following our breaking news, giants legend and hall of famer willie mays has died. good evening, i'm raj mathai. we begin with that breaking news.

we have lost an american icon. willie mays has died at the age of 93. many of us, including myself, weren't even old enough to see him play. but we saw the highlights. the over-the-shoulder catch, that radiant smile. baseball is a game of generations, and willie mays transcended generations. most of us agree willie mays was the greatest baseball player of all time. this is all unfolding within the last 90 minutes. so we're going to just go through this together. we are being flooded with memorials and memories from former players, family members and the fans. willie howard mays was born in alabama, played in the leagues before joining the new york giants back in 1951. he made the move out west here to the west coast in 1958, when the giants moved to san francisco. he left the giants in 1972 and then ended his career with the new york mets in 1973. just a short while ago, another giants

legend, barry bonds, posting an emotional tribute on instagram, quote i am beyond devastated and overcome with emotion. i have no words to describe what you mean to me. you helped shape me to become who i am today. thank you for being my godfather and always being there, giving my give my dad a hug for me. rest in peace willie. i love you forever. the great willie mays has passed away. he passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93. yep. and that was the announcement from john miller just a short while ago, as the giants were playing the chicago cubs. that game is still going on. so this came during the game, the announcement for willie mays family saying he passed away peacefully on the peninsula. he lived for decades in atherton, and then the last several months was in a senior facility, a senior care facility right near his home in atherton in menlo park, thursday, the giants will face the saint louis

cardinals at rickwood field in birmingham, alabama. this game, honoring willie mays and the league. mays began his career in alabama with the birmingham black barons. he was born just a few miles from this ballpark, so thursday's game is going to be really emotional, even more than it was supposed to be. with the death now of willie mays, there will no doubt make this a central part of the broadcast, not just to honor the leagues, but this american legend, willie mays, really a magical part of the american fabric. if you ask someone who's the best baseball player of all time, more often than not, the answer is going to be willie mays. not just fans, but fellow hall of famers will tell you the same thing. well, mays was just the greatest of min. just god gifted, i guess. but i've never seen anybody better. great, great. it makes it so easy for us. his last year

i'm playing left field for the padres. he hit a fly ball to left. it was a, you know, a little texas leaguer. i caught the ball. when i caught it i flipped it in. but i was shaking. my hands were shaking. you know what i mean? i just caught willie mays fly ball. i called my brother when i went home after we lost, but i called him. i said i played against willie mays today. there was nothing on the field that willie mays couldn't do. he can take up the whole field and play the whole field and you're like, really? willie and willie would do it, you know? so that was a gift i didn't have. mays became a star for the new york giants, leading the team to the 1954 world series championship when the giants moved west here to san francisco in 1958, the city immediately fell in love with the say, hey, kid, it's been a really, i guess, good run for me because when you can come into a town and people love you the same way where you came from, to me, that's wonderful. i think it's just a magnificent type of

way of getting along with people . mays tried bringing the bay area its first world series title back in 1962, only to fall short, losing that agonizing game seven to the yankees. it's a shame we just never had a chance to win something more for you. since i was playing, 1962 was a good year for us. i hear we won the pennant and everything, but we didn't win the whole thing, and that's one of the things i, regret. though he never won another world series, mays was named an all-star 24 times, and he hit 660 career home runs. he retired with the mets in 1973, and soon after returned to the bay area. in 1993 when his godson, barry bonds signed with the giants, mays was once again a fixture at the ballpark. my dad was my teacher. i mean, willie was my

godfather. i mean, willie was my idol. there's you know, two comparisons here. to be a young kid and have a dream to be a baseball player. and then you're the person you idolize is your godfather. i mean, what other gift do you want from that? i mean, all i cared was love. you know that he cared about me as my godfather and that i was good enough for him. mays loved to smile, and he never lost his desire for that good game of cards in the clubhouse. even legends from other sports like muhammad ali would come pay a visit. in 2015, president obama awarded mays with the presidential medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. all i can say, thank you. thank the guys that i played with and hope they had a good time playing with me. thank you very much, ernie. thank woo woo. hello. okay, i hope they had a

