Tony Oliva is deeply affected by the death of two Hall of Fame brothers

When Willie Mays’ health began to fail a few years ago, Tony Oliva relied on news from his Orlando Cepeda. Oliva knew that Mays had been ailing for some time.

Oliva was saddened by Mays’ death on June 18. But on Friday night, he was devastated to learn of the death of Cepeda, one of his best friends in baseball.

“It was hard for me to believe,” Oliva said Saturday. “I talked to him about a week ago and he said he was ready to go to Cooperstown.”

Oliva looked forward to his twice-monthly conversations with Cepeda, a friendship that had lasted more than 60 years. They met at a friendly game at the Polo Grounds in New York in 1963, when Oliva was just joining the Twins as a rookie.

“We started talking,” Oliva said. “And from that moment on we were like brothers, Orlando and I.”

Oliva played two seasons of winter ball in Puerto Rico, Cepeda’s home country, where they forged this friendship.

In 1964, Oliva met Mays at the All-Star Game at New York’s Shea Stadium. That’s when the relationship between Tony O. and the Say Hey Kid began. The three met at old-timers’ games and other events after their playing days. Like Mays, Cepeda was a former player for the Minneapolis Millers, but he also played for the St. Cloud Rox in 1956, winning the Northern League triple crown. When Cepeda was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, he listed Oliva among the players who deserved a plaque in Cooperstown, NY.

“I know Tony Perez, Tony Oliva and Luis Tiant will be here in the near future because they belong in Cooperstown,” Cepeda said that day.

It took a little longer than expected for Oliva to be inducted, as he is not scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame until 2022.

I visited Oliva at his home in Bloomington last week after Mays’ death. He joined me in finding a photo of him with Mays, but two hours of research turned up nothing. I did, however, come across several photos of him and Cepeda. One of their more recent photos was taken in 2016, when they were inducted into the Negro League Museum’s Hall of Game along with Tim Raines and Andre Dawson.

A picture of Oliva and Mays has surfaced, courtesy of Kathleen Berenguer, wife of former Twins relief pitcher Juan Berenguer. She posted on Facebook a photo of Oliva, Mays, Berenguer, former Viking Matt Blair — and a certain close personal friend — from a Starkey Hearing Foundation gala.

“Sid Hartman, Tony Oliva, Juan Berenguer, Willie Mays and Matt Blair. 19 years ago at the Starkey Gala. With Willie’s passing yesterday, only Tony and Juan remain with us,” she wrote.

Oliva was friends with Mays and very close to Cepeda, so his last days were full of memories and sadness.

“Can you believe it,” said Oliva. “Back to back and so close.”

Speaking of Hall of Famers

Joe Mauer never won the traditional Triple Crown, but now that he is retired, he enjoys one.

His run began last July when he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. In January, he learned he would have to reword his induction speech when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a ceremony that will take place on July 21.

But it doesn’t end there. On Monday, Mauer will be in Boston to be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame. Other inductees include former NFL players Takeo Spikes and Tyrone Wheatley.

And when you include his induction into Mancini’s Sports Hall of Fame last month — the popular steakhouse has been honoring local athletes for 39 years — that’s a grand slam of Hall of Fame inductions in 12 months. That’s a lot of talk.

Enjoy watching

Cheryl Reeve wants her Lynx to have flowers after they won the Commissioner’s Cup last week, so let’s give them their flowers.

Some fans consider this time of year to be a low point in sports until NFL training camps begin. That’s not the case here. The Twins’ 45-36 record at the halfway point of the season was five games better than it was after 81 games last year. And the Lynx are a must-win as they enter the WNBA championship conversation.

They may have the best defense in the league. Napheesa Collier is a candidate for MVP. Only Caitlin Clark had made more three-pointers than Kayla McBride before Saturday. They had won seven straight games before losing to Dallas on Thursday. They are deep and tenacious, and Collier is one of the most dynamic players in the league.

So this summer we have the opportunity to follow successful teams heading to the postseason.

… and two predictions

• Starting Tuesday against Detroit, the Twins have favorable matchups in the next four series before the All-Star break. They’ll go 8-4 in those 12 games and pray Cleveland cools off.

• Terrence Shannon Jr. will make a bigger impact than Rob Dillingham for the Wolves right off the bat. He can drive to the basket and finish. His three-point shooting improved in his final college season. He fits in well defensively. And he’s four years older than the 19-year-old Dillingham.