Connect with us

News

Willie Mays, The Giants’ Electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ Dies At 93

Published

on

mays
Willie Mays | AP news Image

Willie Mays, the dazzling “Say Hey Kid” whose unique blend of talent, determination, and passion helped him become one of baseball’s greatest and most adored players, has died. He was 93.

Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants notified Tuesday night that he died earlier that afternoon in the Bay Area.

“My father died peacefully and surrounded by loved ones,” son Michael Mays said in a statement posted by the club. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unfailing love you’ve shown him throughout the years. “You’ve been his lifeblood.”

The center fielder began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948 and was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999, he was ranked second only to Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s greatest players. The Giants retired his uniform number 24 and built AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza.

Mays died two days before the Giants’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” Rob Manfred, the commissioner, said. “Willie Mays transferred his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the storied Giants team. From coast to coast, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and fully earned its status as our National Pastime.”

Few people were blessed with all five of the fundamental traits of a superstar: hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding, and throwing. Few players exuded excitement as much as he did, whether he was blasting home runs, running around the bases with his loose-fitting cap flying off his head, or chasing down fly balls in center field and finishing the job with his characteristic basket catch.

Willie Mays, The Giants’ Electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ Dies At 93

Mays batted for 23 big league seasons, the majority of which were spent with the New York/San Francisco Giants but one in the Negro Leagues.301, 660 home runs, 3,293 hits, almost 2,000 runs scored, and 12 Gold Glove awards. He won Rookie of the Year in 1951, was awarded Most Valuable Player twice, and finished in the top ten for MVP ten times. His lightning-fast dash and over-the-shoulder grab of an apparent extra-base hit in the 1954 World Series is still baseball’s most famous defensive play.

“When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing,” Mays told NPR in 2010. “I had the clubhouse guy fit me a cap so that as I ran, the wind got up in the bottom and it flew straight off. People enjoy such kind of stuff.”

For millions in the 1950s, 1960s, and beyond, the smiling ballplayer with the cheerful, high-pitched voice was a hallmark athlete and showman in an era when baseball was still the national pastime. Mays, who received the Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2015, had a lasting impression on his supporters. But a single feat captured his charm, one so unrivaled that it was simply dubbed “The Catch.”

In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the then-New York Giants faced the Cleveland Indians, who had won 111 games in the regular season and were heavy favorites in the postseason. The score was 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning. Vic Wertz of Cleveland faced reliever Don Liddle with no outs, Larry Doby on second, and Al Rosen on first.

With the count 1-2, Wertz blasted a fastball into deep center field. Wertz would have homered or had an easy triple in an ordinary park with an average center fielder. However, the center field wall in the unusually shaped Polo Grounds was more than 450 feet away. Willie Mays’ skills were everything but average.

Decades of video replays haven’t dulled the thrill of seeing Mays rush towards the wall, his back to home plate, reach out his glove and catch the drive. What happened was also remarkable: Mays could swivel around while still moving forward, hurl the ball to the infield, and prevent Doby from scoring even as she spun. Mays proudly stated that “the throw” was as essential as “the catch.”

mays

Willie Mays | AP news Image

Willie Mays, The Giants’ Electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ Dies At 93

“Soon as it got hit, I knew I’d catch the ball,” Mays said author James S. Hirsch, whose book was published in 2010.

“All the time I’m running back, I’m thinking, ‘Willie, you’ve got to get this ball back to the infield.'”

Millions of people saw and heard “The Catch” on radio and television, and Mays became one of the first Black athletes to get widespread media attention. He appeared as a guest on “The Donna Reed Show,” “Bewitched,” and several other comedies. He inspired a few songs and was named first in Terry Cashman’s 1980s novelty tune “Talkin’ Baseball (Willie, Mickey & The Duke),” which was a tribute to the brief era when New York had three future Hall of Famers in the centre: Mays, Mantle of the Yankees, and Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Giants went on to sweep the Indians, with many crediting Mays’ performance as a turning moment. The impression was so powerful that 63 years later, in 2017, baseball named him the World Series Most Valuable Player, even though it was his lone playoff memorable moment. He appeared in three previous World Series, for the Giants in 1951 and 1962 and the Mets in 1973, batting 239 with no home runs in all four. (His only postseason home run came in the 1971 National League playoffs when the Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But “The Catch” and his regular-season performances were impressive enough. Yankees and Dodgers fans may have hotly contested Mays’ dominance, but Mantle and Snider did not. At a 1995 baseball writers’ dinner in Manhattan, with all three on the dais, Mantle asked the age-old question: which of the three was better?

“We don’t mind being second, do we, Duke?” He added.

From 1954 to 1966, Mays drove in 100 or more runs ten times, scored 100 or more twelve times, hit 40 or more home runs six times, more than 50 home runs twice, and led the league in stolen bases four times. His numbers might have been higher. He missed most of 1952 and all of 1953 due to military service, which may have cost him the opportunity to break Ruth’s career home run record of 714, which had previously been held by Henry Aaron and Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds. He won more Gold Gloves if the award had been founded before 1956. He said he could have led the league in steals more frequently if he had tried.

