Customer Reviews (2)

A NICE READ
THIS IS THE STORY OF WILLIE MAYS BASEBALL GREAT. IN HIS OWN WORDS, WILLIE DESCRIBES HIS CAREER IN BASEBALL WITH THE GIANTS AND HIS RETURN TO THE METS IN THE EARLY 1970'S. HE DOES A NICE JOB TELLING OF THE 1951 PENNANT RACE, THE CATCH DURING THE 1954 WORLD SERIES AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH VARIOUS MANAGERS. HE TOUCHES MOSTLY ON LEO DUROCHER, ALVIN DARK AND HERMAN FRANKS. WILLIE KEEPS HIS PERSONAL LIFE TO MINIMUM. HE HAS HAD A DIVORCE, FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, WHICH SHOWS THAT HE IS AS HUMAN AS ALL OF US. TO ME HE WAS THE GREATEST ALL AROUND PLAYER I HAVE EVER SEEN. WILLIE IS A LIKEABLE GUY AND I ENJOYED THIS BOOK VERY MUCH. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS WILLIE SAYS SAY HEY.

I remember the clouds...
"My Life In and Out of Baseball" was written in 1966 or thereabouts - while Willie was still active.

For the most part, the tone rings honestly, and so I do believe that Willie played an active role in the writing of his autobiography with Charles Einstein - which can't be said for all athlete biographies, of course.

This was written before Jim Bouton's "Ball Four", when it first became customary for ballplayer autobiographies to compete with each other by showing as much of the game's dirty linen as possible.So there are no sensational revelations here.

But this is a good snapshot of the era in which Willie played, as he experienced it at the time.

A very lyrical phrase which begins "I remember the clouds" opens the first chapter of this book which takes place in the 9th inning of the New York Giants' deciding 1951 playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In this inning, responding to a heartfelt plea from manager Leo Durocher, the Giants would cap a season marked by a miraculous comeback from 13 1/2 games out and stage an incredible 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning to steal the pennant from Brooklyn - capped off, of course, by Bobby Thomson's famous 3-run homer, hit while Willie, a 20 year old rookie in 1951, was nervously waiting his turn in the on-deck circle.

When the book shifts to the last game of the 1962 playoffs between the Giants and Dodgers (both since transplanted to the West Coast), Willie or Einstein or both cleverly start that chapter with the same lyrical phrase that begins with, "I remember the clouds..."

The Giants, of course, are about to repeat history by staging another last-ditch comeback to win, though it will be with less melodrama than that which took place in 1951, and in view of this, the authors recite where some of the participants from 1951 are on this occasion in 1962.

"Durocher?" Willie asks rhetorically."He was in the Dodger dugout as a coach.But I knew he remembered.I knew he remembered."Yes, one expects that Durocher must have remembered; must have awaited the start of the 9th inning with trepidation; and must have been the least surprised man on the field or in the dugout at the outcome.

On this occasion, of course, Willie is not a mere spectator, but on this occasion, eleven years later, he's no longer a nervous rookie but an established star who wants to be up there with the game on the line, and his single off of Ed Roebuck's leg fanned the flames of the rally.

For the most part, it's over the head of the Giants organization that the clouds have hung, but one must be grateful to Mays and Einstein for portraying - and in such poetic fashion - two occasions where the clouds hung over the heads of their opponents instead.

Say Hey! ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Hoyt Wilhelm, Willie Mays, Carl Yastrzemski, Jimmy Collins, Moe Berg, Rube Waddell, Zack Wheat, Jack Glasscock, Ralph Branca, Bob Caruthers, Red Faber, Davy Jones, Earl Wilson, Hobe Ferris, Van Lingle Mungo, Stu Miller, Kirby Higbe, Long Tom Hughes, Bill Monbouquette, Dick Radatz, Jesse Tannehill, Earl Hamilton, Pat Malone, Marv Grissom, Mac Macarthur, Walt Wilmot, Johnny Rawlings, Al Worthington, Frank Kitson, Bobby Hofman, Pete Donohue, Watty Clark, George Mogridge, Billy Maloney, Eddie Ainsmith, Cy Buker, Sam Leever, Denny Galehouse, Charlie Cady, Rube Benton, Ollie Pickering, Elmer Smith, Bruce Caldwell, Johnny Butler, Sam Bohne, Podge Weihe, Sandy Burk. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 191. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: William Howard "Willie" Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931) is a retired American baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Many consider him to be the greatest all-around player of all time. Mays won two MVP awards and tied a record with 24 appearances in the All-Star Game. He ended his career with 660 career home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. In 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mays is the only Major League player to have hit a home run in every inning from the 1st through the 16th. He finished his career with a record 22 extra-inning home runs. Mays is one of five NL players to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=62512 ... Read more

