Mays was amazing,i met him once and he asked me to go get a newspaper from the stand since it was raining ,i went and he tipped me $1 ,that was alot in then days,i feasted,i got a pop,pretzel,candy,a bar,pizza and chips and i even got a nickle back..best day ever.i was 10.
You can, as I discovered two summers ago. The Cape Cod Baseball League is nearly 100 years old and still going strong. It's made up of top college players with the potential of making the majors. It's a developmental league affording the many scouts in the stands to see how players adjust to using wooden bats for the first time. Hundreds of players have made it to the majors: Kris Bryant, Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Albert Belle, and Jeff Bagwell, to name a few. I didn't plan on attending any sporting event after covering games for nearly 40 years, but the CCBL changed all that. It was like going back in time. Admission is free (the guys in the bullpen pass the hat in the 5th inning). And, the games are played in a timely manner. There's nothing not to like. Check it out on Google.
I agree on Willie Mays. I think he was one of the few players who had ALL the tools on both offense and defense. Just great at everything you COULD be great at.
With Willie it’s a shame he played the bulk of his career in a park like Candlestick where the wind from the bay could rob him of hits that would be HR’s in any other park. And by the time he got back to NYC with the Mets he was no longer the hitter he’d been before
Great stuff, Mays or Ruth, and Williams, they all were Great and can make an argument for each as who was the best, all I know is my father see them all and loved watching each one preform, so history has been kind to all three and the game will never see the likes of them ever again. The Babe, the say hay kid, and the splendid splinter, will and for ever be my heros.
@@JoeKoOhNo ..... Had Mantle not blown his knee and maybe played more to his potential, you could say that, but Id say Bonds and Ruth were much more complete as players, than Mantle was..... maybe even DiMaggio too. The fact that Ruth woulda been a HoF pitcher, plus his hitting, base running etc... puts him in a league of his own.
@terrymercury1372 Ah what? His pitching? 4 years of Mariano Revera numbers for complete games. Hit like Bonds best year for a career. There's only two offensive stats that count. Runs and RBI's All other offensive stats only explain HOW you touch home or drove in runs. Steal, hits, extra base hits, BB, hit by pitch, S.O.'s.... all point to runs and RBI's. That's a Ted Williams quote. You ain't arguing with me. You're argument is with Ted who was one dimensional defensive 1st baseman and a candidate for the greatest hitter. But... complete ball player. It's Babe. But, Otani is looking better.
@@terrymercury1372 Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle came up big in world series' games...not so Mays aside from the one great catch. Look at his WS batting stats...
Leo got into a argument with an umpire once and accidentally kicked the umpire in the shin while trying to kick dirt on the umpires shoes. The umpire kicked him back and Durocher kicked him back again. This went on for a while until Leo realized the ump was wearing shin guards.
I was born in Baltimore. My Dad worked for Bethlehem Steel. He was transferred to Indiana in 1969. I always , and to this day remained an Orioles fan. Although one lucky day , September 1 , 1971 my friends Dad took us to see The Cubs vs. The Expos at Wrigley Field. I saw Leo. Although I did not realize than I was witnessing a team mate of Ruth and Gehrig. I do now. Fergie Jenkins hit two home runs.
Sounds just like Fergie. He was one of the best hitting pitchers I ever saw, along with Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. Gibson and Drysdale would knock you down or actually hit you. They then had the courage to step in the batters box. No one messed with them. Drysdale was usually biggest guy on the field(6'6"), and Gibson was a former Golden gloves boxer!.
As you can guess from my previous comment, I'm NO fan of the DH. If you're going to throw at batters, have the guts to step in the batters box yourself!
Fergie was a better hitter than any pinch hitter on Cubs bench. He threw complete games constantly, never walked anyone, but gave up a lot of home runs.
Great pitchers give up home runs, just like great hitters strike out a lot. However those homers come usually with no one on base. You live by the fast ball, you'll occasionally get beat by your fast ball, both the pitcher and hitter's favorite pitch.
I think the single biggest factor was he, rightly or wrongly, got on the bad side of Stan Musial. NOT blaming Mr. Musial, but I think that's what kept him out in his lifetime.
