BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Now batting: No. 24, Willie Mays.
Those were the words that brought the Rickwood Field crowd to its feet on Thursday. No one was asked or told to quiet down. The chatter and the music that had just a minute prior filled the ballpark with life, completely and abruptly stopped at those seven words. At once silent and emotional, the 8,332 fortunate to be in attendance brought their full attention to the screen hovering above right field, where the narration of the life and career of Mays, who passed away at the age of 93 on Tuesday, emanated through the speakers.
It was hard to believe Mays wasn’t physically present here at Rickwood, the place where he grew up, the place he called home, the reason so many from Birmingham flocked to the ballpark on a hot and humid Thursday night. But he was here.
Mays’ son, Michael, said as much when he took the field…
