Fans pay tribute to Willie Mays at San Francisco's Oracle Park
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Hundreds of Giants fans came out to Oracle Park Thursday to honor Willie Mays and watch a special showing the Rickwood Field game in Birmingham. All around the stadium were signs "Willie Mays Forever Giant."
Their doors are open for a free program in honor of the Say Hey Kid. Fans can pay their respects and sign a condolence book.
At 4:15 p.m., the ballpark's scoreboard will air an away game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals that's being played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama -- the same place where Mays' career began back in 1948.
The MLB says the game will serve as a tribute to Mays and to the Negro Leagues in which he played.
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"My dad went to opening day, the first Giants game ever... Seals Stadium in '58," said fan Eileen Bissen. "And got to see Willie Mays play and I lost my dad almost two years ago. I brought flowers for Willie but my dad, too."
That was just one of the many stories we heard from fans stopping by the Willie Mays statue Wednesday.
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Bissen bought a brick for her dad when the ballpark first opened -- one she intentionally got near the Willie Mays statue.
"I was at the World Series game in 1989 when he was going to come out and give a speech," said Linda Miramontes, a Gilroy resident. "But the earthquake hit and that was it."
Miramontes came to get a photo with Mays' statue in front of the ballpark. She brought a plaque with a photo of the two of them she took at Pebble Beach in the 1980s.
"That is my idol," she said. "We said Willie, can you come over here? He came, he sat, and we took that photo."
The last few days have been filled with stores about Mays. Whether it was his playing career or his life off the field, many have fond memories of the Say Hey Kid.
"My first and only game with my dad who passed early was 1963, and it was against the Giants," said Bill McCauley, who is visiting from New York. ""The legendary Willie Mays was coming to town and for a 10-year-old boy in the 50s and the 60s, Willie was the bomb."
Inside the stadium, was a giant 2 and 4. Beyond that was a booth full of books where fans could sign and relive memories.
"Just always had a smile on his face," said Anthony Carmona, who drove up from San Jose. "He just always played the game right way."
Mays may be gone, but a lot of fans say they can feel his spirit around the ballpark.
"Every time you come to Oracle Park, there is Willie Mays," Miramontes said. "He will always be here."
Doors will stay open until 8 p.m.
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