The reason he was NOT was he was hated by pretty much every player he ever managed and most of MLB. Leo was a notorious self centered, ego-centric, blowhard. Just repeating what I have studied about the guy.
My grandma died of this, she made it to 2yrs after being diagnosed. We feed her with a tube and she kept her since of humor. Always went to church with us, with a hanky, since she couldn't swallow. We loved her, proud of her and miss her dearly. I was only 13, when our dear Lord took her.
One of the greatest managers of all time, Leo "the lip" Durocher and arguably the greatest baseball player of all-time, the "Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays.
+Will Drucker ~> Leo once asked why he always argued with umps even tho they'd never change their decisions he replied that "Because next time he'll be more careful in his decision." Really?!?!? ☺
+WytZox1 of course, it's a head game. it happens in all sports, in different ways. players, coaches and managers try to get any edge they can and many believe that chirping or arguing with the officials will give them some type of advantage. there are some who go the other way and are very polite and respectful to the officials. either way, sports officials are human beings and it is possible to influence them either way. just take a look at former umpire joe west. worst umpire I have ever seen, and he would deliberately antagonize players and coaches.
Steve Swangler ~> Casey Stengel as Yankees and later Mets mgr would be seen on the field holding his arms up with hands far apart as he appeared to be arguing with umpire yet he was never thrown out of the game. He later explained to media that he was just telling the umpire how after the game he knew where they could catch some fish "this big." ☺
When I was little there was an old man in the neighborhood who'd lost his legs to diabetes. I was scared of him. Then I found out he ACTUALLY SAW COBB AND RUTH PLAY and I was his best friend.
Remember when you're watching today though...in 50 years, some of these guys will have the same legendary status. I'm glad I got to watch a lot of guys from the 80's/90s play. Griffey, McGwire/Sosa home run chase, Cal Ripken...that's a pretty short list but you get the point.
@@joeg5414 Go to Baseball Almanac and look at Willie Keeler's stats. He does not have many homeruns, but his stats are incredible and not too many people talk about him.
@@ryanthompsonthompson820 Interesting. There are a few videos on him but not much. I've been fascinated with baseball from like 1930 and earlier lately.
@@ryanthompsonthompson820 Nobody had many HRs when Keeler played. And while he may not be talked about much today he is in the HOF. And his MLB career was from 1892-1910. He retired with a .341 lifetime BA. And it was his MLB record for longest hitting streak (45 games) that Joe DiMaggio broke in 1941 when he hit in 56 straight games.
@@bobbysands6923 Yes Leo managed the Astros the last month of 1971 and all of 1972. He thought Cesar Cedeno could be the next Willie Mays. But he was not the only one who thought that.
You have to hand it to Leo and anyone who could brush racism aside, especially in the 50s, like how good he was with Willie Mays, backing him wholeheartedly slump or not. This PC stuff now has gone way too far IMO though. Judge by content and character, and treat people how you would expect to be treated, it's that easy!
@MANCHESTER UNITED That may be so, but here in the US I think most people view soccer as a good starter sport where 5 and 6 yr old boys can kick a ball around, prepping themselves to play "real sports" in the future.
@M much easier sport to play.anyone can run and kick...catch a screaming liner...hit a 95mph fastball...throw a 95mph fastball?..this is for elite athletes..jus not enough in other countries
Sorry, this is all the video I have and I doubt the halftime show was ever aired by the network. They always go back to the studio during halftime in the NFL, unlike some college games of days gone by.
Grew up near Wrigley Field in the ‘60’s when Durocher was the Cubs manager . Couple of us kids would hang around the lot where the players parked their cars and try to get to know the guys . Banks and Williams and Kessinger were always really nice , but Leo ....sometimes he was sorta pleasant , but most of the time he waved us away and told us to ‘ get the Hell away from me ‘ . Very moody guy , of course , we were kinda pests , looking back on it . Cubs playing nothing but day games , summertime , 12 years old and living a mile from Wrigley - what a great childhood !
Leo was not only hated by his fellow players.....he was despised by coaches too. A genuinely unpleasant person. I saw hundreds of Cub games at Wrigley in the '60's and even saw the Bears play there a couple times.
