24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid

by Willie Mays, John Shea, Bob Costas (Introduction), Bob Costas (Foreword by)

Overview

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER

The legendary Willie Mays shares the inspirations and influences responsible for guiding him on and off the field in this reflective and inspirational memoir.

"Even if, like me, you thought you had pretty much read and heard all there was to read and hear about Willie Mays, this warmhearted book will inform and reward you. And besides, what true baseball fan can ever get enough of Willie Mays? Say Hey! Read on and enjoy." —From the Foreword by Bob Costas

“It’s because of giants like Willie that someone like me could even think about running for President.” —President Barack Obama

Widely regarded as the greatest all-around player in baseball history because of his unparalleled hitting, defense and baserunning, the beloved Willie Mays offers people of all ages his lifetime of experience meeting challenges with positivity, integrity and triumph in 24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid.

Presented in 24 chapters to correspond with his universally recognized uniform number, Willie’s memoir provides more than the story of his role in America’s pastime. This is the story of a man who values family and community, engages in charitable causes especially involving children and follows a philosophy that encourages hope, hard work and the fulfillment of dreams.

“I was very lucky when I was a child. My family took care of me and made sure I was in early at night. I didn’t get in trouble. My father made sure that I didn’t do the wrong thing. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for children and their well-being, and John Shea and I got the idea that we should do something for the kids and the fathers and the mothers, and that’s why this book is being published. We want to reach out to all generations and backgrounds. Hopefully, these stories and lessons will inspire people in a positive way.” —Willie Mays

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250230430
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	480,691
File size:	134 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

WILLIE MAYS, forever the youthful Say Hey Kid, was a major-league center fielder for 22 seasons with the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets and played for the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro Leagues. He hit 660 home runs, collected 3,283 hits, stole 338 bases, earned 12 Gold Gloves and played in 24 All-Star Games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

JOHN SHEA is the award-winning national baseball columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle and Willie's longtime acquaintance. He has written several books, including the autobiography of Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. He is seen regularly on MLB Network.

WILLIE MAYS, nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", was an MLB center fielder for 22 seasons with the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets. He won two National League MVP awards, ended his career with 660 home runs, and won a record-tying 12 Gold Glove awards. Mays shares the record of most All-Star Games played with 24, the same number as his jersey. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
JOHN SHEA is the award-winning national baseball columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle and Willie Mays's longtime acquaintance. He has written several books, including the autobiography of Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, Off Base: Confessions of a Thief. He is seen regularly on MLB Network and NBC Sports Bay Area and has contributed to ESPN.com, The Sporting News, and USA Today.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1. Set an Example: The Story of 24
Chapter 2. Play Catch With Your Dad: The Story of Willie Howard Mays Sr.
Chapter 3. Remember Your History: The Story of the Birmingham Black Barons
Chapter 4. Take on a Challenge: The Story of Breaking Down Barriers
Chapter 5. Honor Your Mentors: The Story of Leo Durocher and Monte Irvin
Chapter 6. Act Like You’ve Been There Before: The Story of a Unique Style
Chapter 7. Keep Your Eye on the Ball: The Story of the Catch
Chapter 8. Honor Your Peers: The Story of Willie, Mickey, and the Duke
Chapter 9. When Life Throws You a Curve, Go With the Pitch: The Story of the Polo Grounds
Chapter 10. Give it All You’ve Got: The Story of a Four-Homer Day
Chapter 11. Life and Baseball Aren’t Fair: The Story of a Game of Inches
Chapter 12. Never Give Up: The Story of a 16-Inning Classic
Chapter 13. Have Fun On the Job: The Story of All-Star Pride
Chapter 14. Your Foe Can Be Your Friend: The Story of a Heated Rivalry
Chapter 15. You Can Go Home Again: The Story of a Return to New York
Chapter 16. Strive for Excellence: The Story of 1,415 Home Runs
Chapter 17. Respect Everyone Like Your Teammate: The Story of the Absurdity of Racism
Chapter 18. Follow Your Dreams: The Story of a Kinship with Barack Obama
Chapter 19. Benefit from Versatility: The Story of a Five-Tool Player
Chapter 20. Embrace the Mental game: The Story of the Sixth Tool
Chapter 21. It’s Not All About the Numbers: The Story of Life Beyond 660
Chapter 22. Have Each Other’s Back: The Story of a Good Friend’s Son
Chapter 23. Stay Young At Heart: The Story of Three World Series Rings
Chapter 24. Make A New Friend: The Story of a Love Affair with Fans
Index
Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

03/23/2020

In this enjoyable memoir, told in the third person, Shea (Off Base) and Mays narrate the life of one of MLB’s greatest baseball players. Drawing on hundreds of interviews from the likes of fellow legends Hank Aaron, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, and Willie McCovey, and three presidents (Clinton, Bush, Obama), Shea chronicles Mays’s life and legacy with attention, detail, and awe. The narrative follows Mays’s early playing days in Tennessee through his professional career with the New York/San Francisco Giants and New York Mets and into retirement. When describing his famous catch in the 1954 World Series, Mays humbly recalls, “It was simple to me. You go back, you catch the ball, you spin, you turn, you throw it back to the infield.” He reflects on other parts of his life, as well, including his Army service during the Korean War (“You’ve got to serve your country, and that’s what I did”), and discusses the significance of black athletes, from Jackie Robinson through to when Mays himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama (“It wasn’t about riding Air Force One, it was the thought of someone from my race inviting me aboard”). This definitive work about a living legend is a must-buy for baseball fans. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for 24:

