Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend (Hardcover)

~ James S Hirsch (Author)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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From Publishers Weekly

The legendary outfielder remains an idol in this starstruck authorized biography. Journalist Hirsch (Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter) makes Mays the savior of the floundering Giants franchise, celebrates his supernatural power, speed, and fielding chops and his godlike physique; toasts his innocence and joy, abstemious lifestyle, and kindness to children; and credits him with stopping a San Francisco race riot with a public service announcement. Hirsch is more restrained about his subject's darker side, his financial difficulties and his often cold and prickly personality. He barely mentions Mays's use of amphetamines, which he does not connect to the athlete's frenetic on-field demeanor and recurrent collapses and hospitalizations for exhaustion. Hirsch is more incisive on the racial tensions roiling a fast-integrating baseball during Mays's career, and on the shift to a faster, more aggressive style of play that Mays helped inaugurate. The author is at his best probing the strategy and mechanics behind Mays's feats of fielding and baserunning; his detailed exegeses of individual plays, including an epic account of the over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series, reveal just how much art and science went into being Willie Mays. In Hirsch's admiring portrait, Mays is certainly awe inspiring, but also remote and a bit impersonal. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First edition (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416547908
• ISBN-13: 978-1416547907
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A baseball legend comes alive, February 10, 2010

By	Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A local store has had this wonderful baseball history for sale for over a week, and I've been able to enjoy reading it and re-reading favorite portions with increasing pleasure. Hirsch writes in a clear, informative style and has clearly done a great deal of research. Amazon has provided generous extracts, which give the reader a very good flavor of how well written and interesting this book really is.

This is the first well researched, major biography of Willie Mays, a state of affairs brilliantly rectified in Hirsch's work. Mays himself prevented the publication of an authorized biography; it took seven years of Hirsch's effort to win Mays's confidence. Under their agreement, Mays will get half of the book's proceeds (much of which will go to the Say Hey Foundation.)

Although Mays is not listed as a co-author, he provided Hirsch with interviews, introduced him to people in his life, even people from his Alabama childhood, and shared his personal archives. Nevertheless, Hirsch insists that Mays did not interfere with his opinions.

As a Yankee fan, I loved baseball more and followed many of the great players over the past 60 years, including following Mays in New York, later in San Francisco and finally with the Mets.

In brief summary, he came up to the major leagues with the New York Giants in 1951 when he was 20. He had begun playing professional baseball in high school in the Negro Leagues; Hirsch writes that Mays learned the importance of entertaining fans as well as playing the game in those early days with the Barons. One trick that created a sort of signature Mays photograph -- he wore caps one size too large for his head so it would often fly off as he ran the bases or ran down a long fly ball.

After leaving the Barons, he played Triple-A ball in Minneapolis; after 35 games he was hitting .477, had eight home runs, 30 RBIs and eight stolen bases. Leo Durocher, the manager of the Giants, made him his starting centerfielder. The New York papers couldn't get enough on him; gallons of ink were used to extol his presence on the Giants.

There was a similar outpouring when the Giants arrived in San Francisco: "In the financial district, ticker tape, torn telephone books, and papers were thrown from office buildings. Cable cars clanged, horns blared. Some streetcars were rocked, and trolleys were pulled off wires. Market Street was jammed until long past midnight."

There is much to love in this book, many stories about Mays' intelligence: how he would fake a limp or slow down when running the bases to confuse the infielders; how deeply he studied opposing players and members of his own team, how well he could anticipate the opposition.

This is a wonderfully quotable book; one example will suffice given Amazon's generosity in providing extracts:

"Willie Mays's rookie year would not be his finest or the year of his greatest celebrity, but it was his sunburst, creating a perception of athleticism, innocence, and joy that would shape the public's view for years."

The book glories in the triumphs, but does not spare the hard times. Mays had marriage problems and money problems, and racial problems, not only with fans but with other, more active Civil Rights advocates. There were tensions between Mays and Robinson, for example, and by the end of the 1960s Mays was not part of the Civil Rights movement in any public manner.