good time playing with me. they had a great time playing with me. we had a great time watching your career and watching your afterlife of baseball on the peninsula. this is a live picture now at oracle park in san francisco. the classic willie mae statue right there on the front, 24 palm trees. you know why? there's 24 palm trees right there in that main plaza to signify willie mays jersey number. he wore number 24. general of kids and adults still wear number 24. in honor of willie mays. again, this is a live look now at oracle park. the giants are at wrigley field. wrigley field playing the cubs right now. but a lot of fans starting to show up at oracle park, leaving flowers and just really looking and taking pictures of the iconic willie mays statue. you see all the people there at oracle, let's bring in giants first baseman and you've retired a long time ago. we're still call the giants first baseman j.t. snow on the peninsula jt nice to have you. always great to see you smile. look i know this is a really sad

day, but when i see willie mays, i hear these stories. and i see that photo of him and his and his videos. i can't help but smile because he was so radiant when i saw you. when i saw him interact with you. how are you feeling tonight? i'm sad. really sad. it's, it's a tough day. remember the day i got traded to the giants and, meeting willie for the first time in spring training. the clubhouse, you know, i go back. i didn't get to see him play much. right i was probably five years old when he retired, but, it's our our parents, right? my dad's generation that were willie mays fans andthe number 24 and the greatest player of all time. and tell us to watch highlights of willie play and just to be in the clubhouse with him, talking to him on everyday basis. and mccovey was there as well. just i was really humbled and i kind of felt like i was cheating the system because they were such great players. and, but they

always had time for us. and i remember some of his, favorite quotes that that stuck with me. they had him in the workout room, the one that that i always loved was he had a quote that he said, i'd rather be good every day than great once in a while, that stuck with me. he also had a quote about defense, and he said, defense is the key to playing baseball. that always stuck with me. and, yeah, when i read the n i was watching the giants game night when i saw the news. your heart just sinks because he. he is the giants. and yeah, it's just it's a sad day. and he was a great person, you know, the best living ball player and. yeah, we're all and he lived dowin the peninsula, kind of by where i lived. and my , my kids went to school, and, i knew where he lived, it's a sad day. yeah. and you really said it. well, right there he is, the giants. jt. we're also going to

be joined right now by former san francisco mayor willie brown. mayor brown, nice to have you on the program. even in these circumstances, what stands out to you or would jt snow here as well? what stands out to you? and there's probably so many memories you have with willie mays. but right now, what's coming to your mind? well, first and foremost, i never thought willie mays would die. i thought when the world and the lord gave somebody the kind of talent he had, it was for forever. and when i heard just a half an hour ago that willie mays had passed on, i. it really very sad for me. i was actually at dinner, i interrupted it because i just couldn't force myself to take one more bite. the memories of this incredible human being. mayor brown, what is it? what did he do to bridge the generations? because someone like me, i never even saw him play. jt saw him when he was a little boy, but someone but he still resonated with younger

people. what's that magic that he had that was off the baseball field? he existed. the quality of a human being, respectful of every other human being, no matter what their reputation was , no matter how they may have mistreated somebody. he he never allowed others conclusions or demonstrated in appropriateness by others to interfere with how he even treated them. he would have been a perfect candidate for president by conduct. jt i'll ask you that same thing. what what made him so special to you guys? there were stories. i would see it firsthand. him sitting in the clubhouse with you guys, but there was not much of an ego there. he had a swagger for sure, but not much of an ego when talking with you guys. right definitely. i mean, he had a swagger, he had a confidence, and he was the one guy, and everyone that's played

for the giants knows that the guys come back to the clubhouse. he was the one guy i was actually very nervous to go up to and ask him for his autograph, and not that he never said no to anybody, but just the fact that, hey, we i called him mister mays. he said, call me willie. and can i get your autograph on a ball? and he would always say, who's it for? and i would say, oh, it's for me. or maybe a family member, but, yeah, i got nervous asking for his autograph and just the stories he would tell, him and barry would sit at the table in the clubhouse in scottsdale stadium, and murph, our clubhouse guy, was there with us all, and we just every question we asked him, he just had a great answer for he loved the game of baseball, one of my favorite other quotes from him was, practice like a pro and play like a kid. and i think that i tried to tell that to little kids i coached or other kids i coached. it's, you know, practice like a pro. but when the game starts, you play like a kid. and that's what willie mays

