Willie Mays

 

So, "Say Hey?"

The New York Mets held their first Old Timer's Day in years on Saturday at Citi Field.

In the Mets' style, it was low-key and nobody knew about it.

Ha.

No, they promoted it relentlessly as they should and drummed up a fantastic interest in what appeared to be a great event.

Now -- being honest and all -- I saw none of it live. I saw things on social media. I saw some video and pictures and read a lot of stuff.

Those who made it brought a special day to the field and, being further honest, they blew the Yankees -- masters of Old Timer's Day, out of the water with a great lineup of former Mets as well as actually playing a fun game.

Plus they added a surprise: the retirement of uniform number 24, once worn by Willie Mays.

If you don't know, Willie only played two years with the Mets. He was traded to the "Amazin's" in 1972 and stayed until the end of the 1973 season. He retired after that.

It was a lovely reunion, bringing Mays back to where he started his career. Willie -- always "The Say Hey Kid" -- began with the New York Giants. He won Rookie of the Year in 1951, played part of '52 and missed all of '53 due to military duty. He won an MVP and a World Series ring in 1954 and was a superstar as the Giants left for San Francisco after 1957. Mays stayed a giant among Giants through the first half of the 60s and began to look a little more human as the decade wore on.

By the time he came to Shea Stadium in May, 1972, he was 41 years old.

The other pieces of "Willie, Mickey, and the Duke" of "Talkin' Baseball" fame had long since departed the game.

Mays with the Giants

Willie was a mortal as a member of the Mets, hitting .238 with the final 14 home runs of the 660 he amassed. He is also, sadly, is remembered for stumbling in the outfield in the 1973 World Series against Oakland. That's unfair because of a very rough sky in Game 2 of the '72 Classic but history isn't fair.

It was a far cry from the guy who made perhaps the most memorable catch in Fall Classic history, his breathtaking grab of Vic Wertz's long drive at the Polo Grounds off the bat of Vic Wertz of Cleveland in 1954.

So, with all of that said, why did the Mets retire Mays' number, which already hangs beloved in San Francisco?

A promise, apparently, made by former Mets (and one-time Giants part-owner) Joan Payson. Mrs. Payson -- the first majority owner of a pro sports franchise in the US -- was instrumental in bringing Mays back to New York and promised him that nobody would wear number 24 again.

Sadly, Mrs. Payson died in 1975 and the promise sat unfulfilled until Saturday. While 24 wasn't routinely handed out, a few did wear the treasured digits. 

The number is now out of commission.

There's been some outrage since Saturday. Those defending the move say it spoke to honoring Mrs. Payson's wishes. It is also to acknowledge what Mays meant to New York baseball during its golden years. It's hard to argue any of that.

It's also hard to argue with critics who say that Mays is a Giant (true) and his time as a Met wasn't stellar (true). Further, critics say that maybe the Braves should retire Babe Ruth's number three since The Bambino played for the Braves (then in Boston) in 1935.

That's not going to happen however the Mays retirement sits more parallel to the Brewers hanging up Hank Aaron's number 44. Hammerin' Hank played for the Brew Crew in 1975-76, returning to the city where he had glory as a member of, yep, the Braves.

You probably know I'm tough when it comes to retiring numbers and oh my was I ready to light the Mets up for this.

Yet, I simply don't have a big problem with it. If Mets owner Steve Cohen thinks honoring Mrs. Payson's wishes is the way to go then I will lose no sleep over it. The fan base seemed to love it and it added a poignant note to the events of Saturday at Citi Field.

Willie Mays is a top-five talent. Probably second behind a certain Mr. Ruth. 

I have a hard time criticizing the Mets for this move despite my own standards on number retirements.

So, "Say Hey?"

Say Hey indeed.