Latest news with #Mays
Forbes
5 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Willie Mays Personal Collection To Highlight September Auction
Willie Mays, who played stickball on the street with New York kids between games with the Giants, ... More will help them even more with the posthumous auction of his personal memorabilia. Just days before the Baseball Hall of Fame inducts its Class of 2025, Hunt Auctions has announced that the personal collection of Willie Mays will be unveiled for the first time at the National Sports Collectors Convention. Mays, whom many historians rate as the greatest player of the postwar period, asked in his will that proceeds from the auction provide funding for education, training, and health services for youth via the Say Hey! Foundation he founded in 2000. The late superstar, who spent most of his career with the Giants in New York and San Francisco, hit 660 lifetime home runs, winning two MVP awards, a World Series ring, and 24 trips to the All-Star game. The auction of his memorabilia will take place Sept. 27 at the King Street Warehouse adjacent to Oracle Park, home of the Giants. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1979, Mays was memorialized in the song Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, which also saluted fellow centerfielders Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider. At one time, all three played for New York teams. Fans will now be able to see and bid on Mays items and artifacts and receive free appraisals of other sports memorabilia they own from Hunt Auctions experts. This catch made by Willie Mays during the 1954 World Series was one of the best defensive plays in ... More baseball history. Up for auction are the 1954 Mays World Series ring that he won with the New York Giants, who upset the favored Cleveland Indians, and his 1954 and 1965 Most Valuable Player Awards. Projected revenue from the auction of the ring is $500,000-$1,000,000 while each of the MVPs is expected to draw $500,000, according to Hunt Auctions organizers. His 1954 National League Silver Bat, presented after he led the National League is hitting, is valued at $200,000-$400,000 while his Presidential Medal of Freedom could sell for $50,000-$100,000. Also on sale are the outfielder's 1955 Willie Mays model glove, his 1963 All-Star Game MVP award, and many of the multiple Gold Gloves he won for defensive excellence. His Hall of Fame Induction ring is also included in the upcoming Hunt Auction. A San Francisco Giants warmup jacket and rare 1962 Sultan of Swat award are also going to the auction block. According to David Hunt, president of the Pennsylvania auction house, 'We are deeply humbled and grateful to Willie Mays for having been selected to represent this important offering of his personal collection. 'Willie embodies the American success story from his humble beginnings in Fairfield, Alabama through his ascension to become the greatest all-around player in the history of the game of baseball. 'Perhaps more impressively, Willie lived a life of service matched by very few. Whether sharing his knowledge of the game with young players or helping underserved communities to better their lives he was fervently committed to help those whose shoes he once occupied so many years ago. Willie has ensured his generosity will continue long into the future with the wonderful work that his Say Hey! Foundation has accomplished with the proceeds of this auction going to help further that good work.' A five-tools player, Willie Mays had two 30/30 seasons — the first in National League history. Mays began his baseball career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948, then signed with the New York Giants two years later. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 1951, when he helped the Giants win the pennant in a dramatic pennant race with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Three years later, he led the team to a world championship over the Cleveland Indians. The Giants also won a pennant in 1962 but lost a seven-game World Series to the New York Yankees. Among other accomplishments, Mays won two batting titles, hit four home runs in a game, and the first two 30/30 seasons in National League history. He had a .301 batting average and 3,283 hits over a career that lasted 23 seasons. He also made a hit with the kids of New York when he joined them on the street for impromptu stickball games during his East Coast career with the Giants. Known as 'the Say Hey Kid' because he used the greet writers and teammates with the word 'hey,' Mays not only made the Hall of Fame but also the All-Century Team picked during the 1969 Baseball Centennial. 