Willie Mays Remembers Mentor Monte Irvin
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Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96.
Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays was once quoted as saying, "I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw."
But when it came to life off the field, the legendary player credits his former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Monte Irvin with being his teacher. Irvin died Monday at his home in Houston at the age of 96. Mays, now 84, spoke to NPR's Kelly McEvers about the man he described as a father figure.
"He taught me a lot things about life," Mays said. "I already knew how to play the game, but sometimes you need a little more. You need to know how to treat people. You need to know how when you hit a home run, you run around the bases — you don't stop and show anybody up. Thinking was more important to him than just playing the game."
For much of his career, Irvin played in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles. When he finally reached Major League Baseball in 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, he was already 30 years old. Still, his skill was undeniable.
"He had what I call a very good arm, ran very good, good hitter and most of all thinking," Mays said. "He was a good thinker in the outfield and that sometimes is overlooked."
When Mays entered MLB in 1951, he joined Irvin on the New York Giants, where, he said, the older man's guidance was invaluable.
"When I came up in '51, Monte taught me a lot of things about life in the big city — well, I call it the Big Apple, New York. I learned very quickly because I had to play the games in the Polo Grounds," he said. "So Monte was there playing alongside of me at all times, and it was just a wonderful feeling to have someone in the outfield with me to make sure I didn't make a lot of mistakes out there."
Willie Mays pictured in 1967.
Mays, Irvin and Hank Thompson went on to form the first all-black outfield in Game 1 of the 1951 World Series against the Yankees. It was a huge moment for baseball. For Mays? Not so much.
"To me it wasn't, because I knew those guys ... it wasn't anything different. It made me proud to be a part of that particular unit at that particular time."
When Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 he acknowledged that he "wasted [his] best years in the Negro Leagues."
But he added: "I'm philosophical about it. There's no point in being bitter. You're not happy with the way things happen, but why make yourself sick inside? There were many guys who could really play who never got a chance at all."
It was this thoughtfulness that stuck with Mays. When asked about what he will miss about Irvin, Mays said simply, "the man."
"He was a guy that was sort of like my father. ... There was a park by his house there, we would go out and just talk, nothing specific, just talk, mostly about life."
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Transcript
KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:
Now we're going to hear one baseball great remember another. Monte Irvin was a Hall of Famer. He began his career in the Negro leagues with the New York Eagles.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
MONTE IRVIN: Yeah, those were the good old days. We enjoyed those days because we were young, we were talented, and we didn't know there was anything any better. Didn't make any money, but we had a good time.
MCEVERS: That's Monte Irvin in a recording from the archives of our member station WNYC. Irvin was among the first players to break the color barrier when he joined the New York Giants in 1949. He helped them win the World Series in 1954. Monte Irvin died earlier this week - a tough loss for fellow Giant and Hall of Famer Willie Mays. Mays says Irvin was like a second father.
WILLIE MAYS: When I came up in '51, Monte taught me a lot of things about life in the big city - well, I call it the Big Apple - New York.
MCEVERS: Right.
MAYS: I learned very quickly because I had to play the game in Polo Grounds, so Monte was there playing alongside of me at all times. And it was just a wonderful feeling to have someone in the outfield with me to make sure that I didn't a lot of mistakes out there.
MCEVERS: You and Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson formed the first all-black outfield in Game 1 of the 1951 World Series against the Yankees. I mean, that is seen now as a very big moment in baseball. Was there a lot of talk about it at the time?
MAYS: To me, it wasn't because I knew those guys. So for them to play in the outfield with me, it wasn't anything different. It made me proud to be a part of that particular unit at that particular time.
MCEVERS: How would you describe what kind of player he was? How did he play?
MAYS: What kind of player he was?
MCEVERS: Yeah.
MAYS: He had what I call a very good arm, ran very good, good hitting and, most of all, thinking. He was a good thinker in the outfield, and that - sometimes it's overlooked, but when you play with those guys, and you know that they can think just as well as they can play the game, then you look at them different.
MCEVERS: How did he help you as a player?
MAYS: How did he help me? (Laughter) He taught me a lot of things about life. I already knew how to play the game, but sometimes you need a little more. You need to know how to treat people, need to know how when you hit a home run, run around the bases. You don't stop and show anybody up. Thinking was more important to him than just playing the game.
MCEVERS: And I understand there's a story. After playoff game in 1951, there was a lot of celebrating. Maybe some champagne was involved.
MAYS: Yeah, I fell out.
MCEVERS: (Laughter).
MAYS: I fell out 1951 because I wasn't used to drinking champagne. I just had came up, but, yeah, champagne was there for the guys, and we won the league playoffs.
MCEVERS: That's right.
MAYS: So there was a lot of champagne going on.
MCEVERS: And so he gave you a hand, though - yeah? - after you fell out?
MAYS: No, that was - two people gave me a hand.
MCEVERS: OK.
MAYS: That was Hank Thompson and Monte. I'm sure that when they carried me home that I didn't know where I was going.
MCEVERS: What will you miss the most about Monte Irvin?
MAYS: The man. He was a guy that was sort of like my father. He was a guy that would take me into his house and meet his wife, Dee (ph). They would cook for me. There was a park by his house there. We would go out and just watch and just talk - nothing specific - just talk, mostly about life. And the most important thing, I thought, was making sure that I didn't get in with the wrong crowd. And you can easily do that when you first come up, and you're supposed to be what I call the star of the ball club. And you can easily get into the wrong crowd, so make sure that I didn't have any, you know, regrets later on down the line. So he was just a fun man to be around.
MCEVERS: Willie Mays, thank you so much for your time and for your thoughts today.
MAYS: All right. Thank you guys for calling.
MCEVERS: Willie Mays remembering his friend Monte Irvin. He died Monday at the age of 96. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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