Quote

When I was in Birmingham I used to go to a place called Redwood Field. I used to get there for a two o'clock game. Where can you make this kind of money playing sports? It was just a pleasure to go out and enjoy myself and get paid for it.

Willie Mays

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Willie Mays
Age: 93
Born: 1931
Born: May 6
Baseball Player
Jefferson County
Alabama
Willie Howard Mays Jr.
Willie Howard Mays
The Say Hey Kid
Used
Sports
Redwoods
Kind
Called
Birmingham
Make
Pleasure
Clock
Games
Field
Enjoy
Paid
Money
Fields
Place
Playing
Two
Game
Redwood

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I'm not the type of guy to go out and just say, 'Hey, I'm raising my fist to do this and do that.' I don't think I'm that type of guy. I wasn't a leader the way other people may have wanted me to be.
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Maybe I was born to play ball. Maybe I truly was.
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I was very blessed with a good body. Never got hurt. Never was in the hospital. The only time I was in the hospital was when I would get exhausted a little bit, and go in for a check-up or something.
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I didn't teach you that. Catch the ball with your glove.
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At ten I was playing against 18-year-old guys. At 15 I was playing professional ball with the Birmingham Black Barons, so I really came very quickly in all sports.
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Yes, I had to learn how to live life outside, but I had so many people help me.
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I think I was programmed to do good things when I came into the majors. I knew how to play.
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They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it.
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I would try and help everybody, because the game was so easy for me. It was just like walking in the park.
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Every time I look at my pocketbook, I see Jackie Robinson.
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In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated.
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When I'm not hitting, I don't hit nobody. But, when I'm hitting, I hit anybody.
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When I got to professional ball I used to play 150 games every year. It depends on how many games there was.
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I don't mean to be bashful, but I was
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The catch off Bobby Morgan (a backhanded grab of the Brooklyn Dodger's line drive in September 1951 at Ebbets Field) in Brooklyn was the best catch I ever made. Jackie Robinson and (Giants manager) Leo Durocher were the first people I saw when I opened my eyes
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I don't know what Joe (DiMaggio) wanted (in regards to being called 'the greatest living ballplayer'), but I don't have a problem, if he wanted to do that. He was my hero. Joe was the best all-around player. Joe was the best. I only played against him once, in the '51 Series.
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I'm a very lucky guy. I had so many people help me over the years that I never had many problems. If I had a problem, I could sit down with someone and they would explain the problem to me, and the problem become like a baseball game
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In 1950, when the Giants signed me, they gave me $15,000. I bought a 1950 Mercury. I couldn't drive, but I had it in the parking lot there, and everybody that could drive would drive the car. So it was like a community thing
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The greatest challenge I think is adjusting to not playing baseball. The reason for that is I had to come out of baseball and come into the business world, not being a college graduate, not being educated to come into the business world the way I should have.
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