'His one instruction to Dave Hunt at Hunt Auctions was to make this the best auction ever to help those kids,' said Jeff Bleich, a Mays friend who chairs the Say Hey! Foundation. "For all of his extraordinary achievements as a baseball player, Willie Mays wanted his enduring legacy to be helping children. He preserved his most treasured awards so that one day he could pay it forward. He wanted to share these items with his fans so that together they could raise as much as possible to support other kids starting out in life the way he had.' Mays grew up in poverty and attended a segregated school in Birmingham but parlayed his baseball ability into a career that will live in memory. His top salary was $165,000, the amount he earned while concluded his career with the New York Mets in 1963 – years before free agency greatly increased the salary scales for players. Commercial endorsements helped him earn considerably more. The first public display of the Willie Mays collection will occur at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, IL between July 30th and August 3rd, 2025.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers G Robert Hunt is asked the center competition between Austin Corbett, Cade Mays
Carolina Panthers guard Robert Hunt is going to be somebody's right-hand man this season—whether that be Austin Corbett or Cade Mays. The Pro Bowl hog molly chatted with reporters this afternoon, a day before he and the rest of the team embark on their first outing of training camp. Hunt talked about the competition at the center position between Corbett and Mays, which may end up as the biggest battle of the summer for the Panthers. "Because I played with both of them, I kinda know the tendencies of both guys," he said of his chemistry with Corbett and Mays. "I'll let those guys compete. I wish both of them the best. At the end of the day, we're trying to win games and both of those guys know that. Both of them are capable of playing on any team in this league." Hunt started out the year next to Corbett, who transitioned from guard last offseason. But that version of the offensive line ended after just five games, when Corbett sustained a season-ending biceps injury. That opened the door for Mays, who went on to start at center in eight of Carolina's final nine contests. The former sixth-round pick gave an awfully good account of himself in that role too, helping fuel a second-half resurgence for quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers offense. As an added motivator, neither man is under contract beyond the upcoming campaign. So there may be more than just a job at stake in the coming weeks. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers training camp preview: OL features the team's biggest battle of the summer
With the Carolina Panthers set to report to training camp this week, it's time to take a look at the lay of the land. Which players are sure to make it through the summer and onto the team's initial 53-man roster? Are there any wild-card candidates who can leave a lasting impression in the coming weeks? And which battles are worth keeping an eye on? Here is our training camp preview for the Panthers' offensive line: Locks Carolina is boasting one of the more solid offensive lines they've had in some time. Their starting unit is almost entirely set and will be backed up by a few versatile pieces in Christensen, Nijman and, possibly, Mays. There is, however, a bit of uncertainty surrounding the future of Moton as he enters the final season of his contract. The Panthers don't seem all too certain about the long-term health of the soon-to-be 31-year-old, who has played in 129 of a possible 132 games during his eight-year career. Likely to make it After a rough rookie campaign, Zavala gave a decent account of himself from both guard positions in 2024. The former fourth-rounder earned a 71.2 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, with a 73.9 mark in pass-blocking and a 71.9 mark on the ground over 198 offensive snaps. On the bubble Kingston might have the best chance of this bunch to claim an initial roster spot, having already spent the 2024 season on Carolina's active roster. Battle to watch In what is perhaps the Panthers' biggest bout of the summer, Corbett will try to reclaim the starting center job from Mays. Corbett, who transitioned from guard to center in 2024, had a solid start derailed by a season-ending biceps injury in Week 5. Mays took over at the middle for eight of the last nine games, allowing just 10 pressures over 308 pass-blocking opportunities. Can Corbett stave off Mays, who helped in the late-season revival of quarterback Bryce Young, and his recent injury history? Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why the Willie Mays memorabilia auction is a missed opportunity for the Giants
