HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIE MAYS

He has been retired for 35 years. Millions of baseball fans have never seen who many people consider the greatest baseball player ever. Personally, i think Babe Ruth was. But, in my lifetime, Willie Mays is the best baseball player i have seen. Henry Aaron and Roberto Clemente are second and third on my list. Nobody patrolled centerfield with the grace and boyish enthusiasm of Mays. He played with a joy seldom seen in the major leagues. He simply loved being a ballplayer and getting paid for it. He had the best of both worlds. There was nothing Mays couldn’t do and do brilliantly. The”SAY HEY KID” TURNS 77 today. When you consider who may be the greatest living ballplayer, not many mention Willie’s name. Why? I’m not certain. After all, Aaron, Musial  are still alive and are also worthy of such lofty praise. But, despite his surliness in public, Mays brilliance on the field was undeniable. Happy birthday, Willie. May you have many more.