did. so he, yeah, i think think of think of the home runs he could have hit if he didn't play in windy candlestick park all those years. he might have he might have been up there with barry. as far as home runs, i like that practice like a pro, play like a kid. mayor brown, willie jt said very eloquently. willie mays is the giants in many ways. willie mays is san francisco. so would you agree? i agree wholeheartedly because willie mays, that extraordinary talent that he had, was not just on the baseball field. if willie mays was here now, none of us could match his description of how he would feel about the death of somebody as significant in his life as he has been in all of our lives. it's unbelievable, all the impact that this extraordinary human being had on humankind. if you're just now tuning in, willie mays, the giants legend, the baseball legend in many ways

an american legend has died at the age of 93. he lived for many decades after his baseball career in atherton, on the peninsula, and has died peacefully, according to his family. earlier today, mayor brown, what should san francisco do? i know this is so hard to think, but right now so many people just want to reach out and be part of this. will the city do something at some point when it's appropriate? oh, i think mayor breed probably will have the city paused at some point to say something about willie mays and to hope somehow the message gets to willie mays. i know the giants at 188 or whatever that number of the street is on king street. have some. they called the museum. they really got to know that it ought to be the willie mays museum. just as all of those trees and the plants around the stadium doing 24, they ought to

really make sure that from now on, if you come to san francisco , you've got to stop by the willie mays museum. amazing. j.t. snow, tell us one conversation you had with him. does he kind of whisper in your ear, is he telling for everyone as you're playing cards at scottsdale stadium during spring training? no, he was. he was old school, which i loved. and he would, offer a handshake, shake his hand, get to know him. and, he always had time for you. and like i said earlier, it's humbling and it's intimidating to go up to him and talk to him. but once you got to sit down, there's some pictures of him we're seeing, and he would play some cards and he'd play a little action, like some money, but once you got to know him, it, it was just talking to, like, a grandfather or like, your dad, and, he always had positive advice. and i remember if you're struggling or you're

in a slump, he would just always say, hey, kid, keep playing. stay aggressive. you'll come out of it, just he the one person that people would gravitate to whenever they came around the giants. so just an honor and very blessed to get to know him and to meet him. and, was was a big part of all of our, our baseball careers because, like i said earlier, he just he played the game with a true five tool player. right? when you're scouting, he could hit and he could run, hit for power, steal bases. and he had a great arm and all the gold gloves he won. so, it's a sad day, but, we're going to remember him as the giant, forever. yeah. jt, our condolences go out to you as part of that giants family. we appreciate your time, mayor brown. thank you also for sharing your thoughts. this is just the beginning. there's going to be a lot of great moments as we look back and celebrate the life of willie mays, jt snow and mor willie brown in san francisco. appreciate your time tonight.

thanks for being with us. let's take you back out live now to oracle park, 24 willie mays plaza. that's the address of the ballpark. that's how much he means to this franch he is now k to see that statue rht now in front of oracle park, we're going to continue our ge of the death of willie mays. we'll also talk to jeffrey neary now about the smoke and the hazy conditions with the bay area fires. stay with us. you're watching nbc bay area news tonight

west with the team when they relocated to san francisco in 1958. a huge part not only of baseball but just of american culture. a lot of tributes pouring in right now on social media. as you can imagine. let's take a look at just a few of them. san francisco mayor london breed, who says willie was the best there ever was? willie mays to a native san franciscan, some things just go without question. it's foggy in the summer. cable cars go halfway to the stars, and willie mays is the best there ever was. well said by mayor breed, cc sabathia grew up in the bay area, vallejo native say says he changed the game forever. i'll never forget this day when i walked in and heard, that's the boy who wears his hat. like this. r.i.p willie mays you changed the game forever and tennis legend billie jean king a trailblazer in her

own mind, he was a 24 time all star, a 12 time gold glover, a two time mvp, world series champ and a hall of famer. so a lot is going to be happening in these next couple of days, coincidentally, the giants will be playing in alabama right near willie mays where he grew up and was born in rickwood in birmingham, alabama. that special game is on thursday. it was supposed to honor willie mays. now it really will be an honor to willie mays when the giants played the cardinals. that game counts out in alabama on thursday evening, just a short while ago, our partners over at nbc sports caught up with ken griffey jr, another baseball hall of famer, on the passing of willie mays. as we remember the life and legacy of one great number 24, willie mays, we join another great number 24 to the show, ken griffey jr. joins us here with rich aurilia ron wotus. ken, welcome to the show. thank you for sharing your time with us, no problem at all. what did

