"Born on May 6, 1931, Willie grew up in Alabama in the Jim Crow south, during the great depression" (16).

"In 1971, Willie Mays married Mae Louise Allen. His beloved wife of 41 years was a pioneering social worker for the city of San Francisco" (21).

"in a 5-1 Birmingham victory, sending the Black Barons to the Negro League World Series against the mighty Homestead Grays) (36). They end up loosing only winning one game in the series.

"Mays played two more seasons for the Black Barons, 1949 and 1950" (37).

"The guy from the Giants who signed me was Eddie Montague... He came by my house, met with my father and aunt, and signed me" (50).

"On May 24, 1951, the twenty year old Mays got the call that generations of deserving Negro Leaguers never got" (55).

"On May 25, 1951, when Mays made his major league debut at Shibe Park in Philadelphia" (59)

https://www.history.com/articles/the-catch-baseball-willie-mays

"Mays had been drafted into the Army, joining many other players who were called into duty after the United States entered the Korean War" (72).

"The Giants, who swept Cleveland in the 1954 World Series. Not only was Mays the Batting Champion and National League MVP" (75).

"Mays and Mantle Converged in late 1959 for a memorable made-for-TV event, the original Home Run Derby, the precursor to the melodramatic extravaganza that's now part of All-Star festivities" " (101).

"Early in the second month of the 1972 season, with Mays in the Twilight of his career and Giants owner Horace Stoneham financially strapped, Payson, baseballs first female owner who didn't inherit a team, acquired Mays for Pitcher Charlie Williams and cash" (186).