News about Willie Mays

No, OJ Simpson was not honored alongside Willie Mays, Jerry West and Bill Walton during the 'in memoriam' portion of Thursday's ESPY Awards. Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the late Buffalo Bills legend and accused murderer would go unmentioned during the segment, which was aimed at honoring the sports legends who have passed away over the last 365 days. But that wasn't the case earlier at this month's BET Awards, where that network was slammed for including the scandalized ex-con, who later served nine years in prison for armed robbery before dying of cancer in April at age 76.

Baseball legend and Puerto Rican icon Orlando Cepeda has died at age 86 just 10 days after his long-time teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, Willie Mays. Known as 'Baby Bull,' Cepeda was the unanimous National League Most Valuable Player winner in 1967 as he led the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series championship over the Boston Red Sox . The announcement came from the San Francisco Giants , for whom Cepeda played the first nine seasons of his 17-year career beginning in 1958. The Giants held a moment of silence before the sixth inning of Friday's 5-3 win against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reggie Jackson was present at Rickwood Field on Thursday night as Willie Mays and other black baseball players were honored, and the Hall of Famer revealed some harrowing stories of the racist abuse he dealt with as a player. Jackson, who's most well-known for his time with the Kansas City/Oakland A's and the New York Yankees, spent a season with the Birmingham A's in the minors. And the 78-year-old admitted it was difficult being back at his former home stadium Rickwood, as he described the discrimination he used to face. 

Willie Mays was remembered at his old stomping grounds on Thursday night as the baseball great was honored at Birmingham, Alabama's Rickwood Field. Mays, who began his pro career at Rickwood with the Birmingham Black Barons, died this week at the age of 93. And while MLB had already planned 'Tribute to the Negro Leagues' game before Mays' passing, the matchup between the Giants and Cardinals took on a more significant meaning when news of the icon's death spread.

Long before becoming a teenage phenom for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League or a 24-time All-Star in New York and San Francisco, Giants legend Willie Mays was a polite kid from a mining community in Alabama. Raised by his father, Cat Mays, and two aunts, young Willie became a football, basketball and baseball star at t Fairfield Industrial High School, where he was a pupil of a young English teacher named Angelena Ray, the mother of a future world leader.

Tributes are pouring in after the death of legendary baseball player Willie Mays, with Barack Obama, Charles Barkley and Derek Jeter among those to pay tribute to the MLB and Negro League icon. Mays, whose storied career spanned from 1948-1973 was remembered as a 'wonderfully warm and generous person' by the 44th President Obama, who shared a photo of the pair together. 'Willie Mays wasn't just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power, 'Obama wrote on X. 

San Francisco Giants have announced the death of Willie Mays at age 93.  In a statement on X on Tuesday, the Giants said: 'It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93.' A cause of death was not given. One of the greatest to ever play the game, Mays hit 660 home runs, scored 2,068 runs and notched 3,293 hits while winning one World Series with the Giants (1954). He was a 24-time All-Star and earned National League MVP titles in 1954 and 1965. 

Don Gullett, a three-time World Series champion and nine-year MLB veteran, died on Wednesday at the age of 73. Gullett was best known for his seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and then went on to play in four World Series for the franchise. He was assisting them in winning the 1975 and 1976 World Series. The Kentucky native went on to play two seasons with the New York Yankees, assisting the Bronx Bombers in winning the World Series in 1977.

Ken MacKenzie, a former New York Mets reliever, died on Thursday at the age of 89. On the expansion of the 1962 Mets, the left-handed reliever was the only pitcher with a winning record. MacKenzie died at his Guilford, Connecticut, home to a Mets spokesperson.

In 2024, Birmingham, Alabama's historic Rickwood Field will host a Major League Baseball game in commemoration of the Negro Leagues and Willie Mays, the former Black Barons outfielder who started his Hall of Fame career from the ballpark. Mays' San Francisco Giants will face the St. Louis Cardinals at the oldest professional ballpark in the United States on June 20, 2024, MLB announced on Tuesday. After playing home to the Birmingham Black Barons from 1924 to 1960, the 10,800-seat stadium, which opened in 1910, is now a National Historic Site. It's a great honor.' Any time I get to represent my faith in this way, particularly on the MLB level, it's always a joy,' said Cardinals rookie Jordan Walker, who is black. 'All I'll need to do is stay fit and healthy, and I'm keen to play in that tournament,' Mays, an Alabama native who began his career with the team in 1948, will be honored at the game.

Former San Fransico Giants slugger Barry Bonds has been a documentary starring HBO and Words +, although Bonds has not yet been included in the film. According to a part of the official release of the film, Bonds will feature a diverse group of famous personalities from Barry Bonds' life and career, and the chance for Bonds to actively participate and share his firsthand experiences remains open.' In addition, the official synopsis of the film will read: "The untitled HBO Sports Documentary will tell the tale of Barry Bonds, baseball's single-season and all-time home run king, from his humble roots as the son of All-Star Bobby Bonds to his meteoric rise in the 1990s and 2000s."

Maury Wills, a Los Angeles Dodgers legend, died at the age of 89. The Los Angeles Dodgers are mourning the loss of Dodger legend Maury Wills,' according to a team statement released on Tuesday.' Our thoughts are with Wills' family, colleagues, and relatives.' There is no reason given as to why someone died. Wills retired with 586 steals, making him the best base runners in baseball history, which is still good enough for 20th all-time. More importantly, the seven-time All-Star shortstop won three World Series with the Dodgers before being named the 1962 National League MVP over legends, including Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and teammates Tommy Davis and Don Drysdale.

Albert Pujols is set to make history. In the only place it could have happened at the time, we least expected it. 700 home runs were never the number one people was concerned about for the first 11 years of Pujols' illustrious career. He'd have to work hard to reach, the number he'd have to get to, his last month of his career, sweating and facing his most difficult challenge to date. He was the most feared hitter in baseball, had 445 home runs, and was headed for Barry Bonds' record of 756.