As baseball luminaries descend on Birmingham, Mays is top of mind

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- As the who’s who of the baseball world descended upon the Magic City on Wednesday night, there was one member of the community who was top of mind. Willie Mays, whose first experience of professional baseball came at Rickwood Field with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948, passed away on Tuesday, shortly before the Minor League game between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits.

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For the star-studded rosters of the celebrity softball game dubbed “Barnstorm Birmingham” -- in reference to the way Negro Leagues teams traveled all over the country in order to play the sport in a segregated nation -- Wednesday was a necessary opportunity to reflect on Mays’ legacy, both in this city and the world at large.

That the two teams were named the Say Heys (in honor of Mays) and the Hammers (in honor of Hank Aaron) only added to the poignancy of the evening. Here is some of what those involved had to say:

Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City
“I was probably one of the first to find out. Michael [Mays, Willie’s son] and his cameraman, they sent me a text message to alert me that he had passed away and for me not to say anything. So I sat on this for about three hours until they had a chance to get their official statements together and that kind of thing. Like everybody else, I was deeply saddened at getting that news.

“Even though he lived to be 93, we never wanted to lose Willie Mays. We just didn't. And so yes, it hit hard. It hurt. But then at some point, you also realize what a magical opportunity we have to celebrate his life and to give the joy, the joy that he gave so many baseball fans. You can't be sad when you say Willie Mays’ name. And so we've got to kind of climb and pull ourselves out of that spirit of sorrow to really celebrate his life. And we couldn't have asked for a more grander stage than what's going to take place here on Thursday with this salute to the Negro Leagues.”’

CC Sabathia, former Yankees pitcher and Hammers player
“It was tough on me, I was actually here at the ballpark at the Minor League game. We got a text, it was surreal. I mean, it was sad. But then, as I’m sitting here, back in the Willie Mays Pavilion, I’m like, ‘This is the reason we’re in Birmingham. We came here to celebrate Willie’s career and what he meant to baseball.’ Now we have a chance to celebrate this man’s life and have a chance to really embrace what he was about and who he was to baseball, to Black history, American history. … This is what we should be doing. In the wake of his passing, we should be having celebrations.

Ryan Howard, former Phillies first baseman and Say Heys coach
“It's saddening, but it was like -- with this event coming up and it happening right at the time of this event, I think, obviously, it's going to heighten it even more. So in a sense, it's almost -- I don't want to be off and say it's like poetic -- but what a person he was and the player that he was. Prayers go out to the family. It's hard for me to kind of put into words because, for it to happen basically the day before this game is supposed to take place, it's just, I don't know, I think it's still kind of setting in for me.”

Dexter Fowler, former Cardinals center fielder and Say Heys coach
“We were actually at the Minor League game here, right in the Willie Mays Pavilion, when I heard about it. It was surreal; I get the chills every time thinking about it. God rest his soul. I know he was really close to Barry [Bonds, Barnstorm Birmingham honorary captain], being his godfather. And Barry and I are super close, so I sent him a text. I’m going to give him a big hug when I see him.”

Adam Jones, former Orioles center fielder and Hammers coach
“Obviously, the baseball world lost a tremendous person in the community. But I look at it, and obviously death is a bad event, but I’m going to try and look at it in a positive way. We’re all here in Birmingham, we’re all celebrating Willie Mays today, tomorrow. I think that’s why we were here anyway. But I think it adds a little bit more meaning right now. We’re all really taking it to heart right now. But showing appreciation for the 93 years that he graced this beautiful earth, the things that he did in baseball. Like Griffey said last night, he’s the Godfather center fielder.”

Matt Barnes, former NBA player and Say Heys player
“Really just condolences to his family. Obviously, what Willie Mays meant to the game of baseball: A great player but an even better person. The way that him and a lot of other guys in the Negro Leagues paved the way for today’s stars, you can never discount them.”