{"id":6278,"date":"2016-01-13T16:21:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T00:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin\/"},"modified":"2016-01-13T16:21:00","modified_gmt":"2016-01-14T00:21:00","slug":"willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin\/","title":{"rendered":"Willie Mays Remembers Mentor Monte Irvin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:16px\">By  <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\">Laura Wagner<\/a><\/span>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/01\/13\/ap_435181127976-c3c115fea5bd7b7ba36ef91f6c0e9927e8dd97b1-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96.\" alt=\"Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\">Listen to the Story<\/a><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/programs\/all-things-considered\/\">All Things Considered<\/a><\/p>\n<div><strong><\/strong> <strong>4:13<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\"><span>Playlist<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/pd.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2016\/01\/20160113_atc_willie_mays_on_monte_irvin.mp3?dl=1\"><span>Download<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\"><span>Embed<\/span><\/a>\n<div><label>Embed<\/label> <button>Close embed overlay<\/button> <strong><code><strong>&lt;<\/b>iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/462945783\/462950469\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\"&gt;<\/strong><\/code><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/transcript\/transcript.php?storyId=462945783\"><span>Transcript<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96. <strong>AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays was once quoted as saying, &#8220;I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseballhall.org\/news\/remembering-monte-irvin\">died Monday<\/a> at his home in Houston at the age of 96. Mays, now 84, spoke to NPR&#8217;s Kelly McEvers about the man he described as a father figure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He taught me a lot things about life,&#8221; Mays said. &#8220;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 \u2014 you don&#8217;t stop and show anybody up. Thinking was more important to him than just playing the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For much of his career, Irvin played in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles. When he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/irvin-monte\">finally reached Major League Baseball<\/a> in 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, he was already 30 years old. Still, his skill was undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He had what I call a very good arm, ran very good, good hitter and most of all thinking,&#8221; Mays said. &#8220;He was a good thinker in the outfield and that sometimes is overlooked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/mays-willie\">Mays entered MLB in 1951<\/a>, he joined Irvin on the New York Giants, where, he said, the older man&#8217;s guidance was invaluable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I came up in &#8217;51, Monte taught me a lot of things about life in the big city \u2014 well, I call it the Big Apple, New York. I learned very quickly because I had to play the games in the Polo Grounds,&#8221; he said. &#8220;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&#8217;t make a lot of mistakes out there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/01\/13\/ap_62624360768_sq-58d345269cc4e082de58db4fd3477c63feae3012-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Willie Mays pictured in 1967.\" alt=\"Willie Mays pictured in 1967.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Willie Mays pictured in 1967. <strong>AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To me it wasn&#8217;t, because I knew those guys &#8230; it wasn&#8217;t anything different. It made me proud to be a part of that particular unit at that particular time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/01\/13\/sports\/baseball\/monte-irvin-star-outfielder-who-lost-his-prime-to-racism-dies-at-96.html\">acknowledged<\/a> that he &#8220;wasted [his] best years in the Negro Leagues.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But he added: &#8220;I&#8217;m philosophical about it. There&#8217;s no point in being bitter. You&#8217;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was this thoughtfulness that stuck with Mays. When asked about what he will miss about Irvin, Mays said simply, &#8220;the man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He was a guy that was sort of like my father. &#8230; There was a park by his house there, we would go out and just talk, nothing specific, just talk, mostly about life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service &#8211; if this is your content and you&#8217;re reading it on someone else&#8217;s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org\/content-only\/faq.php#publishers.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Source:: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Willie Mays Remembers Mentor Monte Irvin\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/01\/13\/ap_435181127976-c3c115fea5bd7b7ba36ef91f6c0e9927e8dd97b1-s1100-c15.jpg\" title=\"Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96.\" alt=\"Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\">Listen to the Story<\/a><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/programs\/all-things-considered\/\">All Things Considered<\/a><\/p>\n<div><strong><\/strong> <strong>4:13<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\"><span>Playlist<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/pd.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2016\/01\/20160113_atc_willie_mays_on_monte_irvin.mp3?dl=1\"><span>Download<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2016\/01\/13\/462945783\/willie-mays-remembers-mentor-monte-irvin?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports#\"><span>Embed<\/span><\/a>\n<div><label>Embed<\/label> <button>Close embed overlay<\/button> <strong><code><strong>&lt;<\/b>iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/462945783\/462950469\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\"&gt;<\/strong><\/code><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/transcript\/transcript.php?storyId=462945783\"><span>Transcript<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Monte Irvin poses during spring training in this 1952 photo. The Hall of Famer died Monday at age 96. <strong>AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays was once quoted as saying, &#8220;I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseballhall.org\/news\/remembering-monte-irvin\">died Monday<\/a> at his home in Houston at the age of 96. Mays, now 84, spoke to NPR&#8217;s Kelly McEvers about the man he described as a father figure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He taught me a lot things about life,&#8221; Mays said. &#8220;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 \u2014 you don&#8217;t stop and show anybody up. Thinking was more important to him than just playing the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For much of his career, Irvin played in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles. When he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/irvin-monte\">finally reached Major League Baseball<\/a> in 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, he was already 30 years old. Still, his skill was undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He had what I call a very good arm, ran very good, good hitter and most of all thinking,&#8221; Mays said. &#8220;He was a good thinker in the outfield and that sometimes is overlooked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/baseballhall.org\/hof\/mays-willie\">Mays entered MLB in 1951<\/a>, he joined Irvin on the New York Giants, where, he said, the older man&#8217;s guidance was invaluable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I came up in &#8217;51, Monte taught me a lot of things about life in the big city \u2014 well, I call it the Big Apple, New York. I learned very quickly because I had to play the games in the Polo Grounds,&#8221; he said. &#8220;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&#8217;t make a lot of mistakes out there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/01\/13\/ap_62624360768_sq-58d345269cc4e082de58db4fd3477c63feae3012-s800-c15.jpg\" title=\"Willie Mays pictured in 1967.\" alt=\"Willie Mays pictured in 1967.\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Willie Mays pictured in 1967. <strong>AP<\/strong> <strong>hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>toggle caption<\/strong> <span>AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To me it wasn&#8217;t, because I knew those guys &#8230; it wasn&#8217;t anything different. It made me proud to be a part of that particular unit at that particular time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/01\/13\/sports\/baseball\/monte-irvin-star-outfielder-who-lost-his-prime-to-racism-dies-at-96.html\">acknowledged<\/a> that he &#8220;wasted [his] best years in the Negro Leagues.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But he added: &#8220;I&#8217;m philosophical about it. There&#8217;s no point in being bitter. You&#8217;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was this thoughtfulness that stuck with Mays. When asked about what he will miss about Irvin, Mays said simply, &#8220;the man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He was a guy that was sort of like my father. &#8230; There was a park by his house there, we would go out and just talk, nothing specific, just talk, mostly about life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service &#8211; if this is your content and you&#8217;re reading it on someone else&#8217;s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org\/content-only\/faq.php#publishers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports-recreation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}