willie mays mean to you? it meant a lot, just, you know, when as a young kid, you know, a guy that my dad talked about and being able to meet him for the first time, and then having him pull me aside in instructional league and just tell me about, you know, life and baseball and, just a and a great mentor and someone i could lean on day in and day out throughout my career. junior, you know, played that game a long time. wore number 24, how were your interactions with willie as your career went on? i mean, i think today should be a day to be celebrate his greatness, do you have any funny stories of him through the years? yeah, but nothing i can repeat because you know how he is so, he's the. he's he's the godfather of centerfielders, when you think

about playing center field, and you're a person of color, that's who they compare you to. and for him to pull me aside and spend all the time he did with me, it means a lot. it meant a lot. ken. ron wotus here. i wanted to ask you all the time you spent with willie, whether it was in the outfield or hitting. we knew he liked to give out advice. is there anything that you can recall? any time that he's given you some advice on the game, whether it's hitting or or in the field, he just basically you know, as a kid, he was like, you flat out play this game, go out and have some fun and be you, that was the biggest thing. he was like, i just want you to be you, you know, you're not your dad. you're not. you know me. i want you to be. you know, at the time, i was 17, in instructional league, he was just like, hey, go out there and play your game.

and let it let it all out. and that's the one thing, you know, when you talk about it. you know, center fielder as he was, you know, you look at it and go, he covered everything. and you just wanted to be like him. i mean, so many things. i mean, i wore 24, he wore 24, the say, hey, kid, they call me the kid, no, i'm not going to compare, you know, him and me, i think that the numbers he threw out were bugs bunny numbers, you know, just like a lot of other hall of famers, it's just, for me just to be able to have that time with him, on and off the field. it's a lot. fellow hall of famer just like willie mays. and that's what you're hearing. hall of famers talking about how significant was just to be around willie mays. here's a live look now at oracle park

center field there from our exclusive center field camera. we'll continue our coverage throughout this evening of the death of willie mays. we bring in jeff ranieri here. we've been in the ballpark several times. he was just a fixture at the ballpark. years after he retired . and, you know, growing up as a kid, if even if you didn't play baseball, you knew willie mays, you knew you knew his name, you knew who he was. and really what he stood for. so when it comes to our weather forecast back here across the bay area, we are starting to see some improvements in that air quality. right now, most of the bay area is good to moderate and that's because the weather pattern is beginning to change. let me show you more details about this right now and our microclimate forecast. and here's what we have happening. the storm track is moving unusually close to the bay area through tomorrow, so it's going to help to get some cooler weather in here. and we're also going to see the smaller system develop that will get some fog back at the coastline and will help to push this smoke off towards the east. now through tomorrow. i do think we'll still have a smoke advisory for the

north bay with unhealthy air at times, but the rest of the bay area right now is trending good to moderate, so that should again help us out a little bit. we're going to start it off with 50s areas of fog returning. then as we head through the day, numbers cool off by about 5 to 10 degrees. that's going to put us back to 79. in napa, 81 in livermore, upper 70s down here towards san jose. on the 7-day forecast. we do get up to a hot 96 on saturday. it drop after that sunday coming in at 88. so we are looking at some more comfortable weather. i'd say at this point as we head through tomorrow's forecast. okay. thank you jeff. as we wrap up here, we'll once again continue our coverage about willie mays, the death of the giants hall of famer, 93 years old. it was announced just a couple hours ago that he died peacefully on the peninsula. he lived in atherton for decades after his playing career, and then in the last several months was at a senior facility there in menlo park. this is a look now at oracle park. the willie mae statue at 24 willie mays plaza. that's the official address. also, when we talk about willie

mays, that big game on thursday at rickwood field in alabama, that's where willie mays was born. they will be honoring the leagues. and now we're really looking forward to that game because the tributes that will be pouring in from around the country as the giants take on the cardinals on thursday on national tv, which will now be a celebration of the life. willie mays, and we are waiting to hear back with the city of san francisco, is planning. and surely there will be a lot of plans for the community to be involved in the celebration of willie howard mays dead at the age of 93. some great moments and great video clips that you're seeing here. thanks for being with us. this evening. we'll see you tonight at 11.

diabetes can serve up a lot of questions. like what is your glucose and can you have more carbs? before you decide with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose and where it's heading no fingersticks needed. now the world's smallest and thinnest sensor sends your glucose levels directly to your smartphone. manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. the #1 cgm prescribed in the u.s. try it for free at freestylelibre.us

tonight on "access hollywood" -- ♪ i can ♪ >> justin, how are you doing, man? how you making