Willie Mays: A Legendary Life in Baseball Early Life and BeginningsWillie Howard Mays Jr., known as "The Say Hey Kid," was born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama, a small town located in the heart of the state's agricultural region. Raised in a tight-knit, athletic family, Mays demonstrated prodigious talent in sports from a young age. His father, Willie Mays Sr., was a talented semi-professional baseball player who instilled in his son a love for the game and a relentless work ethic....