"He was an authority figure when opposing authority was celebrated. He was a man of deference at a time of defiance."

A sub-theme of this biography is the story of how America and baseball came to grip with racial issues.

Like too many athletes, Mays did not leave baseball gracefully. I watched his sad tenure with the Mets, an "improbable return, awash in remembrance and renewal."

At the same time, my memories of Mays will last my lifetime. Hirsch writes 31 paragraphs describing "The Catch" -- the fantastic catch of Vic Wertz's long ball to left in the 1954 World Series -- and his dead-on throw back to the infield.

Cleveland players insisted at the time that Mays made the catch look more difficult than it really was -- shades of his early training with the Barons -- both Mays and the Indians were more impressed with his throw back to the infield, which froze Larry Doby at third. I often drive past a ball field dedicated to Larry Doby in Paterson; every time I pass the field, I remember that moment of World Series history.

This excellent book enhanced that memory and so many more. It is a worthy tribute to one of the greatest ball players of all time.

Robert C. Ross 2010

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AN ENCYCLOPEDIC BIOGRAPHY OF THE "SAY-HEY-KID"... AUTHORIZED BY WILLIE HIMSELF!", February 11, 2010

By	Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The first thing that I feel is beneficial to point out to all potential readers is that it doesn't matter who your favorite team is... if you're an old school baseball fan you will absolutely love this book! The author covers in excruciatingly tantalizing detail the world of baseball in the 1940's... 50's... 60's... and 70's. This is the time period that has lovingly been described as both the "GOLDEN-AGE-OF-BASEBALL"... and also been blessed with the poetic ribbon of admiration as the period when "BASEBALL-WAS-STILL-A-GAME!" And no one before or since played with such youthful uninhibited exuberance as Willie "THE-SAY-HEY-KID" Mays. The author leads you from Willie's childhood days in Birmingham Alabama and sheds an informative affectionate light on Willie's Father Cat Mays who was also a good ballplayer and also the young woman... actually just a young girl... his thirteen-year-old Aunt Sarah who was the main female/mother presence in his daily life. Young Willie was so talented that he played professional baseball when he was fifteen-years-old thus giving up his high school baseball eligibility. Willie played in the final years of the Negro League and of course he idolized Jackie Robinson. His favorite player was Joe DiMaggio and Joltin' Joe is who he patterned his batting stance after. He also enjoyed following Stan Musial and Ted Williams. When Willie was ten-years-old he even told people to call him "DiMag".

When he signed with the New York Giants he had a meteoric rise through the minors and when the Giants promoted him from Minneapolis to New York the fans loved him so much in Minneapolis the Giants owner placed an ad in the Minneapolis paper apologizing for taking Willie away from them. Where this intensely dogged story explodes into an even higher gear (in this old-school-fanatics opinion) is when he gets to New York and plays for the man who would become his mentor... protector... Father figure... and PR staff... the inimitable Leo "THE LIP" Durocher. No stone is left unturned and none of the course language on the field and in the locker room is spared. Having been a fan of Durocher from his Dodger days I had to laugh and acknowledge the authenticity of "The-LIP'S" words when after Willie started his big league career off with an 0 for 12 slump at the plate... and then got his first hit... a home run off of future Hall Of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn... Durocher was quoted as saying: "I NEVER SAW A *darn* BALL LEAVE A *darn* PARK SO *darn* FAST IN MY *darn* LIFE." "The savior had arrived."

Another refreshing ability in the author's work is that he does not hesitate for a second in sharing Willie's weaknesses as well as his Superman like strengths. When documenting the famous comeback in the 1951 pennant chase when the Giants overcame the Dodgers "insurmountable" lead to force a 2 out of 3 playoff series... which of course led to Bobby Thompson's "SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD" that won the pennant... it so happened that Mays was on deck. Willie admits to praying while he was on deck: "PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE ME. DON'T MAKE ME COME TO BAT NOW, G-D." This surprising weakness in Mays's self-confidence became pivotal in Mays future. "HE WAS EMBARRASSED BY HIS TIMIDITY, ASHAMED THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO BE THE MAN AT THE PLATE WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE. HE WAS DETERMINED TO CHANGE THAT."