Willie Mays liked to keep stuff. All his friends agree on that. Mays left us just over a year ago, on June 18, when he sauntered off into that mythical cornfield, but he left a lot of himself behind. Trophies, rings, gloves, jerseys, plaques, photos and more. 'Willie kept everything,' says Rick Swig, who was close pals with Mays for decades. Lumped together, all this Mays stuff, from an exotic sports car to a Presidential Medal of Freedom, would fill a fantastic museum, honoring the man every San Franciscan will tell you is the greatest ballplayer who ever played. Sadly, that won't happen. All of Mays' treasures and trinkets are going on the auction block. Barring a miracle, the auction will be like a mighty puff on a dandelion, scattering MVP trophies and Gold Gloves to the wind. The live auction is Sept. 27, at a warehouse near Oracle Park. The lesser items will be auctioned off online. A few of the goodies (estimated top bid range): • 1954 New York Giants World Series ring, which Mays often wore ($500,000-$1 million) • NL MVP trophies from '54 and '65 ($250,000-$500,000) • Presidential Medal of Freedom ($50,000-$100,000) • Fielder's glove, circa '55 ($75,000-$150,000) • Gold Gloves, and Mays won 12 (!) of these babies ($50,000-$100,000 each) • Hall of Fame ring ($100,000-$300,000) • 1977 Stutz Blackhawk VI sports car ($50,000-$100,000). More on this item in a moment. You're picturing a very cool Willie Mays Museum, right? Acres of eye candy for the baseball soul of old-timers and kids alike. But instead of Willie's treasures winding up in a glorious museum, more likely they will become conversation pieces at rich guys' dinner parties, guests slurping martinis and admiring the bauble in its lonely perch on a teak mantel. The good news is that, unlike when so many sports greats sell off their treasures as a financial necessity, this is no desperation fire sale. Mays lived comfortably and enjoyed his treasures until the end. All the money from the auction goes to the Say Hey Foundation, to improve the lives of needy kids. Oh, Mays loved kids. One of the greatest sports photos of all time is Mays, a young superstar for the New York Giants, dressed in natty sportswear, playing stickball on a Harlem street with a group of kids. It's not clear whether Mays was a hoarder by nature, but it's likely that he kept all this stuff because he knew it would someday be converted into cash to power his foundation. Wouldn't it have been cool, though, if the San Francisco Giants had bought the mountain of Maysabilia and opened a Willie Museum? For years there has been talk, inside the organization and out, about a museum — devoted to Mays, or to the whole team. Nothing has come of all the talk, other than last season's pop-up exhibition across the street from the ballpark — the Willie Mays Say Hey Experience. That pop-up, which drew fair traffic, was mostly video and photos, with limited memorabilia. The Giants tell me they have a lot of team memorabilia, including a fair amount of Mays stuff, in a warehouse near the ballpark. They break out some of it from time to time for ballpark exhibits, but the idea of an actual museum is still on some back burner. The Giants had recent talks with the Mays folks about buying some of Willie's treasures and opening a museum, but from what I hear, the team feels it is a challenge to find a permanent space close to the ballpark that would be affordable. Also, buying prime goodies from Mays' stash would cost a big lump of dough. This plays into the narrative of the Giants' primary ownership being overly budget-conscious. It's purely my speculation, but maybe the Say Hey Foundation didn't want to wait forever; they opted to auction off the treasure trove now because there are kids who could use a helping hand now. If someone had unlimited funds, he or she could buy Mays' old home in Atherton and open it as-is, as a Willie Museum. The neighbors wouldn't mind; their kids got autographed baseballs from Willie every Halloween. Rick Swig spent a lot of time at Mays' home. Swig's grandfather, Ben, was a San Francisco hotel tycoon who helped Mays feel at home when the Giants moved here in '58. In recent decades, Rick has been one of Say Hey's biggest fundraisers, and he considered Mays a dear friend. To Swig, a world-class collector himself, Mays' home was Disneyland. 