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Kudos to Fox and MLB for the pre-game tribute to Willie Mays, the best player I’ve ever seen.
Hats off to Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. They did Houston Proud.
And a bow at the waist for Ichiro and the new face of baseball. He hit a good pitch for a single, an unhittable pitch for a bloop single, and a bad pitch for the first inside-the-park home run in All Star history. I’m glad I never had to face him.
You know, in baseball, the whole thing is being there. You never know when you’ll see a no-hitter, an inside-the-parker, or some guy hit for the cycle.
Which brings me back to Mays. I probably saw him play 200 games. Who knows what his teammates saw him do? But, I saw him do two things that I’d never seen before and haven’t seen since. Get this: Willie Mays bunted for a double in the Astrodome and scored from second on a bunt there too. Each time, the third baseman was facing the third base dugout, hoping the ball would go foul, and then panicked. Willie could run full speed, looking back to make sure nothing was gaining on him.
He had the instincts of a predator and the laughing eyes of a child. He’s not a big man, but if you ever shake his hand, you’ll know how he hit 660 home runs.
And finally, it was great to see two old foes, going at it again. Tony LaRussa taught Jimmy Leyland well. And he beat him in the 2006 World Series. I’m sure Jimmy would have traded the All Star win for a win in last year’s Fall Classic, but, in baseball, you thank God for any good fortune that comes your way.
And you keep your eye on the ball. You never know what you’ll see next.
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