Product Description
8.5" x 11"; "Jim Crow" Is No More ... Read more

Product Description
Booklet with step-by-step photographs of Mays demonstrating his fielding style. Accompanied by an audio record featuring Mays. ... Read more

Product Description
A well-known player gives suggestions for improving playing ability in the various positions of baseball. ... Read more

Product Description
Each player takes his "turn at bat". Separate chapters by each player on his specialty. Illustrated with B&W photographs. Jim Bunning on Conditioning. Whitey Ford's Fundamental Rules for Pitching. Mickey Mantle on the Basic Swing. Willie Mays on Aggressiveness. ... Read more

Product Description
Authorized by Willie Mays, the definitive biography of one of the greatest baseball players of all time.Amazon.com Review
Authorized by Willie Mays and written by a New York Times bestselling author, this is the definitive biography of one of baseball's immortals.

Considered to be "as monumental--and enigmatic--a legend as American sport has ever seen" (Sports Illustrated), Willie Mays is arguably the greatest player in baseball history, still revered for the passion he brought to the game. He began as a teenager in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball's bold expansion to California. With 3,283 hits, 660 home runs, and 338 stolen bases, he was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that enraptured fans for more than two decades. Now, in the first biography authorized by and written with the cooperation of Willie Mays, James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player.

Willie is perhaps best known for "The Catch"--his breathtaking over-the-shoulder grab in the 1954 World Series. But he was a transcendent figure who received standing ovations in enemy stadiums and who, during the turbulent civil rights era, urged understanding and reconciliation. More than his records, his legacy is defined by the pure joy that he brought to fans and the loving memories that have been passed to future generations so they might know the magic and beauty of the game. With meticulous research, and drawing on interviews with Mays himself as well as with close friends, family, and teammates, Hirsch presents a complex portrait of one of America's most significant cultural icons.

A Conversation with Author James Hirsch

Q: As a baseball fan, what were your impressions of Willie Mays before you first approached him regarding a book?

A: I never actually saw him play, but I grew up in St. Louis, and Cardinal announcer Jack Buck used to describe Mays as "the greatest player I ever saw" and speak of him with such reverence that the name itself was pure magic. Over the years, I read some stories about him and saw some video clips, and my impression was of a player who had mastered all parts of the game. As it happened, that impression didn't change. In considering who the greatest player of all time was, I conclude that Babe Ruth was baseball's most dominant player while Willie Mays was its greatest master.

Q: The biography includes a rich description and analysis of “The Catch”--the play in the 1954 World Series for which Willie Mays is perhaps best known.What were your sources for this passage?How much time did you spend researching and crafting it?Was it more, or less, difficult to write than any other given passage in the book?

A: Willie himself has discussed "The Catch" many times over the years, including in the locker room immediately after the game. The key, for me, was to capture not just his athletic skill but the true artistry of the moment. I found an interview that Willie gave in the 1990s in which he walked through the mental calculations he made while running toward the centerfield fence, trying to determine how he was going to throw the ball before the runner on second could tag up and score.It was Willie's most scientific, but also his most elegant, account of the play.

Beyond filling in the gaps with Willie in person, I interviewed as many people I could find who saw the play, including players (Alvin Dark, Monte Irvin, Al Rosen) and sportswriters (Roger Kahn, Robert Creamer), and I culled the many descriptions of it that have been recorded, including from the hitter Vic Wertz and the second base umpire, Jocko Conlan. All told, I had about 35 eyewitness accounts. Given the wealth of information--Arnold Hano wrote an entire book about "The Catch"--the biggest challenge was finding some fresh angles.

It was often said that "The Catch" was Willie's signature play. But it was more than that. It established the Willie Mays brand name--to this day, you can go to any ball field, watch a kid make a catch over his shoulder, and someone will scream, "Willie Mays!" I don't believe there is anything comparable with any athlete in any sport. What's also important is that "The Catch" now lives in the film footage that is played over and over on TV or on computers. The film is in black-and-white, but the following year, the World Series was filmed in color. Symbolically, we passed into the modern era--and indeed, Willie played most of his career in what we would consider the modern era, defined in part by the relocation of teams, World Series night games, and the widening financial divide between players and their fans. Yet Willie's defining moment placed him in that earlier era--the black-and-white television age, if you will--when players were more integrated into their communities, World Series games started in the afternoon, and owners didn't betray fans. Willie Mays, through the constant showing of "The Catch," has become our touchstone to that bygone era.

Q:How would you sum up Mays’s legacy, both within the game of baseball and outside of it?

