The Sportsletter - Remembering A Sports Giant

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BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 19, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

The world said goodbye to a sports giant on Tuesday. Willie Mays was one of one. We’ll take a minute to remember the baseball legend, his legacy, and more.

Other Stories in Today's Edition: The Oilers extended the Stanley Cup Finals (again) with a crazy Game 5 road victory, and a barrage of baseball is about to take over. The Celtics' championship parade is coming Friday and we'll have a special underdog tomorrow to welcome the offseason.

Happy Juneteenth to all who celebrate!

MLB

Willie Mays: Remembering A Sports Giant

Photo: Bettman / Getty Images

Willie Mays, One of Baseball’s Most Legendary Figures, Dies at Age 93

Some of our goodbyes end with a link. Others, a small snippet at the bottom of our newsletter. It’s not because those lives weren’t meaningful, but simply a reflection of their level of impact on sport and society. Willie Mays? We could’ve used the whole newsletter and it wouldn’t be enough. The baseball icon — royalty symbolizing mid-1900s Americana — passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on Tuesday in his San Francisco home. A giant of sport if there ever was.

It’s difficult to do justice in a Willie Mays tribute since I didn’t watch him play live, and most likely, neither did you. He’s remembered as the best center fielder and one of the best all-around players in MLB history. His MLB debut came in 1951, just four years after Jackie Robinson first shattered the color barrier. If “Jackie walked so Willie could run,” Willie ran a marathon.

Mays didn’t just play baseball. He wielded the bat like a paintbrush and the glove like a pallet. He was an artist on the diamond — one of the first “five-tool” players of that era. The five tools: hit for average, hit for power, catch, throw, and run. He did it all.

Born in Alabama in 1931, Mays was a three-sport athlete, but baseball was king. He broke in through the minor leagues and batted .477 for almost two months until he was called up by the Giants. His first hit was a home run. The rest is history.

Mays was an injection of life and joy into baseball. He was called for draft duty in 1952 for the Korean War, but he returned in 1954 with a booming presence, winning MVP, the World Series, and garnering his first of 24 All-Star selections.

“They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays.” — Ted Williams

His records speak volumes. He ended his career in the 1970s with one of baseball’s greatest resumes imaginable. He still holds all-time MLB records for home runs by a center fielder (640) and extra-inning home runs (22). He’s 6th all-time in HRs (640), 7th in runs scored (2,068), 11th in RBIs (1,909), and 12th in hits (3,293).

A heartbreaking day for baseball, but this year’s MLB All-Star festivities will most certainly bring a memorial for the ‘Say Hey Kid.’ Rest in peace, Willie Mays.

NY Times: Willie Mays, Baseball’s Electrifying Player of Power and Grace, Dead at 93

CBS Sports: Willie Mays’ ‘Say Hey Kid’ Nickname is One of the Most Famous in Baseball History

STANLEY CUP FINALS 🏆

Drag 'Em Back to Alberta

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Connor McDavid (2G, 2A) & Oilers Snatch Game 5 (5-3) to Send Stanley Cup Finals Back to Canada

Not done yet! (back to the action) If you’re a Florida Panthers fan, you’re sweating right now. After falling behind 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Edmonton Oilers have won two straight to make things interesting. Last night’s Game 5 in South Florida took the series from an unlikely comeback to “anything can happen” mode. In the pregame, Connor McDavid said the Oilers had to "drag 'em back to Alberta." They've been dragged.

Game 5: The other Connor — Connor Brown — scored the opening goal just 5:30 into the game and hushed the Florida fans. Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid both scored early in the second period for a 3-0 lead, and things looked bleak for the Panthers. Florida rallied back to make it a game (4-3), but McDavid tacked on the exclamation point in the final minute. He was brilliant again in Game 5, and the second of his assists was a downright dazzling dangle to set up Corey Perry for a tap-in. Comeback, Canada? The Oilers are still skating.

