Chris Berman’s memories of Willie; SCSU star throws for gold; Reggie’s greatness and more

CROMWELL – On a sweltering afternoon at the Travelers Pro Am, Chris Berman donned his San Francisco Giants cap to remember Willie Mays, who died Tuesday at the age of 93.

Some baseball legends are larger than life. Willie Mays was more down-to-earth, as Berman remembers him, but full of life.

“His smile and laughter were contagious,” Berman said, sipping a smoothie in the clubhouse at TPC River Highlands. “He’s the reason I became a Giants fan. Willie was a hero to so many of us because you didn’t have to be a Giants fan to like Willie Mays. It was contagious.”

Berman first saw Mays in person on May 4, 1963, when the Giants beat the Mets 17-4 at the Polo Grounds. Mays got a hit, threw to third base for an extra base and scored. A mediocre day by Mays’ standards. “I remember my dad saying to me, ‘That kid who plays center field for the Giants? Mays? He’s the best player,'” Berman said.

(My own trip to New York, specifically to see Mays on June 24, 1972, shortly after he was traded to the Mets, was a little empty. Willie, 41, didn’t play that day, Tom Seaver didn’t have it, and the Mets lost 11-0.)

People who loved baseball, loved Mays, made the trip to see him or took their kids to see him because, as Berman said, “What would he give us? Today?”

Mays hit 660 home runs, maybe 100 more in other home stadiums, but you weren’t necessarily disappointed when he didn’t hit one for you. He was known for making impossible catches in center field, most notably in the 1954 World Series. If you saw one, great, but a simple, signature basket catch stuck in your mind. Maybe he got on base, then stole second and third base, his cap flying off his head as he ran to put you on the edge of your seat. Maybe he cut a ball in the gap and made a perfect peg without setting up.

“He was the definition of a five-tool player,” Berman said, “he got a five in all five categories. If there were 15 categories, he would get the highest rating in all 15. He could do something different great every day. As great as everyone else was, how many players can you say that about?”

He mastered the nuances of the game, and until he lost his sight at age 80, Mays frequently visited the Giants and shared his knowledge and the things he had seen with them.

As Berman, 69, became known on the ESPN broadcast and his lifelong emotional attachment to the Giants became known, he had the opportunity to meet Mays. The first time, he recalls, was in Waterbury. Former Giant Bobby Bonds was hosting a golf event there to raise money for scholarships in the area.

Willie Mays, the Giants’ electrifying “Say Hey Kid,” dies at 93

“He came to Waterbury because if it meant something to Bobby, it meant something to him,” Berman said. “And I remember thinking, ‘Okay, so that is what a teammate is.'”

When Berman broadcast games in San Francisco, such as the last game at Candlestick Park in 1999, Mays would sit in the booth with him for a few innings, letting Willie just talk and share his views on how the game could and should be played.

“He was so passionate about baseball,” Berman said. “It wasn’t just a ceremony when he went to spring training (as a visiting coach), he saw things.”

Even as he approached 90, a meeting with Mays prompted one to ask, “What will he give us?” Today?”

Berman visited the Giants during spring training and then-manager Bruce Bochy let him “manage.” Mays called Berman in to ask him about his strategy.

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“Willie was still in top shape at 90. He was very attentive,” Berman said. “I was at spring training in 2018 and 2019 and Willie spent a half hour asking, ‘What are you going to do when you make it?’ I said, ‘Oh, it’s just a ceremony,’ and he said, ‘Come on, you have to do something.'”

At the San Francisco ballpark, longtime clubhouse manager Mike Murphy whispered, “Willie is here.” And Berman went into the office and found Mays sitting there waiting.

“…And he said, ‘Chris, where have you been? You haven’t been here in two months. How are you? Are you OK?’ in his high-pitched voice,” Berman recalled.

Yet like millions of other baseball fans, even those who have only seen old black-and-white newsreels of Mays in his prime, he can only be remembered as the inspiration for John Fogerty’s center field — and yes, Fogerty also made friends with “Say Hey Willie” — roaming the area of ​​the field that was so important to that young man, carefree and full of joy, as if nothing could be beyond his reach.

One could argue that Babe Ruth was a more dominant player of his era. That Mays, who last played in 1973, was the “greatest living player” shouldn’t be questioned. Who holds that title now? Perhaps Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds. My vote would go to Ken Griffey Jr. With Willie Mays gone, the title just doesn’t seem as relevant anymore.

More about Sunday reading:

Dom Amore’s Sunday Reading: Meet Jordan Davis, SCSU’s Olympic hopeful; an inspiration for UConn and more

Throwing for Gold

Jordan Davis of Wallingford and SCSU, who has been the USA’s best javelin thrower this season, has reached his big moment. He is in the final of the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon. He will throw for a place on the US team on Sunday evening (9:40 p.m., NBC/Peacock).

A GoFundMe page was raising money to help Davis with equipment and travel costs, and as of Saturday, the amount raised was $2,600.

Davis made the finals on Friday with a throw of 77.14 meters. He topped 84 meters at the NCAA Championships. With 12 throwers still in the race, potentially fighting for just two spots, he’ll need his best throw on Sunday.

Short films on Sunday

*Rod Foster, who led St. Thomas Aquinas of New Britain to a 1979 CIAC Class S boys basketball championship while averaging over 30 points per game, was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame. Foster scored 1,365 points for the Bruins and helped Larry Brown’s team reach the Final Four as a freshman in 1980. He later played in the NBA for the Suns.

*During the Cardinals-Giants game, played in honor of the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, a plaque commemorates a memorable 467-foot home run hit there by UConn’s Walt Dropo. Dropo joined the Red Sox the following season.

*The Red Sox are a lot better than people give them credit for and have shown an ability to use the new rules that encourage base stealing to their advantage. With a nine-run record against the Yankees last Sunday, they may have been on to something.

*The difference between the “lights out” starting pitcher and the “we need a starting pitcher” is essentially one pass through the rotation.

*Tristen Newton of UConn has traveled all over the country practice for NBA teams, as a player who is likely to sign a contract after the draft must do. He has already been seen by 13 teams, with the Timberwolves and Knicks to follow.

*Left-hander Tim Cate (Cheney Tech and UConn) is in top form as a bullpen pitcher for Rochester, the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate. Nine of his last 10 appearances have been scoreless. A curveball specialist, Cate has 15 strikeouts in 10 innings since May 25. As we know, MLB teams are always looking for a new bullpen look.

“Coming back here is not easy.”

Reggie Jackson talks about his impressions during his visit to Rickwood Field. pic.twitter.com/dSK7hmCJZd

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) 20 June 2024

Last word

Reggie Jackson’s four-minute talk on the Fox show about the racism he faced as a 21-year-old minor league player in Birmingham in 1967 was the climax of an MLB-staged game at Rickwood Field. If you didn’t see it, you can find it on social media.

Jackson’s eloquent but blunt speech gave the event real meaning and highlighted a fact of baseball history that should not be forgotten. The barrier was broken 20 years earlier, but obstacles remained long after Jackie Robinson. Reggie, as he had in his prime as a player, remained realistic.