Each generation has an opinion on who was best but I agree with Leo on Willie Mays. I was not yet 8 years old in1957 and my Dad took me to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs and the then-NY Giants. We always got there early to see outfield and infield practice and BP. I remember Willie catching flies with his basket catch and even catching some behind his back, very impressive. I remember the Giants taking BP and they all looked the same until Willie got to hit. On a 1 to 10 scale of intensity, Willie was a 12. He got in the box and started hitting shots into the outfield, some off the grass, some off the wall, and some into the seats, all line drives. It seemed to a kid like he was a superman, he was head and shoulders above anyone else. I've seen a lot of games and a lot of players since then but nobody, NOBODY as great as Willie Mays was. May the Almighty give him rest and eternal joy in heaven.
My mom won a autographed baseball in a raffle at one of our grocery stores in town.Its all of the baseball players of the chicago cubs baseball team back in the early seventies.Leo's name is right on the front.Along with BANK'S,WILLIAM"S,SANTO,JENKIN'S.KISSINGER,HOLTSMAN!
I'm 50, and as a young kid in the mid 70s my best friend was 2 yrs older and his brother was a great athlete and 5 yrs older than I, and he and his friends taught me so much and were always riding me like I was supposed to be at their level in baseball/football, whatever, even though I was younger & smaller, but it sure elevated my play. I lived outside of Dallas and it was an awesome time! Earl Campbell at UT, The Big Red Machine, and the Cowboys. I moved to So CA in Jan of 78' and have been here since, but sometimes wished I had stayed there in Plano TX. People were just a little more down to earth, and sports, especially football and baseball are everything there!
Willie Mays was the best all around everyday player I and most people think, but the fact that Babe Ruth was also an outstanding pitcher clearly puts him in a class by himself as the greatest ever. Ruth might have made the Hall of Fame just as a hurler.
I agree. But I don't fault Durocher for his obvious bias. Here's an interview I did with Mays long after he retired. Willie was both honest and humble. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dDyHmqf0hwc.html
Sure he could, but you'd have to admit he wasn't nearly the threat on bases and in the field that Mays was. The Babe, though, was the most dominant player of all time.
THe only thing missing from WIllie`s career is 2 full seasons in his prime...due to military service...wonder what his numbers would have ended up at had he not missed them...baseball history is a fantastic subject for those of us who love it...
At the age of 40 Mays batted .271. Despite only playing 136 games he lead the league in walks with over 100 and OB%. Batting averages only tell half the story. Willie was a complete player.
seriously? a made up story about Ty Cobb, when asked about Lou Gehrig, "quiet, he smoked a pipe. went to bed early" there was nothing here that baseball fans didn't already know.
Interesting how memories fade. He said 1929 for Cobb's last year, but his last year was 1928. Also, I looked at Retrosheet for every game against the Yankees that Cobb played with Speaker in the game, and he was never thrown out at third on a ground ball by Speaker. It might have been spring training, though.
You can hear that there's an edit after he says, "first base" at 0:49. It might be that some pertinent info was cut out. @fntime You win The 2019 Dick-head Award.
❤️ to see the negro league baseball players vs oldies major league baseball ⚾️ players f from early 1900/ 1930s like satchel paige & Josh Gilson etc etc
If Leo confirms what my grandfather-in-law says about Mays - that he was the best, then that's all the information I need to pass down to anyone who asks me my opinion of who was the best all around player of all time. My wife's grandfather actually caddied for Ruth a few times in the 30's in Queens, New York along Bayside on the courses there and saw all the great New York teams.
@@ShunyamNiketana You know Ruth grew up in a kids home. He was picked on because of his looks. This drove him to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time.
The interviewer should have asked Leo Durocher about Herman Munster, before asking about Willie Mays. Munster no question had more power than anyone, maybe more feared than Ruth.
great story by willie about leo, once willie relaxed he became a superstar, many a great have had their doubts in the early years, young and unsure of themselves, if you see the talent you give them the confidence they need.
I agree. I also recommend "Lords of the Realm", a history of the game and how Marvin Miller turned the tables on the owners by torpedoing the reserve clause and bringing about free agency.
