BATTING AROUND THE ALL-STAR BASEBALL GAME

Willie Mays is 91 years old and resides in San Francisco. He is known to have lost his eye sight perhaps a decade ago, so he is cared for in a house with medical care and the aid of family, friends and neighbors.

Otherwise, he will go down in history as the finest baseball player to ever lace up his spiked shoes, roam centerfield like he was born there, and just represent our nation’s pastime like no one else since he arrived at age 17 to play for the New York Giants. That was 1951, and two years later he returned from serving in the United States Army with his new “basket catch” and legendary years ahead.

In ’51, his final regular season game found him kneeling in the on-deck circle after teammate Bobby Thomson

had parked a two-run home run in the short lower deck of the ancient Polo Grounds to set off a wild celebration as the Giants won the deciding game of the best-of-three National League playoffs against the rival Brooklyn Dodgers.

His roommate, Monte Irvin, said that Mays thought “that shot heard round the world” had tied the score. When he realized that it was the shot in upper Manhattan that would take his Giants to the World Series, he slowly rose and joined the celebration. It was probably his first and last wake-up call in the game he loved.

But his name remains now and forever. And after this latest All-Star game played Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in Anaheim, there he was on the list of the that game’s 2-time most valuable players, one of five that is alongside former Dodgers first baseman, Steve Garvey, former Orioles shortstop Calvin Ripken, former Montreal Royals’ catcher Gary Carter, and present Angels’ outfielder Mike Trout.

With Mays on its roster, San Francisco is on top the list of All-Stars with seven. He first made the charts in 1962 when he was the National League MVP in the World Series loss to the New York Yankees. He made it again in 1968. The other Giants who joined him were pitcher Juan Maricial in 1965, first baseman Willie McCovey in 1969, Bobby Bonds in 1973, and Melkey Cabrerra in 2012.

Second was the Baltimore Orioles with six, followed by the Cincinnati Reds with five, four each for the Dodgers in Los Angeles, and the Boston Red Sox. There have been three selected for Cleveland, Texas, Montreal, and the New York Yankees. Two each from Atlanta, Kansas City, Seattle, and the Los Angeles Angels, and 15 clubs with one apiece. The White Sox is the only franchise that has yet to have an All-Star game MVP.

Of the present players, Trout is the only two-timer.

It would be difficult to select an all-time All-Star team, but safe to bring up the names of McCovey, Joe Morgan at second, Ripken at short, Brook Robinson at third, an outfield of Mays, Trout and Bo Jackson, Mike Piazza behind the plate, Mariicial, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Marianna Rivera and Don Sutton on the mound.

Yes, there were plenty of other stellar players, but these were All-Star MVPs.

And can’t forget to say hang in there, #24, you were without a doubt a credit to the game and belong at the top of the all-time heap.