Was Willie Mays a joy to be around?

He was a joy to be around," said Hall of Famer Leo Durocher of Willie Mays. At age 16, Mays joined the Birmingham Barons of the Negro American League. The New York Giants purchased his contract in 1950, and he was in center field at the Polo Grounds soon thereafter.

Who is Willie Mays' father?

An artist and a genius, for most of his 22 seasons in the big leagues, you simply could not keep your eyes off Willie Mays. The great ballplayer's father, William Howard Mays, was named after William Howard Taft, who was the United States president when he was born in 1912.
Why did Willie Mays not go to high school?
Cat Mays, Piper Davis, and Willie's high-school principal insisted that Mays should graduate from high school, so he played only in the Black Barons' weekend home games until the school year was over. Ineligible to play high-school sports, he was by far the youngest player on the defending champions of the Negro American League.
How old was Willie Mays when he signed with the Giants?
At age 16, Mays joined the Birmingham Barons of the Negro American League. The New York Giants purchased his contract in 1950, and he was in center field at the Polo Grounds soon thereafter.

How did Willie Mays get his start in baseball?

Willie excelled in the Industrial League and, briefly in 1947, for a Negro minor-league team called the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, essentially a farm team for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. When he turned 16, Cat introduced him to Piper Davis, the manager of the Black Barons.

What happened to Willie Mays in the 1951 World Series?

The Giants met the New York Yankees and Mays's boyhood favorite DiMaggio in the 1951 World Series, which the Giants lost in six games. In Game 1, Mays, Hank Thompson, and Monte Irvin comprised the first all- African-American outfield in major league history. Mays hit poorly while the Giants lost the series 4–2.
Where did Willie Mays go barnstorming?
Ernie Banks (left), Don Newcombe (center) and Willie Mays pose following an exhibition game in Asheville, N.C. during their 1955 barnstorming tour. (Photo courtesy of Asheville Citizen Times)