If Your Birthday is May 6th...

You share it with the greatest player in Giants history -- the radiant star beloved by fans in both San Francisco and New York, Willie Mays. 660 lifetime home runs, a .302 batting average -- and 12 Gold Gloves. 50 home run seasons 10 years apart, in 1955 and '65 -- the only player with a pair of such bookends. And let's not forgot one of the most memorable World Series catches ever, that over-the-shoulder grab of Vic Wertz' soaring fly ball in the deepest reaches of center field at the Polo Grounds in the opening game of the 1954 fall classic. You still marvel at it every time you see the replay.
Mays' Gold Glove awards are in a special display as you enter AT&T Park.
How's this for being a "difference maker": on July 2, 1963, when future Hall of Fame members Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal each threw 15 scoreless innings, Mays settled things in the bottom of the 16th inning, homering off Spahn for a 1–0 Giants victory.
More than the stats and the heroics, fans just adore the guy. There's the enduring image of playing stickball with kids in Upper Manhattan, near the Polo Grounds and where he lived during his first years in the majors. The R&B group The Treniers recorded the song "Say Hey" in his honor.  And of course, he's the first name in the title of the Terry Cashman retro song "Willie, Mickey and Duke." #24 on his back and a record 24 All Star Games played. Need I say more?
Sharing Willie's birthday May 6th is a rising star, Braves speedster Mallex Smith. I caught him against the Mets on Wednesday. And while his career is virtually all ahead of him, he possesses the range of talents, especially speed, that make him worth keeping an eye on as we move forward. Above, I had to capture that agility drill he went through warming up just before the game.

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