Mays mural in Alabama amongst acrossthecountry homages

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Willie Mays offered a message to his longtime goodfriend Dusty Baker simply a day before he passedaway.

Mays, who passedaway Tuesday afternoon at 93 years old, understood that he wouldn’t be able to make the journey to Birmingham, Alabama, for a week of celebrations honoring the contributions that he and other Negro Leaguers haveactually made to baseball. But he desired Baker to share a message to the city he long called home.

“Birmingham, I desire I might be with you all today,” stated Mays’ excellent pal and consultant Jeff Bleich, reading the declaration at a event Wednesday honoring Mays’ life and profession. “This is where I’m from. I had my veryfirst professional hit here at Rickwood as a Black Baron. And now this year, some 76 years lateron, that hit lastly got counted in the record books. I guess some things take time. But I constantly believe muchbetter late than neverever.”

Mays likewise sentout an antique clock with his photo on it to the city of Birmingham. Baker was not sensation well, Bleich stated, so he was not at the event.

“Time modifications things,” Mays continued in his note. “Time heals injuries. And that’s a excellent thing. I had some of the finest times of my life in Birmingham. So I desire you to have this clock to keepinmind those times with me, and to keepinmind all the other gamers who were fortunate sufficient to play here together.”

The event took location in downtown Birmingham simply miles from Rickwood Field, where Mays’ memorable profession started. Bleich signedupwith Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer in providing speeches in Mays’ honor, standing in front of a grand mural screen of the previous Giants center fielder.

It’s an captivating representation of the electrifying “Say Hey Kid,” revealing Mays beaming with his hands resting on his knees, his bunch of athletic achievements painted around him.

The artwork was developed by artist Chuck Styles, who stated he desired to capture Mays’ humankind.

“I understood I desired to display him in a method that everyone understood him for,” Styles stated, “and that was his smile.”

Other homages to Mays, born in Westfield, Alabama, near Birmingham, put in all over the nation Wednesday, consistingof from President Joe Biden.

“Like so lotsof others in my community and around the nation, when I played Little League, I desired to play center field duetothefactthat of Willie Mays,” Biden stated in a declaration. “It was a