Hank and Willie on the good ol' days
From Game Face
At 74 and 77, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are far too old to play nine whole innings of baseball.
But at a town hall edition of “Costas Now,” filmed last night at NYU's Skirball Center, the two legends proved they are never too old to talk baseball ... for hours.
Aaron and Mays, arguably history’s greatest athletes, shared stories of their Negro league days, the blatant discrimination they faced in the major leagues and even admitted they can’t keep track of this generation’s young players. (Mays didn't recognize the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins.)
Aaron said he had no problem with the controversial Barry Bonds overtaking his home run record, but asked that Bonds carry the honor “with dignity” as Aaron had.
Mays, whose charming rambling are reminiscent of most grandfathers with tales to tell, disclosed the iconic images of his cap flying off as he rounded the bases was due to his hitting it off with his hand. He alluded to having taken enhancement medicine from his doctor to keep him going on the road.
Several other big names stayed after Tuesday's All-Star game to discuss the sport’s most heated topics — performance-enhancing drugs (a subject that crept into every panel) and Hall of Fame honors, the decline of African-American players and the affordability of attending games as newer, more extravagant stadiums pop up around the country.
Among the town hall’s other participants were: pitching great Jim Palmer, multi-sport athlete Dave Winfield, Bob "Gibby" Gibson, All-Star Evan Longoria and even Billy Crystal, who posed a question as a "fellow player."
— Emily Ngo
