Willow Glen, California Since 1992
Sports
Photograph by Dick Sparrer Say Hey Kid: Willie Mays, looking like a perfect fit in his old Giants uniform at this oldtimers game circa 1980, will be in San Jose June 23 for a Giants Boosters event. By Dick Sparrer It was 44 years ago when Willie Mays made his baseball debut on the West Coast. The New York Giants made a move in the spring of 1958 to relocate their franchise in San Francisco. Babe Ruth's records of 714 home runs for a career and 60 for a season seemed comfortably out of reach, and a young phenom named Bonds was still 10 years away from his major league debut - that's Bobby ... Barry wasn't even born yet. The Bay Area was getting its own major league baseball team, and with it came the greatest player to ever play the game out in center field. Willie Mays was halfway through a career that would end with 660 homers and a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It was the spring of '58, and the great Willie Mays was coming to San Francisco. Now he's coming to San Jose. Mays, still the greatest of them all, will make a rare guest appearance when the San Francisco-San Jose Giants Boosters hold their 10th annual fundraiser dinner on June 23 at Lou's Village in San Jose. The "Say Hey Kid" will be the guest of honor, and other invited guests include the longtime voice of the Giants, Lon Simmons; former Giants stars Orlando Cepeda, Bobby Bonds and Jimmy Davenport; San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan; current Giants Russ Ortiz and Chad Zerbe; and Giants trainer Mark Letendre. "Willie Mays really doesn't do banquets," said Linda Pereira of the San Jose Giants, the Class A affiliate of the big league club, "so this will be a very special event." The no-host cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7 p.m. The cost for booster members is $35 for adults and $15 for children ($50 and $20 for nonmembers). Fans will have the opportunity to mingle with the baseball celebrities, get autographs and take photographs. There will also be a raffle. For ticket information, call 408-364.0701. |
Feedback, or story ideas for the Willow Glen Resident?
(Close this Window to go back to our home page.)
Copyright © SVCN, LLC. Maintained by GoGuys, Inc.