You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

This companion to You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! (rev. 3/09), lenticular cover and all, focuses on African American baseball great Mays, the "Say Hey Kid." As a twenty-year-old rookie in 1951 playing in his first game in the Polo Grounds, fresh from the Negro Leagues and facing the great Warren Spahn, he blasted a home run over the left-field roof. Mays went on to become a player who was "Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Joe DiMaggio all rolled into one," a player near the top of every key statistical category -- homers, stolen bases, hits, and runs -- even though his baseball career was interrupted by two years of service in the armed forces. Winter's text is narrated by an enthusiastic and admiring New York Giants fan ("You never heard of Willie Mays?! THE Willie Mays?! Oh, geez, where to begin?"), and readers may well feel they're at the ballpark, witnessing Mays's signature basket catches, his famous over-the-head catch in center field, and his electrifying base stealing, all captured in Widener's dynamic acrylic illustrations. Many spreads include baseball ticket-shaped sidebars with information about other ball-playing greats, baseball history, Mays's statistics, and how he stacks up against other players including Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Lou Gehrig. A solid, informative, and entertaining sports picture book that reads like a loud cheer from the stands. With a glossary of baseball terms and assorted source notes. dean schneider