mayes died earlier today at 93. his remarkable playing career, spanning 23 seasons. >> this is ktvu icu fox two news at 730. >> mayes was one of the game's

most iconic figures, and he has inspired countless players as well as fans. good evening everyone. thanks so much for joining me tonight. i'm heather holmes. we begin with this breaking news in the sports community tonight. our hearts are certainly heavy following the passing of the baseball and all time giants great willie mays was a 24 time all star, a 12 time golden glove award winner, a two time mvp as well as a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom. he is among the best to ever play the game of baseball. mays s passing comes ahead of the first mlb game to be held at rickwood field there in birmingham, alabama. it's where mays first roamed the grass there in center field back in 1948. here's our jason appelbaum . >> willie mays was born poor on the outskirts of birmingham, alabama, in 1931. it was the beginning of the great depression, and nearly a quarter of the working population was unemployed. an african american

kid growing up in alabama at that time could not expect to have an easy go of it. kat mays, willie's father, played some baseball, but the major leagues were blocked off to black americans. >> my father had. he was busy trying to make a dollar for us. he would work, work five days in. we call it the steel mill in birmingham. and during the weekend he would, you know, go from birmingham to detroit on the pullman porter, which is a train, and earn a little money there and come back on sunday night, go to work on monday. but he would teach me as he come home to different things about, you know, sports and i think i learned it from him, from my mother, my, my uncle was his name was otis. otis brooks young willie mays grew up on one of those hot, dusty streets of alabama, went to school and played baseball from an early age, falling in love with the game at the age of five. my father used to roll a ball on the floor to me, and i would try and hit, you know, the ball

would, you know, kind of broom handle and different things like that. but my whole family came through a baseball family. my mother, you know, ran track. my father played baseball. i had an uncle that played basketball, football, baseball. so i, i was really thrown into it. and, you know, as soon as i was born. so at an early age, i knew what baseball was all about. you know, at age 17, while still in high school, mays earned a spot on the birmingham black barons and all black team. >> prohibited from competing against white athletes for years, mays only played in home games that allowed him to continue playing high school football, even playing part time in his only season with the black barons, he helped lead them to the american league championship in 1948. one day new york giants scout eddie montague came down to rickwood field to check out another player, alonzo perry, but his eyes were quickly drawn to mays, whom he would later call the

greatest young ballplayer he had ever seen in his life. >> he say he saw me out on, you know, on the field, throwing and running, and he recommended me to boston at the time. and i think boston wasn't taking, african-american at that time. so they didn't take me. so he quit, and he went to the giants, and he called mr. stoneham, and i guess he hired me right away. so that's really how i think i got to the giants. >> it would be the find of a lifetime, and it didn't cost the giants much. >> i think it was about 15,000 involved. i thank the ball club, got five and i think i got ten, either maybe five. i know we bought a house. i bought a 1950 mercury. i couldn't drive, but i bought it anyway. so all the neighborhood people could drive it around. so i think it was more of 5 or 6 around there, but that was a lot of money in those days. you know, the car that i bought cost $2,000. so the house i paid off cost me another, you know, one. so i was okay with

the money. >> the year was 1950, one year later with the giants, mays would be named national league rookie of the year and his hall of fame career was off and running. but it all started at rickwood field, home of the birmingham black barons and the birthplace of willie mays. baseball career. jason appelbaum ktvu fox two sports okay. >> and i'm here with jason now. and really, what is a quite remarkable evening? i mean, this passing of this baseball icon, obviously thursday's game there at rickwood field going to take on a different meaning, different significance. >> yeah, i mean, i was i was in shock when i heard this news tonight as so many people were, and yes, this this game at rickwood field in two days was already going to honor mays as well as, you know, many of the league players that played there in that stadium, rickwood field. but now it's going to take on a whole different tone, it's going to primarily be a forum to honor