“I’m completely devastated and overtaken with grief. “I have no words to express how much you mean to me,” Bonds wrote on Instagram.

mays

Willie Mays | AP news Image

Willie Mays, The Giants’ Electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ Dies At 93

Mays was lucky to avoid catastrophic harm and a huge controversy but faced personal and professional challenges. His first marriage, with Margherita Wendell, ended in divorce. He was frequently short on money during the pre-free agent period, and he received less for sponsorships than Mantle and other white athletes. He was subjected to racial slurs, and his assertion that he was an entertainer rather than a spokesman prompted Jackie Robinson and others to criticize him for not contributing more to the civil rights cause. He didn’t like some of his managers and didn’t always appreciate his idols, particularly Aaron, his greatest contemporary.

“When Henry began to soar up the home-run chart, Willie was loathe to give even a partial nod to Henry’s ability, choosing instead to blame his own performance on his home turf, (San Francisco’s) Candlestick Park, saying it was a lousy park in which to hit homers and this was the reason for Henry’s onrush,” Howard Bryant, Aaron’s biographer, wrote in 2010.

Admirers of Aaron, who died in 2021, argue that only his calm demeanor and geographical distance from major media centers — Aaron played in Atlanta and Milwaukee — prevented him from being rated alongside, if not ahead of, Mays. However, Mays was regarded as the most important player in baseball. He was the game’s highest-paid player for 11 seasons (according to the Society for American Baseball Research), and he frequently batted first in All-Star Games because he was Willie Mays. From center field, he called pitches and positioned other players. He boasted that while determining whether to try for an extra base, he followed his instincts rather than any instructor’s.

Barney Kremenko, a sports writer, is commonly credited with calling Mays “The Say Hey Kid,” which refers to his passionate approach to greeting his teammates. Moments on and off the pitch solidified the public’s adoration. In 1965, Mays broke up a horrific altercation after teammate Juan Marichal hit Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with a bat. Mays walked a bloodied Roseboro away and sat by him on the Dodgers’ clubhouse bench, the Giants’ bitter rivals.

SOURCE – (AP)

Continue Reading

News

Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

Published

on

starbucks Schultz

Starbucks’ interim CEO, Howard Schultz, violated federal labor law in 2022 by telling a California barista who expressed concerns about unionization that “if you’re not happy at Starbucks, you can go work for another company.”

The National Labor Relations Board ruled on Wednesday that Schultz’s statement constituted an unconstitutional, coercive threat.

The decision highlights Starbucks’ difficult relationship with organized labor, as more and more employees at its outlets unionize.

Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

In 2022, as interim CEO, Schultz visited a business event in Long Beach, California, to address and improve working conditions at Starbucks locations. According to the NLRB, Barista Madison Hall attempted to discuss the benefits of unionization as well as Starbucks’ claimed history of unfair labor practices.

“Why are you angry at Starbucks?” Schultz inquired. He stated that the occasion was not the appropriate forum for discussing union problems before remarking on working elsewhere. The administrative law decision states that he “had an angry expression on his face.” The NLRB ruling maintains an administrative law judge’s decision from October 2023.

Starbucks issued a statement expressing its disagreement with the board’s decision. “Our focus remains on training and supporting our managers to ensure respect for our partners’ right to organize, and we are making progress in our discussions with Workers United,” a business representative said in a statement Thursday.

Though Schultz stepped down from his third term as CEO in March 2023, he remains involved with the company. When he retired from Starbucks’ board of directors in September, the business named him “lifelong chairman emeritus.”

“We note that the judge identified the Respondent’s highest official, interim CEO Schultz, as a ‘legendary leader,’ a status that would exacerbate the coercive nature of Schultz’s statement,” the ruling read.

Since the first Starbucks branch in Buffalo, New York, unionized in 2021, the coffee business has been embroiled in hundreds of labor battles over alleged union-busting practices. In June, the Supreme Court heard Starbucks v. McKinney, a case involving seven employees who were fired after attempting to form a union. The Supreme Court agreed with Starbucks.

An NLRB administrative law judge earlier stated that Starbucks had engaged in “egregious and widespread misconduct” in its dealings with employees involved in unionization efforts at Buffalo outlets, including the first site to unionize. Starbucks dispatched high-level executives into Buffalo-area stores on a “relentless” campaign, according to the judge, which “likely left a lasting impact as to the importance of voting against representation.”

Starbucks stated at the time that it is “considering all options to obtain further legal review,” and that “we believe the decision and remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter.”

schultz

Howard Schultz Violated Labor Law By Telling Employee ‘If You’re Not Happy At Starbucks, You Can Go Work For Another Company’

The union reports that on October 1, the 500th Starbucks location in Washington state decided to unionize.

The NLRB ordered Starbucks on Wednesday to stop threatening to terminate employees for unionizing and to post a notice of employee rights in all of its Long Beach outlets.

