Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S. Hirsch (Scribner)

Willie Mays discusses playing in the Negro Leagues, his early days in the Majors, The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,’ his father’s influence, his fanship of Joe DiMaggio and more in support of the new book ‘Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend’ by James S. Hirsch. (Scribner)
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Willie Mays waited a long time to give his blessing for an authorized biography. When reading James Hirsch’s book, one realizes it was well worth the wait. In his 624 pages, Hirsch covers every detail of a man who is one of the top five players ever to play the game and serves as the link between power hitting outfielders from Joe DiMaggio to Barry Bonds. From his early days in the outmoded ‘negro leagues’ to being one of the early stars of baseball’s move to integration, Mays became one of the greatest spokepersons the game has ever known.

By generously offering his cooperation in terms of personal access as well as arranging interviews with obscure people from his past, ‘Say-Hey’ Willie opened the doors for the most comprehensive tome ever devoted to the Giants’ legend. From his days as an immediate star of New York’s Giants to the teams move to San Francisco (making Mays a cross-country star) to his final days back in New York with the Mets, Mays is seen as a remarkable player – a swiss army knife: at bat, on the bases and famously in centerfield. Yet, much of Mays’ personal life existed behind a private curtain, until now.

Hirsch goes into great detail describing Mays; an extensive exploration of ‘the Catch’, his effect on other players (most famously culminating in breaking up the epic fight between Dodger’s John Roseboro and Giant’s pitcher Juan Marichal) the performance drawbacks of Candlestick Park, as well as his period of financial difficulty, his dealing with the residual lingering racism off the field and finally becoming one of America’s most famous and well-liked players.

What is most fortunate, is that Mays finally granted his cooperation while we still have him with us. To have waited any longer would have undoubtedly made for a diminished work. Say-hey. Well done.

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