Number 24
The greatest tribute I ever witnessed regarding Willie Mays was delivered by Mickey Mantle in a bar at the Sahara in Las Vegas. We were playing in a golf tournament and the Mick was a celebrity player. We had a few beers on the course and started really throwing them down in the bar. The Mick was still on Screwdrivers and he was cutting up with us and a few gals. My buddy, Downtown Freddie Brown, blurts out the question that we had argued about since we were kids fighting it out at the field every day. "Who was better, you or Williams" he shouted and the whole place got quiet. The Mick sat there for over a minute and then he gathered up some coasters. He took a pen and wrote something on one of the coasters. He then stacked up all of the other coasters. He said "This stack has Dimaggio, Snider, Williams , Ruth and Me in it. That single coaster has the best player of all time written on the back. I 'll see you guys tomorrow". After he walked out, we got in a tug of war over that silly coaster. We finally settled down to see what it said. The coaster had 24 Willie Mays written on it. Old Brown still has that coaster in his office and I pick it up and look at it about once a year. I am not ashamed to admit that I tear up because my friend, the Mick, is gone now, but my memories of that day and his personal tribute to the Say Heh Kid lives on as if it just happened.
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