At the age of 91, Willie Mays still cuts an imposing figure. The years may have slightly slowed his speech, but his glory days memories are crystal clear. That’s a helpful element of this engrossing bio-documentary.
Bob Costas, always a welcome person of knowledge in a sports doc says, in his day “Willie Mays was baseball.” Now, I expect to hear, plaudits in most docs like this, but the testimonials in this film come from the biggest names alive (and some, sadly, from those who’ve since passed, like Vin Scully) and the testimonials aren’t just butt kissing sound bites, they are backed up by history and stats – both of which are fascinating.
Perhaps most shocking is seeing the notoriously mercurial Barry Bonds moved almost to tears when speaking of Mays, who is his Godfather. It’s like Bonds has reverted to being the young boy who was as close to Mays as he was to his own father, Bobby Bonds.
He started way back in 1948, in the Negro Leagues. He was just a teenager. His Major League career took him from the New York Giants on their cross-country move to San Francisco. That’s how most of us remember him, as a Bay Area legend who could do virtually anything on a baseball diamond and, of course, in the outfield.
But wait! If you’re not a baseball fan – hang on. The film has a lot of history and culture to offer, too.
Although Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in the major leagues, Mays was arguably the man who spent more time chipping away at race barriers, even though some criticized him for not doing more.
And yet, in his mid and later years, he was the most famous ball player and arguably the most famous athlete, (perhaps only Ali was more famous). The song “Say Hey, Willie” was a 1955 hit on the radio, and Willie is on it! See the video below.
It’s a great nostalgia trip for those of a certain age, and a cultural history lesson for the rest.
Say Hey, Willie Mays is streaming on HBO Max.
