Did Willie Mays Snub Josh Hamilton?

Read Joe Poz's book on Buck O'Neil. Some enlightening stories about spending a day with Mays at the Negro Leagues HOF.

 

I've put this up before but here is a pretty good story by Jack Curry about encounter that he had with Willie . Shows that Willie can still get on top of the fast ball when he wants:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900EFD91F3DF932A15753C1A9649C8B63&scp=5&sq=willie+mays&st=nyt

 

He missed his calling then. He would have had a fine future as a college or NFL football coach.

 

sorry, boom. that piece was almost six years ago. you can lose it fast once you hit your 70's. look at steinbrenner.

 

Exactly, shockey.

And by the way, the premise for this thread is preposterous.

 

Joe also had a nice post the other day about all of this.
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/07/17/autographs-and-mays/

 

I like Joe Poz, but let's be honest about this: Mays was on the field. The ceremony was more than halfway through, so he should have noticed what the routine was. It wasn't like he was being confronted by a stranger in the parking lot. He may not have known Josh Hamilton from Alexander Hamilton, but he knew that whoever ran out there was an All-Star player.

In that case, is it too much to expect a smile and a handshake? Or that he at least pays attention to the guy running toward him? Just show a little class. Don't treat a player like he's some greenfly bothering you in a hotel lobby.

I know, Willie is 77. But Bob Feller is 89, Ralph Kiner is 86 and Whitey Ford is 79 and they all figured out the format.

 

Everybody ages differently, but please, let's not give the guy the benefit of the doubt.

 

This isn't an age issue. Mays has a lengthy history of being deliberately "difficult" in the most trivial matters.

Shit, I'm sick of dancing around it: Mays is mostly a miserable prick and has been for a long time.

There.

 

I'm aware ... I guess from the tape it looked like he was looking away and not as though it were a snub. Guys who do snubs usually make a show of it. Dunno ... just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt though you make a great point that his history makes it so he does not deserve it.

 

Ok Shockey - here is an interview that Curry did with Mays in 2007 - Willie seems as sharp as ever.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/sports/baseball/07mays.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=Willie%20Mays&st=cse&oref=slogin

 

Just read the Taylor SI WATN article on Mays. To me the most interesting part of what was otherwise a pretty dull piece was that his advice to players today is to play as long as they can, because they won't be able to forever. It's interesting that the guy that we all use as the paradigm for athelete who stayed too long, has his regrets in the other direction, if at all.