A:That was the single most important question I wanted to answer, and I discovered it when I went to speak to my son's second-grade class. After talking to the students about how to write stories, I asked how many of them had heard of Willie Mays. I was shocked by how many hands went up--most of the boys, and some of the girls. I asked how they knew about Willie. Some had seen "The Catch" on ESPN, but many told me that their fathers, or their grandfathers, or their uncles had told them about "the great Willie Mays." The kids didn't really know anything about Willie, except that he represented this platonic ideal of baseball perfection. It was then that I realized Willie's legacy is not his numbers, his records, or the games he helped win. It is the pure joy that he brought to those fans who watched him and the loving memories that have been passed to future generations so they might know the magic and beauty of the game.

Q:Why do you think Willie Mays finally agreed to be interviewed extensively for a biography?

A:Timing was part of the reason. Willie was 77 when I first met him, and I believe he was ready to reflect on the totality of his life and encourage those around him to do so well. I was a complete stranger to Willie, but I now believe that helped me. Willie is extraordinarily proud of his life--quite mindful of that trajectory, from a poor, Depression-era black kid from the Deep South to someone who now rides on Air Force One with the president. While I asked Willie to do something that he really doesn't enjoy--talk about himself--I believe that he wanted an outsider to independently validate his accomplishments as well as disappointments.

Q:What was your most unexpected discovery while researching and writing Willie Mays?

A:Willie made baseball look so easy that most people assumed he just took the field and breezed through the season.Henry Aaron told me that some of the black players, who had to work extra hard just to keep their spots on the roster, resented Willie because he made baseball look so effortless. The fact is, even Willie's peers had no appreciation of his sacrifices, both physical and emotional. Those sacrifices caused Willie to be hospitalized on several occasions during his career--he was simply too tired to compete, and the pressure of being Willie Mays was at times too great even for Willie Mays. That was a surprise, but the revelation also made Willie a more human and sympathetic figure.

Look Inside Willie Mays (Photos Courtesy of Willie Mays)
Click on each image below to see a larger view

Mays met President Obama before his candidacy for the White House, and fulfilled one of his dreams by accompanying the President on Air Force one to attend the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Willie (bottom row, fourth from the left) was only fifteen when he played briefly for the Chattanooga Choo Choos.

Beyond baseball, Mays wants his legacy to be his Say Hey Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting organizations for children.

Mae Allen Mays set aside her career as a social worker to be Willie's life partner and soul mate.

Mays's long history of helping children reflects his belief that kids, unlike adults, will always appreciate your efforts and will never betray you.

Customer Reviews (80)

Long But Interesting Read
Willie Mays had a long and record setting career. His life and his presence on the ball field are complex and involved. Happily, James S. Hirsch has been able to capture this in his book, "Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend."

Writing about a legend is no small task--as the 640 pages of this book bears out. In fact, reading about a legend can be equally consuming. Much like, Stephen E. Ambrose's "Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869", this is a well researched and engaging book. However, also like Ambrose's book, this is not a book that you can casually pick up and read over a weekend. You have to devote time and energy into following the picture of Willie Mays that Hirsch weaves throughout the pages of this book. But I can assure you that, if you are interested in baseball and have followed the unique career of Willie Mays, this book will not disappoint. So go ahead and dig in. It's a long journey to the last page, but a totally enjoyable one filled with fascinating insights about one of baseball's premier players.

The movie would be so much better...
When I received this hefty tome I have to say I was impressed by just how many pages had been written on one of the greatest baseball players I've heard talked about, but as I tried to read through the book I started coming to the conclusion that much like movies that have had scenes cut for time, this book could probably use more editing to give it a tighter focus and more brevity.

There's nothing wrong with giving multiple examples in support of a point, but after a while readers, like viewers of TV shows or movies, get bored with seeing the same thing written just slightly differently.(See for a fine example of this, a film that I do like, but most others look at and call a bloated film that is far too repetitive: Jackie Brown (Two-Disc Collector's Edition))If a film, book, TV show episode, whatever doesn't stay focused it loses its audience and then will struggle to get them back.That struggle is part of why it's taken me so long to write a review of this book.I want to heap praise on it, but yet I can't quite do that.It is a very thorough book, the definitive book on Willie Mays certainly, but it isn't a great book.More editing and a sharper and more condensed focus would have helped for sure.

If you'd like to learn more about Willie Mays then by all means read this book, but if you'd like to do it without possibly boring yourself or being overwhelmed by the volume of material here then you may have to hold out hope someone takes this book and uses it as the basis of a biopic.(Something along the lines of what we got with the great biopic Ray (Widescreen Edition) or another similar film, Walk the Line.Heck, if you want to stay in the sports genre, then try something like the very fine film, The Express)Willie Mays certainly deserves such treatment, and I'd like to think an entertaining film could come of something like this biography, but perhaps Mays' life story isn't as appealing to a broad audience as I assume he would be.

Willie Mays
well written, enjoyable biography. Easy to read, entertaining ,well resourced. A must read for Baseball fans.
The book arrived on time and was in good condition.