@@bradpalmer7944 I was about 12 years old when that happened but I was a massive baseball fan from birth. Curt Flood is the name I will never forget I'm from Chicago. I've been a big fan of yours for many years. I will definitely check out that recommendation. Another good baseball book I read was about baseball during the Ragtime era. But Leo's book is my favorite
Barry Thomas only for a short time in spring training. Durocher was suspended for the year by Commissioner Happy Chandler. Clyde Sukeforth was Jackie Robinson's first mlb manager, for two games, before Burt Shotton took over.
@@robgeorgia8801 Agreed. Ruth was a better peak player. I would compare Ruth/Aaron to Chamberlain/Jabbar. Along with Williams, Aaron was the most consistent power hitter for the longest. Mays fizzled out at the very end. I really know little of post 80s players
The Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell said that he asked Babe Ruth for his autograph. There was no paper around so Babe Ruth signed the sole of Ernie's shoe.
I read nice guys finish last when I was a fifth grader. Not many inside story's, but it was an unspoken rule back then that ball players did not talk about "private matters". Sounds kind of naive today.
Funny how nobody ever mentions Rogers Hornsby, especially from a purely statistical aspect; here's a ten-year stretch- 5451AB 2080 H 405 doubles 115 triples 250 HR .382 average. For six straight years he led the league in batting average, OB%, slugging, and won 2 triple crowns (hitting .395 during those 6 years.) While playing, he also managed(!!!) the Cardinals to a world series championship over the Yankees in 1926.
Bob Shawkey managed the Yankees around the time that Durocher was with them. Shawkey said that someone was stealing money from the other players. Some of the players marked some money and had Babe Ruth leave the money where anyone could take it. The players felt that Ruth had a reputation of being careless with his money so the thief would not suspect a set-up. After the money was stolen, the players found that Durocher had the marked money, and they beat him up, according to Shawkey.
There was one story I heard about Durocher was when he came to the Yankees. Babe Ruth came up to him in the locker room, put his arm around Durocher's shoulder, and said something like, "Kid, I know it was you who stole my watch. Now give it back or else we'll step outside." Durocher was supposed to have replied, "Why go outside? Why not settle this here?" And with one punch, Leo laid Ruth out on the floor. He was supposed to have been traded shortly after. Durocher always denied the story.
@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C soccer is popular because it's an easy game that almost anyone can play. You don't need to. E able to catch, throw, strike, or tackle anyone. Don't get me wrong it's a great game because of those things, but it doesn't take the same level of skill as baseball, football, basketball, tennis, Rugby, etc.
@M And the majority of Americans can give a rats azz about soccer. The only kids in America that play soccer are the ones not good enough for the big 3 sports. Baseball, Basketball and Football.
They once asked the great Dizzy Dean the hardest ball ever hit off him, he said Mize hit a line drive between his legs and the centerfielder caught it on a fly😅
ask leo about pete reiser. he did manage pete when he came up in '40. could do everything, hit for power, run like a deer. in his first full year, '41, pete was the NL batting champ, led the league in homers. in '42, pete was hitting .352 when he ran into the wall in , i think, august. if he only had padded walls, there's no telling what a fab career he would have had. and he continued running into walls, when he came back from mil service in '46. was given the last rites, in one bang-up. one more thing, the cards could have had him, but kept him "hidden" as an up and comer. imagine if he and stan musial were on the same team!!
He did not hit for average and he did not dominate. He is 188th on the all time B.A. list. He broke no offensive records, and did not finish first in any offensive category.
ANYBODY with a lifetime average of over .300 for 20 years or more, hits for average! He is the only player in MLB history with 7,000 outfield putouts! Your RACISM and JEALOUSY is front and center!
@@keithleverette8235 Ruth and Cobb both have more records than Mays.A lot more. By the by, just because a black fellow is not selected, does not make one a racist. Just look in your mirror if you want to see one.