'Every time I was there, I'd look at the walls of his living room, his den, another den out by his pool, or his bedroom, I'd go, 'Oh, my god; oh, wow; gee whiz.' … He would open up these drawers, 'You ever seen this? ' Not to show off, and it would be an oh-my-god.' I was in Mays' home a couple of times, got only as far as the long entry hallway, which was like the Louvre. Every bit of wall space in the home, Swig says, was covered with photos and plaques and awards. Bags of swag filled Mays' four-car garage, and an equally large storage room he built behind the garage. Not in the Atherton garage, but possibly stored at Mays' home in Phoenix, is that '77 Stutz. Mays was a car guy; mostly he drove Caddies, but the hot celebrity ride in the '70s was the Stutz. It was a Pontiac Grand Prix muscle car engine and chassis, topped with a handcrafted Italian body and luxe interior. About 600 were made. Elvis Presley owned the first Stutz, beating out Frank Sinatra for the honor. Paul McCartney drove one along Penny Lane. It's just a car, but it is so Willie — powerful and sleek, symbolic of the man who, quietly, lived like the superstar he was. Elvis' Stutz sold for $297,000. But even the small stuff has great historical and sentimental value. 'I hope whoever ends up with this material is generous enough to share it with the public, in some sort of museum fashion,' says Swig. That seems unlikely. A million items could go to a million different bidders. The Giants might get in on the bidding. I alerted Reggie Jackson, an avid car collector who says he might kick the tires on the Stutz. There's a sadness to this auction, but at least the event will have Mays' blessing. 'Willie's still with us, by the way,' Swig says. 'I'm talking about him in the present tense. He's using this material to fulfill his pledge to support children.' So if you are at the auction and you are hesitating to raise your paddle, and feel a nudge at your elbow, don't be surprised.
The Herald Scotland
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
MLB All-Star Game: Do you remember these random 2000s All-Stars?
But some of the names on the All-Star Game rosters may not stand the test of time. With the requirement that every MLB team have a representative, sometimes the "best" players on bad clubs end up sharing the spotlight with the likes of Judge and Ohtani. Other times, it's a worthy player whose first-half success proves to be nothing more than a three-month anomaly in the long arc of baseball history. But those guys will forever be All-Stars. And they deserve to be remembered as such. Here's a look at some players from this millennium who elicit a certain "that guy was an All-Star?" 2000: Mike Bordick, Orioles The man who moved Cal Ripken Jr. to third base in 1997, Bordick was a useful player in the 1990s with Oakland - but had a career .670 OPS entering his 11th year. Then 34, Bordick went on a heater to start the 2000 season with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a .352/.365/.682 slash line in April, ultimately entering the break with a .303 average and .856 OPS. He was traded to the Mets at the deadline and reached the World Series with New York before signing back with Baltimore as a free agent at the end of the year. Also random: James Baldwin (White Sox) 2001: Joe Mays, Twins Entering his third season, Mays was 13-26 with a 4.84 ERA. But in 2001, Mays went 17-13 and led the American League with a 143 adjusted ERA. He helped the Twins pull off a 16-win improvement from 2000-01, laying the groundwork for the club's four AL Central titles in five years starting in 2002. Also random: Jeff Nelson (Mariners), Paul Quantrill (Yankees) and Mike Stanton (Yankees). It was a big year for AL setup men. 2002: Robert Fick, Tigers These were grim days in Detroit, with the Tigers only losing 106 games in 2002 before making a run at the record in 2003, finishing with 119 losses. Fick, formerly a catcher, had transitioned to