To celebrate his 80th birthday on Friday, May 6 Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has announced their next installment in their "Legends" television series with a look at the life and times of San Francisco Giants Hall of Famer Willie Mays. The one-hour documentary will air on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8 at 4:30 PT following Giants Postgame Live after the Giants/Rockies game. "Legends: Willie Mays" will take a look at the illustrious career of the 'Say Hey Kid' from his humble beginnings in Westfield, Alabama, to his time with the New York Giants, to his tenure in San Francisco, and eventually to his immortalization in the Cooperstown and on Third and King Streets at the Willie Mays Plaza.
"Legends" will have an in-depth interview with Willie as he reflects on his life and his time in Major League Baseball, and will include rare photographs and archived video footage throughout his career on and off the field. A number of influential personalities such as Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry, Jon Miller, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Morgan, Felipe Alou and many more will share their stories and opinions on Mays, one of the greatest ball players of all time.
Mays will discuss things like race in baseball, his time in the army, his memories of 'the shot heard 'round the World' and of course, his infamous play in game 1 of the 1954 World Series, better know as simply 'the catch'. Here's an excerpt from Willie about 'the catch':
"I was playing shallow and I had to run far. In the Polo Grounds, you have to look at two things. Once you hit the dirt you know it's a danger sign coming up, and when I hit the dirt I knew exactly what was going on. As I'm running and I'm saying to myself I wasn't worried about catching the ball. I was worried about getting the ball back into the infield. So as I'm catching the ball I was turning in all the same motion to get it back into the infield."
You can find more previews at CSNBayArea.com.
Celebrate one of the greatest to ever wear the Black and Orange on Mother's Day Sunday, May 8 at 4:30 PT.