willie mays. and to you know, i think for generations also of folks out there, maybe baseball fans right now that never got to see him play. in a strange way, they're going to be introduced to willie mays in his passing in a way that they never would, would have even realized if he were still alive. >> and what's really remarkable about willie mays is that you don't even have to be a baseball fan to really respect the man, right? and the skills and the athleticism. i mean, it he there are no bounds with what he was able to accomplish. >> you could you couldn't take your eyes off of him. there's certain players like that that transcend sports in some ways. so in other words, you don't have to be a baseball fan if you've got the tv on and he comes up to the plate to bat, you're glued. or if you want to see what he does in the outfield. and it wasn't just the, you know, you see the numbers and you mentioned some of them. heather, the 24 time all star, the two time mvp, he won two world series. it's a lot more than that. when you look at him. he brought joy. he kind of

epitomized, you know baseball as a game. you know bringing joy to the sport. and he did it with a flair and a little bit of a swagger, and made it look easy. and i was kind of thinking about that, you know, in present day. and the only thing i could think of here in the bay area is, is stephen curry. different sport, obviously different era. but when stephen curry plays, you can't take your eyes off of him. he brings joy to the game. he makes it look effortless. and i think that was really willie mays. >> but before i before we let you go though, jason just talk about his impact on the giants and really that organization. >> he was the giants. he is the giants i mean their address is 24. willie mays plaza. you know, there's several statues up around that ballpark. but at the corner of third and king, there you see the willie mays statue there, you know, number 24 right there, so, you know, and his godson, barry bonds, who's, you know, probably the second greatest giants player of all time. right? so you know, his

legacy will live on, but it's a very sad day, it's a big loss for the sport of baseball. it's a big loss for giants fans there. obviously, at wrigley field, john miller made the announcement on that broadcast, they're going to play one more game there tomorrow. and then they have the game at rickwood and two more against the cardinal. they're going to come home on monday, and i'm sure there's going to be a very, very big tribute. and in a very emotional ballpark on monday, when the giants return home and especially though for the giants, as you mentioned, playing there in alabama on thursday. >> all right, jason, really appreciate it. thank you so much for joining me tonight. okay. well earlier we spoke with former san francisco mayor willie brown about the passing of the hall of famer and his impact. let's listen now to what the former mayor had to say. >> willie mays was unusual and the god given talent that he had , he displayed full time in never in confrontation on anything, whether it was how much he was paid, it was how

where somebody made a bad call with reference to him. willie mays was very, very unusual, all in incredibly effective. without being on a soapbox. >> the two hall of fame. brown said that his in his view, mays will be remembered as the greatest ever to play the game of baseball. that's the way a lot of people feel. we'll stay with me right here on the news at 730. as we continue to remember mays with more tributes pouring in, here's some of what mlb commissioner rob manfred said on the passing of the legendary player, quote, his incredible achievements in statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching willie mays dominate the game in every imaginable, every way imaginable. we will never forget this true giant on and off the field. stay

willie mays. this is what his son michael had to say. he took a moment to express his gratitude for all of the support , saying, quote, my father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones. he went on to say, i want to thank all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love that you have shown him over the years. you have been his life's blood again. that from willie mays son michael. the heartbreaking news came as the giants are taking on the cubs tonight at wrigley field. as jason was just talking about the giants play by play announcer jon miller announced it to fans watching tonight's game. >> we are very sad now to relay

this information that has just been released by the giants, that the great willie mays has passed away. he passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93. >> current and former players sharing their personal stories as well. tonight about mays. want to show you now something that cc sabathia of vallejo put out on the platform known as x. he says, quote, i will never forget this day when i walked in and heard, that's the boy who wears his hat like this. obviously he's talking about the photo of him and willie mays there. sabathia says, rest in peace, willie mays. you changed the game forever and inspired kids like me to chase our dream. thank you for everything that you did on and off the field, always in our hearts. touching tributes as people express their grief tonight. now we go to some other news this evening and vandals sadly destroyed a school garden here in oakland. our crystal bailey is here now. and