This book has encyclopedic power as it delivers FIVE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-SIX-PAGES of hypnotic information ranging from Willie battling Hall Of Famer centerfielders Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees for supremacy of a city... let alone the world. And the magical 1954 World Series which of course included one of the greatest catches in the history of baseball... and is the last time the Giants whether in New York or San Francisco ever won a world championship. It also includes Willie going in the Army despite his trying to... and failing to get out through legal challenges. Again the author and Willie pull no punches when they write: "BUT TO HIS CREDIT HE NEVER EXAGGERATED HIS MILITARY SERVICE OR MADE HIMSELF OUT TO BE A FALSE HERO. AS HE SAID IN AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, I HAVE NO PRIDE IN MY ARMY CAREER, BUT I HAVE NO APOLOGIES FOR IT EITHER. I DID WHAT THE MAN SAID." Like I said a beautifully documented *true*-life story. There are also SIXTY-FIVE PAGES OF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... NOTES... BIBLIOGRAPHY... and INDEX. It's all here including the heated hatred-fueled rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants (It should be noted that Willie was one player who the Dodger fans applauded at Ebbets Field)... to Willie's reaching the pinnacle of national success and adoration which ranged from national magazine covers to actress Tallulah Bankhead stating: "THERE HAVE BEEN TWO GENIUSES, WILLIE MAYS AND WILLIE SHAKESPEARE." And of course there was the decline of the once great Mays as he stayed too long and finished his career with the Mets. Note: The author made a historical statistical mistake on page 189 when he said Willie finished second in the league in home runs behind Gil Hodges in 1954. Actually Willie was third. "Big" Ted Kluszewski of the Cincinnati Reds led the league with forty-nine home runs... Hodges was second with forty-two... and Willie was third with forty-one.

You won't be able to read this SIX-HUNDRED-PAGE-BOOK in one sitting... but you'll be glad you can't... because every page is a gift to true baseball fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great and Thorough Book About My Dad's Favorite Baseball Player, March 17, 2010

By	scesq "scesq" (New Milford, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

(What's this?)

I had extremely high expectations for this book. They were met. Let me explain.

My late dad was a NY Giants fan who told me myth like stories of watching the great Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds. Later he and I watched Willie Mays when was with the NY Mets and nearing the end of his career. People have complained about Willie's diminished skills back then, but his coming to the NY Mets gave me and my dad a chance to bond at Shea Stadium, while rooting for our team, in a way that can only happen in baseball.

This book is not just any book. It is a book that my dad and I would have shared and talked about if he were still alive. Willie Mays and baseball are two things that brought my dad and I closer. My dad would have approved of this book.

I read this book in three nights. Even though I knew a lot about Willie Mays this book gave me insights into the man I had not picked up in other books.

Even though this was authorized by Willie Mays, the author brings in a host of outside sources including fellow ball players, reporters, baseball officials and sponsors who knew Willie Mays. While the overall portrait of Willie Mays is good the author does bring up instances which are critical of Mays. While the book is kind to Willie it is also fair and does not hesitate to show when Willie Mays was not the mythical hero my dad talked about but a man with flaws.

I especially enjoyed the sections on Willie's early days in the Polo Grounds and when he was traded to the Mets in 1972 and 1973. My dad told me stories about Willie when he first came up to the Giants and I learned a lot about that time in this book. I remember when Willie came to the Mets and the book gave me a lot of information about that time period as well.

I am impressed with the extensive notes section in the book and the extensive bibliography and index. The notes and the bibliography sections are much more detailed than I would expect to find in sports biography. A good index is critical in a book like this because fans will want to go directly to aspects of Willie's life that interest them. While I don't have the index in my advanced copy of this book I did look at it on Amazon's book preview above and it is thorough.

My only complaint is the career stats page or to be more precise the lack of a real career stats section or real career stats. The career stats section is one page and it does not list his playoff stats. The book could also have included states from the Minor Leagues and Willie's time with the Black Barons in the Negro League. Baseball is about stats. More should have been included.