right field and was hitting .290 with 40 RBIs at the break as Detroit's only All-Star. Also random: Damian Miller (Diamondbacks), Junior Spivey (Diamondbacks) 2003: Lance Carter, Rays We've arrived at the first "good reliever on bad team" on this list. Carter had a 2.72 ERA and 12 saves on June 23, but proceeded to give up nine earned runs over his next four outings, entering the All-Star Game at 4.05. Carter finished 2003 with a 4.33 ERA and 26 saves, and made 105 appearances over the next three seasons for the Devil Rays and Dodgers, playing his last MLB game in 2006. Also random: Mike MacDougal (Royals), Shigetoshi Hasegawa (Mariners) 2004: Ken Harvey, Royals Played just 271 MLB games but was hot at the right time, batting .305 in the first half as the representative of the 104-loss Royals. Probably wouldn't have been an All-Star had Carlos Beltran (who won fan voting) not been traded to the Astros in June. Also random: Dan Kolb (Brewers), Jake Westbrook (Cleveland), Johnny Estrada (Braves) 2005: Cesar Izturis, Dodgers A very fine infielder and Gold Glove winner! Izturis led shortstop fan voting late in the process and was hitting .345 on June 1, but went cold in June and entered the break with a .660 OPS, struggling through injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery later in the year. Also random: Danys Baez (Rays), Felipe Lopez (Reds) 2006: Gary Matthews Jr., Rangers Matthews had a 12-year career but 2006 was the only year he ever topped 3 WAR (5.2), batting .313 with an .866 OPS. A former top prospect, Matthews parlayed his big year (and one of the greatest catches in baseball history) into a five-year, $50 million deal with the Angels at the age of 32. Also random: Derrick Turnbow (Brewers), Mark Redman (Royals) 2007: Gil Meche (Royals) We're not here to say bad things about Gil Meche, who averaged 30 starts from 2003-2008 and was a workhorse in the aughts. But in the first year of a five-year, $55 million contract with Kansas City (the largest in franchise history until 2016), Meche was elected as the Royals' lone representative with a 5-6 record and 3.84 ERA. Also random: Hideki Okajima (Red Sox), Takashi Saito (Dodgers) 2008: Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs Signed to a four-year, $48 million contract prior to the 2008 season, the Japanese import hit a dramatic home run on Opening Day for his new team - but didn't really do much after that. Fukudome won the fan vote as a rookie and spent five years in MLB, posting an above-average .359 OBP in 596 games. Also random: George Sherrill (Orioles), Aaron Cook (Rockies), Corey Hart (Brewers), Nate McLouth (Pirates) 2009: Jason Marquis, Rockies The right-hander enjoyed a 15-year career for nine different teams and won his spot at the 2009 game in St. Louis with 11 wins in the first half. Coming off his All-Star campaign, Marquis signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Nationals, resulting in one of the most random regional sports network hype-commercials of all time, which still circulates on social media 15 years later. Also random: Zach Duke (Pirates), Edwin Jackson (Tigers), Ryan Franklin (Cardinals) 2010: Ty Wigginton (Orioles) We do not tolerate Ty Wigginton slander in these parts. The man who averaged 476 at-bats from 2003-2012 with seven different teams was selected as Baltimore's only All-Star in 2010 with a .252 average and .768 OPS (with 45 RBIs) prior to the All-Star break. Shoutout to Ty Wigginton. Also random: Evan Meek (Pirates), Hong-Chih Kuo (Dodgers), Omar Infante (Braves), Fausto Carmona (Cleveland) 2011: Gaby Sanchez, Marlins A top prospect in the mid-late aughts, the first baseman had a .302 career average in the minors but was never able to find the same consistency in the majors. He won his spot as the Marlins' lone 2011 representative with 13 homers and 50 RBIs before the break. Also random: Kevin Correia (Pirates), Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Ricky Romero (Blue Jays) 2012: Bryan LaHair, Cubs LaHair may be the most random All-Star of all time. He debuted for the Mariners in 2008 but didn't play again in the majors until 2011 with the Cubs, finishing his career with just 195 MLB games. And this wasn't a charity case with the Cubs needing a representative in 2012. LaHair truly earned his spot, posting an .883 OPS with 14 home runs and 30 RBIs in 231 at-bats before the break. But he tailed off in the second half (.202 average in 109 at-bats) and