crystal, this was a really special place funded by steph and ayesha curry's foundation. well, that's right, the garden was put together to build up east oakland elementary school global family elementary. >> thankfully, school is out and there is no summer school held there, so no kids could witness the destruction. but the principal says they're not going to let it keep them down. administrators at global family elementary school in east oakland came in monday morning to find their garden courtyard vandalized. >> my initial i think response is why? >> the school in the fruitvale neighborhood serves 450 students through a spanish immersion program and the garden in the middle of the campus, a special place for the kids is now trashed with damaged equipment, broken plant pots and irrigation lines pulled apart. >> the garden is more than just a space where we play with dirt. i think it's a place that you that really connects people. >> the curry's foundation, eat, learn, play worked alongside nonprofit kaboom to build the garden and a play space back in

december 2022. >> you know, it took a lot of volunteers hours. it took a, you know, took funds to do it. it took obviously, a lot of resources that we use, giving students a place to learn outside of the four walls of a classroom, growing fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers, and providing practical lessons in patience and science. >> you have students who might not be able to articulate or might not perform, but when you get them out here, they shine. >> a police report was filed and there are security cameras on campus, but the school district is focused on rebuilding. >> this is not about us wanting anybody else to be in trouble for this. you know, whether it was a young person, older person, whoever might have done this, we want them to make better choices. >> and there's no telling just how much it will cost to repair the damage. but the goal is to get everything back in order and restored. by the time the kids come back to school in august. heather. >> yeah, that certainly is disheartening. let's hope that they're able to make that happen

before the kids return. crystal. thank you. well, there was a lot of emotion tonight being felt in the sports world. willie mays was an inspiration, san francisco giants ceo larry baer saying this tonight, quote, i fell in love with baseball because of willie, plain and simple. my childhood was defined by going to candlestick with my dad, watching willie patrol center field with grace and the ultimate athleticism over the past 30 years, working with willie and seeing firsthand his zest for life and unbridled passion for giving to young players and kids has been one of the joys of my life. we're continuing coverage n the

♪ (ominous music) ♪ come on. what can i do to help you? dad: come on buddy. headphones. what! dad: hey! dad: ok all right. what do you wanna do? i said i don't wanna talk about it! dad: trey! what are you doin'? ♪ (ominous music) ♪ ♪ (ominous music) ♪ it's ok. of the week looks like. and you were just explaining to me, mark, that some cooler temperatures are on the way. >> yeah, it's kind of been warm

to hot all week, but definitely a cooldown expected for your wednesday. so just a one day deal because we're going to trend back up with those temperatures by the weekend. take a look at the highs from this afternoon. 90 degrees getting hot out toward fairfield and antioch. fremont 84, san jose 89. in san francisco. that's a nice 72 degrees. so the headline is heather mentioned. we're going to cool things off in your wednesday forecast. and then we're going to warm back up by thursday, by friday and into saturday. and saturday should be the hottest day of the stretch. here's a satellite right now. lots of clear skies over northern california. what will happen overnight though? the fog expected to regroup near portions of the coastline and right around the bay, showing you the wind reports out there. there is a bit of a breeze out toward concord winds westerly at about to 21 miles an hour out toward sfo, winds gusting to 28 and san jose and northerly breeze at about 15 miles an hour. here is our live camera looking out toward the golden gate bridge. a bit of some. a few high clouds out there and current numbers. it's still 77. in santa rosa, concord, 79 and san jose checking in 73 tomorrow

morning. partly cloudy skies. definitely a cooler start tomorrow morning, and those readings will be in the upper 40s to the 50s to start things off. and this particular forecast model is sending in some low cloud cover tomorrow morning out towards san francisco, maybe out toward oakland and hayward. temperatures, a cool start and then into the afternoon hours. still some patchy clouds near portions of the shoreline. and there's the eventual temperature range. so no more 90s. the warmest locations. we're thinking in the lower 80s for tomorrow afternoon. why the cooldown? well, it's this guy. it's going to drift into northern california for tomorrow. so as a result, it will send those temperatures down a good 5 to 10 degrees for your wednesday forecast. this will move on out. we are expecting a warming trend that will begin thursday, friday and continue into saturday. take a look at the numbers for tomorrow. san francisco 62, san jose 78. lower 80s out toward concord fairfield and antioch. and here's a look ahead. your five day forecast. we say hello to summer thursday. looks like we'll have a little bit of a bump in the numbers as we start

