the pages faded a little

Homage to Willie Mays
Larry Levis

#Poetry #LarryLevis #Homage #WillieMays #CandlestickPark #Telegraph #Oakland #Martinez #SanFrancisco #SanFranciscoGiants #Baseball #TheNewYorker

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/02/homage-to-willie-mays-larry-levis-poem

Sometimes I imagine my younger self coming to work with me, looking at everything we’ve created together. I can see him smiling so big, and it fills me with joy.

#CarltonFisk #DonMattingly #RickeyHenderson #DwightGooden #AndreDawson #TonyGwynn #HankAaron #DaveParker #WillieMays #SandyKoufax #HulkHogan #YogiBerra #ReggieJackson #PeteRose #Mets #Yankees #Dodgers #Cubs #Pirates #Braves #BaseballHistory #MLBLegends #Wrasslin #ILoveMyADHD

In 1986 they made calendars like this, “Greatest Moments in Baseball” with the cover featuring players like:

• Joe DiMaggio (1936-1951)
• Duke Snider (1947-1964)
• Mickey Mantle (1951-1968)
• Willie Mays (1948-1973)

The back of the calendar shows each month.

I can’t quite make out the players on the back of the album, so we’ll stick to the front.

In 1986, I was a ten-year-old baseball fan. We were inundated with items featuring players from the previous generation. It always seemed like players from the 1950s and 1960s were highlighted. What would happen if a calendar like this was produced today in 2024?

Let’s look at the best WAR year for each player on this calendar:

• Joe DiMaggio 1941 (9.3)
• Duke Snider 1952 (9.1)
• Mickey Mantle 1957 (11.3)
• Willie Mays 1965 (11.2)

In 1986, these years were:

• 45 years ago
• 34 years ago
• 29 years ago
• 21 years ago

If MLB were to make a calendar like that today in 2024, they would feature players with peak years in:

• 1979
• 1990
• 1995
• 2003

Here are the WAR leaders in each league (NL, AL) for these years:

• 1979 Dave Winfield, Fred Lynn
• 1990 Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens
• 1995 Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson
• 2003 Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez

I want to see a beautifully painted collage on a calendar of “Greatest Moments in Baseball” with players from these years.

https://www.57hits.com/great-moments-in-baseball-1986

#AlexRodriguez #BarryBonds #DaveWinfield #DukeSnider #FredLynn #GregMaddux #JoeDiMaggio #MickeyMantle #RandyJohnson #RogerClemens #WillieMays

24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid--co-written by Willie Mays and John Shea--is an essential book for anyone that calls themselves a baseball fan.

#WillieMays #Baseball #Sports #Books #Bookstodon

https://dugoutdirt.substack.com/p/24-by-willie-mays-and-john-shea