Willie Mays insisted he "wished I could come out" to Rickwood Field for MLB ’s tribute to the Negro Leagues in his final public words.
On Tuesday, Mays died of heart failure . The former center-fielder, an MLB icon with the San Francisco Giants , was 93 years of age.
Mays first made a name for himself in baseball with the Birmingham Black Barons, starring for the Negro Leagues team at Rickwood Field in Alabama. The ballpark is considered the oldest still-standing professional ballpark in the nation, and MLB is set to host a regular-season contest between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals there on Thursday.
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Unfortunately, Mays - days before his passing - revealed in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle that he would not be attending the contest. Mays said he didn’t "move as well" as he explained the reason for his absence but pointed out he was looking forward to watching the game from home despite wishing he could attend. Heartbreakingly, his wish to watch the game never materialized.
"I wish I could come out to Rickwood Field this week to be with you all and enjoy that field with my friends," Mays said. "Rickwood's been part of my life for all of my life. Since I was a kid. It was just ‘around the corner there’ from Fairfield [the town where Mays went to high school], and it felt like it had been there forever. Like a church.
"The first big thing I ever put my mind to was to play at Rickwood Field. It wasn't a dream. It was something I was going to do. I was going to work hard to be one of the Birmingham Black Barons and play ball at Rickwood Field.
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"That's what I did. It was my start. My first job. You never forget that. Rickwood Field is where I played my first home game, and playing there was IT - everything I wanted.
"I'd like to be there, but I don't move as well as I used to. So I'm going to watch from my home. But it will be good to see that. I'm glad that the Giants, Cardinals and MLB are doing this, letting everyone get to see pro ball at Rickwood Field. Good to remind people of all the great ball that has been played there, and all the players.
"All these years and it is still here. So am I. How about that?"
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Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays - elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility - ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-time lists, including those of The Sporting News and ESPN. The Giants released a statement paying tribute to Mays, which read: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport.
“Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In commemoration of "The Catch" as perhaps the most famous play in the history of the Fall Classic, the World Series MVP Award was named in his honor in 2017.”
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