“We are pleased to see the NLRB continuing to advocate for workers and their legal right to organize. At the same time, we’re looking ahead and proud to be on a new journey with the firm,” said Michelle Eisen, co-chair of Starbucks Workers United’s national organizing committee and bargaining delegate, in a statement to CNN on Thursday.

SOURCE | CNN

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

Published

on

cybertruck
CNN | Tesla

Tesla is recalling around 27,000 Cybertrucks due to a rearview camera issue that delays the image being presented on the dashboard, increasing the danger of a collision.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, the rearview display may appear blank for up to 8 seconds when the Cybertruck is in reverse. That is far over the two seconds required by US federal safety regulations.

tesla

Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

Tesla has issued a free, over-the-air software update to address the issue. Drivers can also reverse the Cybertruck by “performing a shoulder check and using their mirrors,” according to the NHTSA.

This is the fifth recall for the electric vehicle, which was released last year. The most recent recall, in June, concerns the truck’s large single windshield wiper and a piece of plastic trim along the edge of the truck bed that might become loose and detach from the vehicle while driving.

In April, the trucks were recalled because the accelerator pedal could become stuck when depressed. Tesla launched a software recall in January for 2.2 million of its cars, including Cybertrucks, due to warning light letters that were too small to read. That issue was likewise resolved with an over-the-air software upgrade.

Tesla Recalls 27,000 Cybertrucks Due To A Rearview Camera Issue

Tesla announced a rise in sales this week for the first time this year, however, year-to-date sales still trail the same period in 2023.

The company delivered approximately 463,000 automobiles worldwide in the third quarter, rising 6% from the previous year’s sales number and 4% from the second quarter of this year.

SOURCE | CNN

Continue Reading

News

The Biden Administration can go Ahead With Student Loan Forgiveness, Says a Federal Judge.

Published

on

Student Loan

(VOR News) – A temporary restraining order that was obtained against the expansive new student loan forgiveness system that was planned by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden will be allowed to expire by a federal judge.

Injunction was issued against the program that was being proposed. It is possible that the execution of this strategy may reduce the suffering of tens of millions of people in the United States of America.

There is a possibility that the idea might be beneficial to as many as three out of every four people who are now in possession of federal student loans, as stated by an estimate that was provided by the Center for American Progress.

This happens because the student loan plan takes into account government initiatives.

A victory was granted to the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, according to an announcement made by United States District Judge Randal Hall in Georgia before the close of the day on Wednesday. The previous Republican president, George W. Bush, was the one who appointed Hall to his current post. Hall now serves in that capacity.

In the next few weeks leading up to the election that will take place in November, it is quite likely that Vice President Joe Biden will press forward with the proposition that his administration has offered to cancel student loans. There is a chance that this will occur given the verdict.

A new condition has emerged as a result of a lawsuit that was filed against the aid package by seven states that are run by Republicans. This lawsuit was filed against the aid package after it was submitted.

There are a number of states that have ruled that the debt cancellation scheme that is now being carried out by the United States Department of Education is illegal. These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota, and Ohio, amongst others.

The conclusions of Hall, on the other hand, indicate that Georgia did not have the legal jurisdiction to launch a legal action against the relief plan. As a result, the state was unable to fulfill the duty of the forum for the application.

The judge made an order that the case be relocated to Missouri because the states argue that the notion that was proposed by Biden would be most detrimental to Mohela, which is the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority.

Which is responsible for servicing student loans?

The judge issued the order as a result. The United States Department of Education’s spokesman applauded the judge’s finding that Georgia had “no legal basis” to pursue the action; yet, the spokesperson also criticized the Republican drive to prevent relief from being granted. The verdict made by the judge was lauded by the authorized spokesperson.

This case is the outcome of an ongoing campaign by Republican elected officials who, according to what they claimed, seek to prevent millions of their own people from having breathing room on their student loans. This campaign is the cause of this complaint.

That campaign is reflected in this lawsuit that has been filed. “The fact remains that this lawsuit reflects an ongoing effort.”

Our efforts to improve the flawed student loan system and to provide support and relief to borrowers all throughout the country are not going to be abandoned, and we are not going to stop up on providing these services. We have declared our intention to carry on with our work.

Under the plan that was proposed by Vice President Joe Biden, student debt would be forgiven for four different groups of borrowers:

Those who owe more than they initially took out; those who have been in repayment already for decades; students who attend schools with a low financial value; and those who are eligible for loan forgiveness under an existing program but have not yet implemented the program.

SOURCE: CNBC

SEE ALSO:

Uber Hires Yandex Spinoff Ride-Hail and Autonomous Delivery With Avride

Donald Trump Withdraws from the ’60 Minutes’ Election Interview.

The Rupee Versus The US Dollar is Still Mainly Constant.

Continue Reading

Download Our App

vornews app

Buy FUT Coins

comprar monedas FC 25

Volunteering at Soi Dog

Soi Dog

Trending