never played another big-league game after his All-Star campaign, ending up in Japan the next season. Also random: Ryan Cook (Athletics), Billy Butler (Royals), Matt Harrison (Rangers) 2013: Domonic Brown (Phillies) One of the top prospects in baseball, Brown struggled through 147 games (.236 average, -1.5 total WAR) in the majors from 2010-2012 - but seemed to flip the switch in 2013, racking up 23 homers and 67 RBIs in the first half for Philadelphia. He managed just four more homers and 16 RBIs after the break, though, and was let go by the Phillies after the 2015 season, never playing another MLB game. Also random: Grant Balfour (Athletics), Edward Mujica (Cardinals), Everth Cabrera (Padres), Marco Scutaro (Giants) 2014: Alfredo Simon, Reds The right-hander joined the rotation after two strong years in Cincinnati's bullpen (2.78 ERA in 99 games) and immediately thrived as a starter, going 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA in the first half. Also random: Devin Mesoraco (Reds), Henderson Alvarez (Marlins) 2015: Jose Iglesias, Tigers Nearly a decade before Iglesias emerged as a Latin pop star with a hit single that got a Pitbull remix, he was a glove-first shortstop who regularly produced a decent batting average and crushed left-handed pitching. He was hitting .314 at the All-Star break with a .364 OBP - but only had one home run and 15 RBIs entering the game. Also random: Hector Santiago (Angels), Brock Holt (Red Sox) 2016: Michael Saunders, Blue Jays Batting .298 with 16 homers, 42 RBIs and a .923 OPS in the first half, the 29-year-old Saunders finally looked to be living up to the potential he displayed as a top Mariners prospect. But he hit .178 the rest of the way in 2016 and only played one more year in the majors. Also random: Steven Wright (Red Sox), A.J. Ramos (Marlins) 2017: Yonder Alonso, Athletics The seventh overall pick in 2008, Alonso projected as a big-time power hitter but that never materialized - until his age-30 season. Alonso, who grew up in Miami and attended the University of Miami, timed his big year perfectly with the 2017 All-Star Game at Marlins Park. Also random: Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks), Jason Vargas (Royals), Chris Devenski (Astros) 2018: Mitch Moreland, Red Sox A strong-side platoon king and Gold Glove winner, Moreland had 46 RBIs in the first half for a 108-win Boston team that won its fourth World Series title in 15 years. He went on to hit a huge three-run homer in the Fall Classic off Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson, prompting a tweet from President Donald Trump about manager Dave Roberts' bullpen management. Also random: Ross Stripling (Dodgers), Mike Foltynewicz (Braves), Jed Lowrie (Athletics), Scooter Gennett (Reds) 2019: David Dahl, Rockies The 2012 first-round pick momentarily looked to have a bright future at Coors Field after years of injuries, but got hurt a few weeks after the All-Star Game and didn't play again in 2019. Injuries continued to pile up and the Rockies non-tendered him after the 2020 season. Also random: Daniel Vogelbach (Mariners), John Means (Orioles), Tommy La Stella (Angels) 2021: Joey Wendle, Rays A versatile infielder and good ballplayer who had a nice 2018 rookie campaign, Wendle was hatting .275 with a .786 OPS at the break to earn himself an invite to the game in Denver. Was traded after the 2021 season and was designated for assignment twice in eight days in May 2024. Also random: Andrew Kittredge (Rays), Alex Reyes (Cardinals) 2022: Santiago Espinal, Blue Jays A (very) late injury replacement, the Toronto second baseman had a .711 OPS in the first half. The moment Santi became a STAR ? @santdr13 — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 16, 2022 Also random: Jose Trevino (Yankees), Garrett Cooper (Marlins) 2023: Josiah Gray, Nationals One of the key pieces coming from the Dodgers in 2021's Max Scherzer/Trea Turner deal, Gray was chosen as the Nationals' lone representative with a 6-7 record and 3.41 ERA at the break. Only made two starts in 2024 due to injury, and the 27-year-old is currently rehabbing after Tommy John surgery. Also random: Geraldo Perdomo (Diamondbacks), Bryce Elder (Braves) 2024: David Fry, Guardians One of the more unlikely All-Stars through the years, Fry has struggled with injuries this season and is hitting .143 in 63 at-bats. Also random: Willi Castro (Twins) The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