Game 5 Stat Leaders

C. McDavid (EDM): 2 Goals, 2 Assists

E. Bouchard (EDM): 3 Assists

E. Rodrigues (FLA): 1 Goal, 1 Assist

M. Tkachuk (FLA): 1 Goal, 1 Assist

Goalies

S. Skinner (EDM): 32 Saves (.906 Save %)

S. Bobrovsky (FLA): 23 Saves (.826 Save %)

Watch: Oilers Stun Panthers in Game 5 (5-3)

FLA Leads Stanley Cup Finals (3-2)

Game 6: Friday (8:00 pm ET, ABC)

Sporting News: Connor McDavid’s 4-Point Night Keeps Edmonton’s Stanley Cup Hopes Alive

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HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

⚾️ MLB

Yankees Beat O’s in Series Opener (4-2)

Ben Rice Gets 1st Major League Hit in Debut

Mets Top Rangers (7-6)

New York Wins 7th Straight Game

Phillies Escape Padres (4-3)

Nick Castellanos Hits Walk-Off Ground Rule Double

Dodgers Duck Rockies With 7-Run 9th (11-9)

Jason Heyward Hits Game-Changing Grand Slam

Shohei Ohtani Hits Longest HR of the Season (476 Feet)

⚽️ Soccer (Euro 2024)

🇹🇷 Turkey def. 🇬🇪 Georgia (3-1)

🇵🇹 Portugal def. 🇨🇿 Czechia (2-1)

Conceicao Scores Stoppage-Time Winner

🏀 WNBA

Sun def. Sparks (79-70)

Sun Improve to 13-1, Sparks’ Cameron Brink Injured

Mercury def. Liberty (99-93)

Mercury Snap Liberty’s 8-Game Win Streak

*Teams Combine for WNBA Record 33 3-Pointers

⚾️ College World Series

Florida State def. N. Carolina (9-5)

Seminoles Knock Out UNC

Game 2 Postponed, 3 Games Today

STORYLINES

👟 The Grand Slam Track League

Former U.S. Olympian sprinter Michael Johnson is launching a new track league unlike anything the sport has seen before. “Grand Slam Track” models the format of tennis and golf seasons with four annual “majors” (or slams) that feature $12 million-plus in prize money. (AP News)

🏈 The NFL's ‘Sunday Ticket’ Testimony

There’s a trial going on in a Los Angeles federal court regarding the NFL’s ‘Sunday Ticket’ after a group of subscribers filed an antitrust lawsuit. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took the stand on Monday, and he threw NFL Network under the bus. (Sports Illustrated)

🏀 Why Tatum Didn't Win Finals MVP

Boston's "two Jays" — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — served as the team's catalysts for the NBA title. To the surprise of many, Brown received the honor despite Tatum's 31-point double-double in Game 5. Eleven journalists voted (7-4) in favor of Brown. (Sporting News)

NEWS 📰

🇺🇸 Team USA Unveils Ralph Lauren Uniforms for 2024 Olympics Ceremonies (B/R)

⚾️ Yankees Call Up Prospect Ben Rice to Fill Anthony Rizzo’s Spot at 1st Base (ESPN)

🏀 Second Meeting of Fever-Sky / Clark-Reese Draws Best WNBA TV Ratings Since 2001 (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Jeff Van Gundy Lands Clippers Job After Winning Title With Celtics as Senior Consultant (SI)

⚽️ Kylian Mbappe to Miss France’s Next Euro Match With Broken Nose (FOX Sports)

⚾️ Aaron Judge ‘OK’ After Leaving Yankees-Orioles Game With Hand Injury (SI)

🏀 Sparks’ Cameron Brink Carried to Locker Room With Knee Injury (B/R)

🏀 Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis to Have Surgery After ‘Rare’ Leg Injury in NBA Finals (Yahoo! Sports)

⚾️ MLB to Use Ball-Strike Challenge System Full-Time in Triple-A (CBS Sports)