baseball history!

 

 

 

One can only wonder, if he was allowed to play in 1952 and 1953 how many all time records would he be holding???Give him those two years back and he very well might of ended up and still be the all time HR King!

[VicVegas 70]

Both great hitters. Mays was faster and a better fielder. Who knows how much the roids helped Barry, but they have definitely tainted his image. Willie gets my vote.

[joekicker 53]

One can only wonder, if he was allowed to play in 1952 and 1953 how many all time records would he be holding???

 

Yeah, that's why Ted Williams never did too much either. And that Elvis Presley guy, the army really cut into his records (pun intended).

 

Also that unpatriotic draft-dodging Pepsi Rocket Richard never would have scored 50 if Bill Juzda hadn't gone in the RCAF.

 

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[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Let us not forget Say Hey missed two of his prime seasons, 1952 and 53 to military service. His first year back in 1954 he hit 41 jacks and led the League in hitting at .345, won the MVP and led the NY Giants to a 4 game sweep of the World Series over Cleavland. It was in that Series he made the most famous defensive play ever, leaving an image that will forever be etched in the annals of baseball history!

 

 

 

One can only wonder, if he was allowed to play in 1952 and 1953 how many all time records would he be holding???Give him those two years back and he very well might of ended up and still be the all time HR King!

No, don't make him play in Candlestick Park where pulling the ball into the teeth of the wind robbed a player of his power. Mays altered his stroke at the plate to a right centerfield, opposite filed approach. I was there for number 600 - right center. By 3 PM in the afternoon and into the night the wind howls at Candlestick Point in the summer. To right field. 30 to 40 mph virtually every day.

 

If Mays played in the parks Aaron played in, even with the two years in the military, he would have had more homeruns than Aaron.

 

He was a true 5 tool player too (hit for average, hit for power, run the bases and steal bases i.e. speed, catch the ball and throw the ball). I have seen individual players who could do one of those 5 things better but I have never seen in over 50 years anyone who could approach him in all of them.

 

BTW, Mays will also tell you that he made much greater catches than the one in the 1954 World Series. He will also tell you that what made the play good was the throw back to the infield to hold runners from advancing.

[joekicker 53]

He was a true 5 tool player too (hit for average, hit for power, run the bases and steal bases i.e. speed, catch the ball and throw the ball). I have seen individual players who could do one of those 5 things better but I have never seen in over 50 years anyone who could approach him in all of them.

 

Agreed in spades. The problem with SAYING it like that is it makes him sound like a "jack of all trades" and fact was he WAS a master of them.

 

BTW, Mays will also tell you that he made much greater catches than the one in the 1954 World Series. He will also tell you that what made the play good was the throw back to the infield to hold runners from advancing.

 

That Cleveland catch itself was flashy, the hat falling off and all - plus in a World Series. It made good film-at-11 action. In many ways, it was actually fairly routine, a catch that a lot of people would make. If anything Mays made it look harder than it really was for a good outfielder - many say he made the hat fly off for the theatre of it. I'd believe that because I believe he could make a very good play look routine and also ham it up at the same time.

 

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