When our heroes were real ...

[Bill in Oregon]

Willie Mays was one of mine. I was so fortunate to see him hit homers No. 597 and 598 in August of 1969 against the Cubs at the Stick, and saw him hit No. 3,000 against Montreal in 1970. What a privilege. A genuine baseball hero if there ever was one.
Hard to explain, but I miss really missing baseball.

[oldebear1950]

back in the fall of 1968 or maybe 1969, my three younger brothers and I walked into a sporting goods store on Market Street n San Francisco. Both Willy McCovey and Willy Mays were part owners of the store, and they were there that day.
My youngest brother, who was only about 4 years old at the time, saw a toy he wanted. We told him we did not have enough money to buy it/ Boy he cried an cried, and Willy McCovey said to the clerk give it to him. The clerk tried to say we did not have enough money for it, but Willy McCovey said to give it to him anyway on him.
You have to understand this was before ball players made millions of dollars. Most of them had winter jobs.
My dad and granddad did not believe us when we told them what had happened we had to take them back and the clerk verified our story,
That always made a big and remembered impression on us 4 boys I was the oldest at about 8 or 9 years old. It also made heros out of two ballplayers and we have always remembered and liked the giants ever sense.
My youngest brother and the one just younger than me are both gone now, but until their dieing day they remembered, and the two of us too remember, a nd talked about it this afternoon

[oldebear1950]

that should say the fall of 1958 or 1959

[Bill in Oregon]

Great memory, oldebear. Boy, McCovey could hit a baseball! It was almost unreal attending those Giants games in 1969, seeing both Mays and McCovey -- MVP that year -- on the field and in the batting lineups.

[horsesoldier03]

I got to meet/shake hands with Roy Rogers at his museum in Victorville, CA back around 97, about 1 year before he died.

[Old No7]

True story!!!

My mother dated Mickey Mantel once.

At my daughter's 16th birthday party, she told the story and said that he was "Very international..." *

Old No7

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* She followed up that comment by saying: "He had Roman hands and Russian fingers!"

[oldebear1950]

my three younger brothers and I met both Willy Mayes and Willie McCovey at a sporting good store, on Market Street, in San Francisco was about 1959 or 1960.
Players did not make millions like they do today, even the stars, and had to take off season jobs. They were part owners of that store.
Our dad and granddad did not believe us till the clerk confromed we had met them that morning.