We lost two men this week, both are men that have been around for most of my life. I started putting my thoughts together the other day about the passing of Willie Mays, a man that I have admired for as long as I can remember, he was not only a great baseball player, but the ultimate Giant, a humanitarian, key figure in the integration of baseball and in social justice. During my writing this, the news broke about the passing of Donald Sutherland, an impact actor that has been making movies since the 60’s.
Willie Mays began his professional career in 1948 at the age of 17, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League. Willie made his major league debut on May 25, 1951, with the New York Giants, where he won rookie of the year honors, just 4 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball.
Long before Joe Montana hooked up with Dwight Clark for “The Catch in the 1982 NFC Championship game, Willie Mays was famous for “The Catch” in the 1954 World Series a spectacular over-the-shoulder grab in deep center field, preventing two runs from scoring. This play is one of the most famous defensive plays in baseball history.
Willie moved to San Francisco with the Giants in 1958 where he became the face of the franchise. Growing up in San Francisco, he was my hero for as long as I can remember, up until Barry Bonds, Willie was the only player that I would stop what I was doing to watch him hit Even after his career was over Willie remained a constant figure with the Giants until he slowed down a couple years ago.
Over his 22-year career, Mays accumulated 3,283 hits, 660 home runs, 1,903 RBIs, and a .302 batting average. He won the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice, in 1954 and 1965 and was selected to the All-Star Game 24 times.
Donald Sutherland first came on my radar in his breakthrough role in "The Dirty Dozen,” where he played Vernon Pinkley in the 1967 film. "The Dirty Dozen," could have easily been on my favorite movie list last week, at least an honorable mention.
Sutherland played memorable roles in two classic films from the early 1970s. in "MASH” he played Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce a wisecracking, irreverent surgeon during the Korean war, often using humor and unconventional methods to cope with the horrors of war. In "Kelly’s Heroes" he played Sergeant Oddball, an eccentric and laid-back tank commander. with carefree attitude, his use of a Sherman tank painted with psychedelic colors, and his catchphrases like "Always with the negative waves, Moriarty."
He played many memorable roles throughout his career, over time his roles evolved from a carefree sarcastic character to stoic elder statesman in his rolls in “The Italian Job’ and the “Hunger Games”.
Loss is part of life, the older we get the more we lose. Both Willie Mays and Donald Sutherland have been constants in my life, I am so grateful for all the happy memories that they have shared. They will be missed.
Let me know what you think.