Adds Depth to a Familiar Picture
I know Mays's numbers pretty well, so Hirsch's point that you couldn't really appreciate Mays by his numbers alone spoke to me and I did learn quite a bit from the book.

-- The Arm: Hirsch emphasizes Mays's great arm and his many spectacular assists and double-plays from the outfield.I was surprised that I hadn't heard more about that before: I had assumed that the Golden Gloves were for catches.Throwing is also something that the most commonly cited statistics don't reflect.

-- Hard Work: Mays's having to fight through slumps and periods of serious exhaustion was admirable.

-- Positioning: Mays's hard work on positioning in the outfield was an eye-opener.

-- Shyness: Hirsch portrays Mays as sticking to baseball to the exclusion of practically everything else and being modest and reticent about most other things in life.

-- Team Player: Mays's outstanding role in supporting or guiding his team-mates was new and interesting to me.

-- Family Background: Hirsch seems to treat Mays's family background with revealing objectivity, making it interesting without romanticizing anything.

One comment kept popping to mind at various times as I was reading: in the frequent comparisons with other all-time great players, Honus Wagner's name never comes up.Wagner is no secret: he was the National League's best hitter for average and for power, best baserunner, and at shortstop best defensive player for a long era.He played with championship teams and I have never heard that he was hard to deal with (unless you were trying to beat the Pirates).As Hirsch notes, Wagner was a charter member of the Hall of Fame, being picked in preference to Speaker, Alexander, and others.If you were choosing up sides, you wouldn't go far wrong picking Wagner first.It seems to me that as Hirsch was putting Joe DiMaggio on his short list he could have mentioned Hans Wagner too.

Five stars for the book, but ...
If someone was going to write a biography of Willie Mays, this is about as good a job as one can do, even though it did border on the hagiographic on many occasions (no surprise, since it was written with Mays's cooperation).However, the problem for me (and I feel almost sacreligious saying this) is that Mays himself doesn't come across as that fascinating a guy.Was he perhaps the best player ever?Absolutely.(In fact, if he hadn't missed 1952 and 1953 and hadn't played in Candlestick and the Polo Grounds, there is no telling how many more home runds he would have had.)Does he come across as an extremely hard worker, team player and generous to a fault?Again, yes.

But notwithstanding all that, his talent outweighs his charisma--by alot.This perhaps explains in part why there are comparatively few quotes from Mays himself in the book--he's not that quotable. Contrast this to say, Babe Ruth, who is a MUCH more interesting guy than Mays.

The best parts of the book are from his childhood until 1954 when the Giants won the Series.This part includes his upbringing, how he got to the Majors, the racism he had to endure, his relationship with Durocher, the 1951 season, the 1954 season and of course, The Catch.However, after the Giants won the World Series in 1954 (only his second full year in the majors), Mays didn't experience much team success (except for winning a pennant and losing the World Series in 1962 and 1973).Therefore, there is alot in the book of simply recounting his individual successes year after year, but without ever reaching the team success that he achieved in 1954.In fact from 1954-1973, the only variations from this pattern are discussing the move to San Francisco and then the trade to the Mets.

As I say, I give the book 5 stars because this is about as good a Mays biography as could be written.However, through no fault of the author's, Mays simply does not come across as the most interesting guy.In fact, I know that there is a recent biography of Hank Aaron, and I am hesitant to read it for the same reason.Incredible accomplishments on the field does not guarantee a fascinating biography (although, in fairness to Aaron and that book, I could be completely wrong about that). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

book goodamazon bad
the book was fantastic, amazon's speed (or lack of) for the delivery was pathetic

Great book soon to be collectors item
This is an amazingly illustrated book!!! I am about to get it signed by some of Cooperstown's greatest to every wear the Giants uniform. Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda, and Juan Marichal!! Good thing I had purchased this amazing historical item before I even knew of the upcoming event. This book will stay with me forever!!

kudo for Brian
Brian; l had difficulty in obtaining a copy of your very informative & entertaining book on the fifty years of the SF giants. I've been a fan of the Giants since 1947 and was thrilled when they move to SF.How old am I? The "SAY HEY Kid" my baseball hero is only months older. the only thing i would like you to do is publish an addendum show the giants history between WWII and SF.

I listen to KNBR680 daily

"Ole man Bob" Antioch,Ca.

Great Job!

OUTSTANDING
This book is not just for fans of the Giants anyone with a serious interest in Baseball should buy this book as a matter of course.
If just because your allegiance is to another team and thats the reason for not purchasing the book then your not a real fan of the game.

Great Book - Poor Binding
Great historical book on the Giants.The book features a vast amount of great photographs.If you are looking for a pictorial book -- this is it.The book is so large that the binding is questionable.The pages on the first book, I had, actually came apart from it cover.Amazon quickly replaced it - no problems there.I am worried it will happen again as the weight of the pages seem to overpower the binding.Otherwise Great Book. ... Read more