Baseball was honoring great Black players. Then it lost the greatest of them all.
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Ken Makin Cultural commentator
| Birmingham, Ala.
There was no question about who would be the star of the show as Major League Baseball descended upon Alabama for a weeklong series of Negro League tributes. But just to make sure, Birmingham native Willie Mays鈥� name was on the marquee of the historic Carver Theater ahead of a documentary screening Monday night.
From documentaries to baseball games, his presence was looming. And then, as Tuesday鈥檚 minor league game went into the good night, so did the 鈥淪ay Hey Kid.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 very untimely,鈥� offers comedian and actor Roy Wood Jr., a fellow son of Birmingham who was reporting at Rickwood Field at the time Mr. Mays鈥� passing at age 93 was announced.
Why We Wrote This
This week, baseball is celebrating the Negro Leagues legacy in Birmingham, Alabama. The death of hometown hero Willie Mays has underlined his own incomparable legacy and how his life intertwined with Birmingham, baseball, and Black America.
鈥淏ut to have seen and been in a baseball stadium when the announcement came out, you saw exactly what he did as a player,鈥� says Mr. Wood, whose new podcast is called 鈥淩oad to Rickwood.鈥� 鈥淗e brought people together, regardless of race or lifestyle. Strangers in this crowd here were hugging.鈥�
He offered those heartfelt sentiments during a celebrity game at the famed park on Wednesday evening, with a tribute game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants slated to take place Thursday. Within a baseball throw of Mr. Wood, a comedian who came to fame through his performance at the White House Correspondents鈥� dinner in 2023 and his tenure with 鈥淭he Daily Show,鈥� was Mr. Mays鈥� Hall of Fame plaque from Cooperstown.
The gold-plated memorial paled in comparison with Mr. Mays鈥� sterling career, even as the late afternoon sun beamed off it. Mr. Mays, a 24-time All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove winner, is considered by many the greatest player in MLB history. During a week in which MLB confirmed its commitment to giving the Negro Leagues their flowers, it was the city of Birmingham that blossomed to life, whether it was through various murals of Mr. Mays or the stories of his legend.
Rickwood Field, the oldest ballpark in the United States, took on additional significance this week in the aftermath of the death of Mr. Mays. He began his baseball career there in 1948 in the Negro Leagues as a 17-year-old. He played for the Birmingham Black Barons, and there鈥檚 a picture in the recesses of one of the park鈥檚 gift shops with members of that team. Just one person in that picture is still with us 鈥� the Rev. William Greason, one of Mr. Mays鈥� former teammates. He鈥檚 slated to throw out the first pitch at Thursday evening鈥檚 MLB game.
鈥淭here has never been a ballplayer as good as Willie Mays,鈥� Mr. Greason The Washington Post.
On Monday, Mr. Mays鈥� passing was the furthest thing from Birmingham鈥檚 mind, as the HBO documentary with his name played at Carver. After the screening, director Nelson George and Mr. Mays鈥� son, Michael, were on hand for a brief dialogue.
Michael Mays, who is from Harlem, talked about the love and appreciation his family has for Birmingham.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of emotional because it鈥檚 full circle,鈥� the younger Mays told the audience, almost prophetically. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been an honor to meet [the surviving Negro Leaguers] and get to talk to them. We all know their hardship, we all know their struggle, but they marched through it like it wasn鈥檛 nothing.
鈥淭he joy and the happiness that went on in the community, despite the struggle, I can sense that when I come here,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the core of my dad鈥檚 character. It鈥檚 a Birmingham thing. It鈥檚 a Fairfield thing. It鈥檚 a family thing.鈥�
鈥淪ay Hey鈥� wasn鈥檛 just an audible and welcoming gesture from Mr. Mays. It constituted how he played the game.聽
That flair also had a tinge of defiance, which may have been interpreted as a type of protest during the segregationist and racist period during which Mr. Mays played, explains Anthony Williams, director of the Negro Southern League Museum in Birmingham.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a certain stylishness that just comes with [Black] culture. There鈥檚 a certain way of doing things differently from the regimented way,鈥� says Mr. Williams. 鈥淵ou still have to learn discipline, the rules, and structure, but at the same time, you don鈥檛 have to adhere to it. You can actually have an edge by personalizing your own style within the rules. I think that鈥檚 what we see when we think of a Willie Mays or a Satchel Paige.鈥�
Mr. Williams鈥� words open up an interesting dichotomy, considering one section of the Mays documentary, which talks about a brief spat with Jackie Robinson.聽
Mr. Robinson believed that Mr. Mays didn鈥檛 do enough to speak up about the Civil Rights Movement, which was ironic considering a similar ideological conflict between Mr. Robinson and Malcolm X. Mr. Mays acknowledged Mr. Robinson鈥檚 efforts toward civil rights, and then offered, 鈥淪o too, have I, but in a different way.鈥澛�
The documentary goes on to say that Mr. Mays mentored a host of Black baseball players, including Bobby Bonds, who later named Mr. Mays the godfather to his son, Barry.
Mr. Mays鈥� celebrity and approach to the game inspired the generations that would follow. Even as the number of Black baseball players continues to dwindle, there are advocates for the game such as former New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, who appreciated the Negro League tributes at Rickwood.
鈥淚n the wake of Willie鈥檚 passing, this feels right,鈥� Mr. Sabathia says. 鈥淚 take on the personal responsibility of bringing more Black baseball players, but we need more Black families at the games. We need more accessible experiences like this that bring more fans, which will bring more Black players.鈥�
That type of intentionality fits the week to a T. The hope is that it will be easy for prospective fans and baseball enthusiasts alike to 鈥渟ay hey.鈥� As accolades and tributes continue to pour in, one thing is for certain 鈥� saying goodbye is a much more difficult task.