Yes, Mays was on a record-breaking HR terror by mid summer, when Durocher told him to favor base hits. I don't know the numbers off hand, but after July he hit only about one quarter of his season's HR total, though he ended up with a BA of .345.
willie was indeed great, so was mantle, who had the same talent as the former, if only he had kept himself on the straight & narrow, like mays and aaron. another name he could have brought up was pete reiser. same as mantle and mays, he could run like a deer, hit ( led the NL in his first full year, in his second, was leading the league again by mid year, then started running into fences). nearly died after one crash. for my $$, ruth has to be THE greatest, great pitcher, greatest hitter. pat bonner
Mantle was really set back early in his career by a torn ACL. The surgery, and rehab was archaic compared to today's. He tripped on a sprinkler in the outfield,and tore his knee up. He still had a great career, but he had almost unlimited potential before that Injury. He wasn't hyped up much early in his career in New York because he took over centerfield for Joe DiMaggio who was beloved in Bew York because he was a great Italian American Yankee. Mantle was a country kid from Oklahoma, and New Yorkers didn't warm to him till he was just too good to ignore, and started playing ball with the media. Probably the most talented 5 tool baseball player ever though. His speed was off the charts before the knee injury. He was easily the fastest player in baseball, and strong as an ox.
I read a story about former hall of fame manager dick williams; Williams mentioned the rumor about Leo stealing The Babe's watch when they were teammates on the Yankees. Apparently, Williams was a hall of fame bench jockey as a player, and when Brooklyn was playing the giants, dodgers manager burt shotten would tell Williams, "ask leo about The Babe's watch". So, all game long, Leo would have to listen to dick williams, standing on the top step of the dugout, accusing him of stealing The Babe's watch. And if Williams did play in a game against the giants, Leo would fine any pitcher who didn't hit Williams with a pitch. Gotta love old school baseball
If Willie Mays came along today, he would never play one game in the Majors. He'd be an All-American football player for Alabama and then a 1st round draft pick in the NFL, where he'd be a starting quarterback and put up Russell Wilson numbers, or he'd have been an All-American basketball player at Alabama or Auburn and then a 1st round pick in the NBA where he'd put up Russell Westbrook numbers. It would be fantastic if he became the first hall of famer to make it to 100.
some guy named stone must be drunk saying mays was overated.mays could do it all, a true 5 point player, had he not done 2 years in the army in his prime he would have re-set all the records that even aaron and bonds wouldn;t be able to break.simply the greatest, said dimaggio, durocher, lasorda, cosell, ect. ect. ect...
+Bill Flower ~> The "reason" for Mays' greatness was mentioned on an episode of Bewitched AND he was mentioned in the song Centerfield by that Creedence Clearwater guy. ☺
I believe what you say may be true,Bill.There was a baseball stats keeper who said 45 balls of willies were blown back into play in a single season at candlestick...and with the 2 seasons missed you can be sure the records would have fallen.I wonder what would have happened if Ted Williams had not missed because of military service.
Bill Flower mays could not do it all,he was overrated-how is hitting .302(good for 177th on the all time list)hitting for average?.300 is a good average,not great.he was not great at everything. .302?no.
Sounds like Cobb talked trash like so many star players. The job one hack reporter did to his reputation, as documented in the Prager University video, is unjust. Great video.
GEORGE HALAS has a great anecdote on Ty Cobb about a run-in he had with Cobb during Halas' short stint with the Yankees. It begins at 13:10. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-insS_NE_f6k.html
@@ourvaluesarewhoweareinadem4093 Stealing signs is as old as life itself. Steroids is in a different category entirely. So is high tech cheating. AI will create a whole new dimension.
@@anonymike8280 So it was totally cool back when teams had guys in the stands stealing signs and using hand signals to get the signs to the batter? But if you use a cell phone it is somehow total moral bankruptcy? And steroids is somehow different from the meth they used in the 50s, 60s, and 70s and the cocaine they used before that? Idiot.
Leo Durocher's greatest contribution to baseball was in not signing Herman Munster to a contract as Munster would have ruined every Major League ballpark. Look it up.
Somebody should write a book about these great men of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s...that generation was supposed to be so racist and yet they did so much to advance equality.
The only ballplayer you repeatedly hear being the absolute best all-around was Mays: seems he was superlative at every aspect--hitting, running, and fielding. Sounds like Mantle was his peer before the injuries got him.
Mantle definitely was, and probably a little better even. A torn ACL was career ending for most players in the 50s, and 60s, but Mantle kept playing well.
The famous picture of Rose ploughing into Fosse has Leo in the background yelling at Rose to go in hard, he was the 3rd Base coach in that game. howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Redemption-The-Ray-Fosse-Story