"His new memoir will remind fans of why we love baseball so much, and also, now, of why we miss it." —Tyler Kepner, The New York Times

"...the nostalgic 24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid is a welcome treat. It’s also a salute to what the game used to be, not only before the pandemic but before it got too big. Back when it was a game played for the love of it, by guys who still lived in the neighborhood." —Jacqueline Cutler, New York Daily News

"Eloquent and inspirational, Mays’ words serve as a glue for the text, bringing readers inside the clubhouse at pivotal moments and revealing Mays’ philosophy on sports, camaraderie and a life well lived. More than a baseball history, “24” feels akin to a fireside chat with a sports hero brimming with wisdom." —Zack Ruskin, San Francisco Chronicle Datebook

"This book shows off the best parts of Mays, and is a delightful read while waiting for baseball to return." —Rich Dubroff, Baltimore Baseball

"Shea chronicles Mays’s life and legacy with attention, detail, and awe...[a] definitive work about a living legend." —Publishers Weekly

"[Mays’] upbeat personality shines even when discussing difficult topics…Baseball fans of all ages and anyone seeking inspiration will enjoy memories and motivation shared in a warm, joyous manner by the irrepressible Say Hey Kid." —Library Journal (starred review)

“This unusual mix of memoir, self-help, and baseball history…drives home the point that there's never been anyone quite like number 24.” —Booklist

“Terrific . . . It is a must read.” —Forbes.com

"The Willie Mays bio is filled with examples of excelling under pressure." —Investor's Business Daily

Praise for Willie Mays:

"It's because of giants like Willie that someone like me could even think about running for president." —President Barack Obama

“We sat and talked a long time about baseball, which really helped me more than anything in the world, sitting and talking to him about baseball.” —Hank Aaron

"Willie's the greatest all-around player of all time. You listen to his stories, you learn so much.... Nobody tells stories like Willie." —Dave Roberts, 2016 National League Manager of the Year

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2020

Baseball legend Mays, with coauthor Shea (San Francisco Chronicle), presents 24 motivational themes within an autobiographical framework. Included are many never-before-told stories from Mays's youth, playing days in the Negro Leagues, the golden era of baseball in New York, the Giants's relocation to San Francisco, his Hall of Fame career, and his postretirement life as a public advocate for the game he loves. The athlete's upbeat personality shines even when discussing difficult topics such as the racism he faced on and off the field throughout his career playing for the New York-turned- San Francisco Giants and later the New York Mets. Readers seeking a comprehensive, more objective biography might prefer James S. Hirsch's Willie Mays, but this work offers a unique opportunity to hear Mays in his own words as he shares his enthusiasm for helping others to build a better world. VERDICT The iconic uniform number 24 is the inspiration for the life story of Mays, told in his own words. Baseball fans of all ages and anyone seeking inspiration will enjoy memories and motivation shared in a warm, joyous manner by the irrepressible Say Hey Kid.—Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT

Library Journal

Willie Mays’s baseball life was a long and rich one, worthy of multiple biographies. Known as a five-tool player—he could run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power—Mays enjoyed a long career. The tag-team narration here fits wonderfully: Larry Herron speaks in a serious and deep tone that is commanding, with appropriate doses of emotion. Julian McWilliams uses a higher voice for Mays who, in fact, does have a slightly high voice. Often, when people are quoted—like President Obama—imitations are used and fit seamlessly within the story. Off- and on-the-field anecdotes are interspersed with brief pieces of advice and mini-mantras from the baseball great. M.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MAY 2020 - AudioFile

2020-03-16
Living legend Mays (b. 1931) and San Francisco Chronicle baseball writer Shea present fresh material about the often chronicled career of the superstar center fielder.

The title refers to Mays’ jersey number and also corresponds to the number of chapters in this conversational book. The majority of the text contains Shea's words about the Hall of Famer, but Mays’ own words are scattered throughout each chapter along with an excellent array of photographs from every stage of his life. The narrative is upbeat in the sense that the hundreds of individuals quoted are consistently enthralled by Mays' sterling character, positive outlook, and baseball talent. But it’s not all sunshine. Mays faced intense racism after transitioning from the Negro Leagues to white-dominated Major League Baseball. Though Jackie Robinson became the first black player to break the color barrier, the role of Mays as a racial pioneer in MLB is unquestionable. His white teammates and his few black mentors tended to protect him instinctively from the most repulsive racism, almost surely because of his winning personality as well as his on-field talents. In chapters framed by various life lessons—e.g., “Set an Example,” “Have Fun on the Job,” and “Benefit From Versatility”—the authors illuminate Mays’ stellar career; service in the Army in the early 1950s; meetings with many U.S. presidents, with Barack Obama as the most special; and the similarities and differences between him and players of his own era, especially Hank Aaron, as well as modern stars such as Barry Bonds and Mike Trout. Despite the scandal involving Bonds’ use of performance-enhancing drugs, Mays is adamant that he deserves entry into the Hall of Fame. Bob Costas provides the foreword, noting that “a strong case can be made for Willie Mays as the greatest all-around player in baseball history.”

A book primarily for baseball fans, but it offers plenty of material for readers interested in U.S. race relations. (color printed endpapers, 68 b/w photos)

Kirkus Reviews