♪♪♪ >> ERIC: A LOT OF GREAT BALL PLAYERS HAVE CALLED MINNESOTA HOME, AND THIS WEEK WE LOST ONE OF THE GREATEST IN WILLIE MAYS, WHO HAD A SHORT STINT ON THE MINNEAPOLIS MILLERS BEFORE BEING CALLED UP TO THE MAJORS.

BACK IN 1951.

WE THOUGHT THERE WAS NO BETTER TIME TO CHECK IN WITH HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR OF "THEY PLAYED FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: UNTOLD STORIES OF BLACK BASEBALL IN MINNESOTA," FRANK WHITE.

GREAT TO SEE YOU.

IN THE 35 GAMES E PLAYED WITH THE MILLERS, 477 BATTING AVERAGE, EIGHT HOMERS, 38 RUNS SCORED, 30 RBIs, 16-GAME HITTING STREAK WHEN HE WAS CALLED TO THE NEW YORK GIANTS, AMAZING.

>> YOU KNOW, YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT GOING TO FIND ANYBODY ELSE WITH STATS LIKE THAT IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, ALTHOUGH WE DID HAVE ROY CAMPANELLI HERE WITH THE SAINTS THAT WENT EARLIER WAS VERY SIMILAR, MAYBE NOT THE SAME BATTING AVERAGE, BUT WITH VERY MUCH SUCCESS IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION.

>> Cathy: I WAS DOING A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, REMEMBER HALSEY HALL.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: MOST PEOPLE O.

WHEN HE WAS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE "TRIBUNE," HE SAID, WILLIE MAYS IS THE BEST HE EVER SAW.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE WAS STAR EVEN AT THE VERY BEGINNING.

WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN RIGHT?

>> YOU KNOW, CAN'T SPEAK FOR HALSEY, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WILLIE WAS HERE, AND AT THAT BEGINNING, HE HAD OBVIOUSLY PLAYED IN THE NEGRO LEAGUE, HAD SUCCESS FOR A YEAR WITH THE BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO SAY THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE WHAT HE ENDED UP BEING AT THAT POINT IN TIME, IN MY OPINION.

I MEAN, YOU SEE A LOT OF BALL PLAYERS EVEN TODAY, AND RIGHT AWAY WE'RE SAYING, OH, MAN, THEY'RE GOING TO -- THAT'S A HALL OF FAMER, AND I COULD MENTION A COUPLE NAMES, BUT IN FAIRNESS, I WON'T DO THAT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE RAISE THEM TOO SOON, IN MY OPINION.

SO I THINK HALSEY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, HE SAW A LOT OF BALLS, SO IF THAT'S WHAT HE SAID, I'M GOING WITH HIM.

YEAH, I'M GOING WITH HIM.

>> Eric: I AN'T IMAGINE THIS EVEN HAPPENED, BUT THE GIANTS OWNER, HORACE STONEAM, WROTE AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MINNEAPOLIS MILLER FANS, KIND OF APOLOGIZING AND EXPLAINING WHY THEY CALLED HIM UP TO THE BIG CLUB.

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: HAVE YOU HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE?

>> NOT WITH ANOTHER PLAYER, BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT STORY.

AND, SO, I MEAN, PEOPLE HERE WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT HE WAS CALLED UP.

>> Cathy: YEAH.

>> AND YOU CAN IMAGINE, I MEAN, HE WAS TEARING UP THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION.

SO TO LOSE HIM WAS LIKE, HOW COME?

>> Cathy: WHAT WAS BASEBALL LIKE IN MINNESOTA IN HE EARLY '50s?

>> WELL, KEEP IN MIND, WE HAD SEGREGATED BASEBALL UNTIL '47.

OKAY?

AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT JACKIE, I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE IN MINNESOTA.

SO IN 51.

IN ALL FAIRNESS TO WILLIE AND TO OTHERS THAT HAD JUST COME BEFORE HIM, CAMPANELLA, BARNHILL, DANDRIDGE, WE WERE MINNESOTA AND WE HAD SOME ISSUES HERE.

AND, SO, HOSE PLAYERS, TO BE ABLE TO PLAY AND SUCCEED THE WAY THEY DID, PRETTY SPECIAL BECAUSE ONCE THEY LEFT THE BALL FIELD, BEING IN TOWN WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

YOU COULDN'T STAY IN HOTELS.

YOU COULDN'T EAT IN SOME RESTAURANTS.

EVERYBODY MAYBE DIDN'T TREAT YOU THE SAME IN TERMS OF EQUITY OR WHATEVER.

SO I THINK PEOPLE TEND -- PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ISOLATED BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE REALLY A SUPPORT SYSTEM.

ALTHOUGH WILLIE HAD RAY DANDRIDGE AND BARNHILL HERE, THEY LIVED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE HE LIVED ON FOURTH AVENUE, SO HE PROBABLY HAD MORE SUPPORT THAN MAYBE A COUPLE OF THE OTHER PLAYERS AT THE TIME WITH THE MILLERS.

SO, -- BUT '51, WE HAD SOME CHALLENGES HERE IN MINNESOTA, AND WE OFTEN DON'T TALK ABOUT THEM, AND WE DON'T NEED TO DWELL ON THEM, BUT IT'S A PART OF OUR HISTORY HERE AND, SO, I THINK PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT, I THINK IT MEANS THAT WILLIE AND SOME OF THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WERE REALLY SPECIAL.

>> Eric: IN THE BACKYARD WITH MY FRIENDS BACK IN THE DAY, I WOULD PRACTICE THE BASKET CATCH.

[ Laughter ] AND WAS WILLIE THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY DID HAT, RIGHT?

>> PROBABLY, YEAH.

AND YOU, LIKE MANY OTHERS, WE USED TO GO OUT AND PLAY BALL, AND EVERYBODY WAS, I'M GOING TO BE WILLIE, I'M GOING TO BE MANO.

>> Eric: FOR SURE.

>> I WAS ALKING TO STEVE WINFIELD ON THE WAY OVER HERE, AND STEVE SAID, TELL ERIC THAT WILLIE WAS -- I WANTED TO BE LIKE WILLIE.

AND STEVE WAS A GOOD BALL PLAYER.

I MEAN, MANY PEOPLE PRETENDED TO BE, WANTED TO EMULATE WILLIE.

YEAH.

>> Eric: APPRECIATED YOU COMING OVER AND SHARING THE MEMORIES.

IT WAS GREAT.

>> Cathy: GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> Eric: ALWAYS GREAT TO