This saddens me. A great deal.
I witnessed my first sporting event in 1966. At Candlestick Park, sitting in the wooden seats in the reserved section. Oh, the fresh air, green grass, the barking of the vendors, and the sound of the batted ball. And in front of me, such legends as Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda. And Willie McCovey was in a class by himself.
There is a reason McCovey was such a beloved figure in SF. No one - even opponents - can say a single bad word about him. He was a feared slugger, but he was humble, dignified in every way. I can even recall the way he retired. There was a rookie first baseman on the team - Rich Murray, the brother of Eddie - who McCovey felt was a "phenom". McCovey submitted his notice to retire in June 1980 as he didn't want to impede his progress. I had to go to McCovey's last game in Candlestick, which was a remarkable feat for our family - it was a weekday afternoon game, and somehow my father, sister (a big fan of Willie) and I were all able to get the day off. I can proudly say I saw his last base hit - a screaming single into right, versus the shift, bringing home Jack Clark, who had tripled just prior. And the following Sunday in LA, Willie had the last of his 1,555 RBIs against the Dodgers - a sacrifice fly. He commanded such respect that even the Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation as he retreated to the dugout.
What a great player. And a greater statesman. This is baseball's loss.
I witnessed my first sporting event in 1966. At Candlestick Park, sitting in the wooden seats in the reserved section. Oh, the fresh air, green grass, the barking of the vendors, and the sound of the batted ball. And in front of me, such legends as Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda. And Willie McCovey was in a class by himself.
There is a reason McCovey was such a beloved figure in SF. No one - even opponents - can say a single bad word about him. He was a feared slugger, but he was humble, dignified in every way. I can even recall the way he retired. There was a rookie first baseman on the team - Rich Murray, the brother of Eddie - who McCovey felt was a "phenom". McCovey submitted his notice to retire in June 1980 as he didn't want to impede his progress. I had to go to McCovey's last game in Candlestick, which was a remarkable feat for our family - it was a weekday afternoon game, and somehow my father, sister (a big fan of Willie) and I were all able to get the day off. I can proudly say I saw his last base hit - a screaming single into right, versus the shift, bringing home Jack Clark, who had tripled just prior. And the following Sunday in LA, Willie had the last of his 1,555 RBIs against the Dodgers - a sacrifice fly. He commanded such respect that even the Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation as he retreated to the dugout.
What a great player. And a greater statesman. This is baseball's loss.