off summer. the warming will continue into friday. saturday will be the hottest day, and that means temperatures inland could be approaching the mid, maybe the upper 90s and the cool things off as you can see by sunday. so cooling off tomorrow, the heat eventually makes a comeback as we head toward the weekend. >> okay, so we'll enjoy that cool off while we can. thanks, mark. appreciate it. okay, more reaction tonight from other greats of the game of baseball. may's godson, baseball legend barry bonds, remembering his legacy tonight, saying, 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 be who i am today. thank you for being my godfather and always being there. give my dad a big hug for me. barry bonds says. rest n ace, wil

are talking about in alabama and reflected on willie mays legacy all the way down. >> game day at oracle park. and although the great willie mays hasn't played a game in a giants uniform in 52 years, the say hey kid is still bigger than life. >> just effervescent. i mean, he was just like such a sparkling personality at the willie mays gate on 24 willie mays plaza,

fans pay homage to the five tool king. >> one more. hold on, hold on, hold on. outside the park, willie has become a selfie legend while inside his number, 24 sits retired between two other legends, will clark and barry bonds. >> he's probably a little biased, but i think he's the greatest player of all time and you know what he meant to this area, not just with a performance on the field. you know just how he played the game, it was, you know, with a lot of fun and that's what it's supposed to be playing a game. i think he embodied everything that's great about baseball. on top of that was a fantastic player. >> mays. his career comes full circle on june the 20th, as the giants and cardinals pay tribute to the leagues at willie's first professional stop, birmingham's rickwood field. merchandise is already a big hit at oracle. even the bobbleheads and another hall of famer can't wait to call the game willie mays started there and you know, we're used

to the willie mays big league saga the polo grounds, ebbets field, candlestick, the coliseum, dodger stadium and all of the places he's played in the big leagues. >> but now we'll go back a few chapters before all of that for us to be able to go to rickwood and celebrate that game where he played and all that's involved. >> now with the leagues and the stats being, you know, incorporated, i think it's just we're the perfect team to go there. >> five plus decades later, willie's jersey is still rocking the park. 76 year old mars breslow wears his with pride. the old new york giants fan still remembers the day he met the hall of famer nearly 70 years ago, but those days after the game, you're allowed to go on the field. >> so he's he's running towards the clubhouse. i ran away from my pop with this little black book called born to play ball. and i said, willie, would you sign my book? this is 1955, when i was eight. and he goes, sure

were. and i still have it. and i was off for three grand for it at baseball card convention. but i'll take it to my grave. >> oh, you better. you guys know who willie mays is? yeah. yeah. who was he? >> he was a center fielder for the giants. yeah. >> was he pretty good? >> yeah. >> how good? really good. >> yes. young and old. they all salute willie for his giant career. but more importantly, as an ambassador to baseball. we love you, willie. >> he was just so personable. and he was able to get and be open to everyone. and that's the way he he was raised basically when he was in alabama. so, he didn't really care, but he understood his times when he grew up. so he did a wonderful job of paving the way for people like myself. >> frank mallicoat ktvu, fox two news, willie mays, a true baseball legend. >> thanks so much for joining me tonight. make sure to download the fox local app right there o ur

flex alert! flex alert! a power outage is looming. that's just alert, he's always getting worked up about something. flex alerts notify us of preventable power outages. that way we always know when to help stop one. ok flex, just drop some knowledge on me again. oh, ok i will - i'll turn our thermostat to 78... i'll unplug the blender. the hair dryer. - my blankie? - yep! - let's talk about it! - nope. ooo, we can save the laundry til' the morning! oh, yes please! oh! little things like this help save our power and help save us from outages. with flex alerts, the power is ours.

"you've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me you just remember what your old pal said. and help save us from outages. boy, you've got a friend in me." everyone's invited to pixar fest at the disneyland resort for a celebration of friendship and beyond you won't want to miss. now through august 4th, 2024. vist the disneyland resort with a special 3-day disneyland ticket offer for a limited time.

announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the one and only jamie foxx! (upbeat music) (audience cheers) jamie foxx: whoo! corinne foxx: yeah! jamie foxx: come on! (upbeat music continues)