Willie McGee: Memories

This is the definitive publication on the life and career of Willie McGee. If you haven't read it yet, you should read it right now. It was published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a series of articles entitled "Portraits of St. Louis." It attempts to explain the unique appeal that Willie McGee has enjoyed in St. Louis, but it accomplishes much more: it introduces us to a man who probably shouldn't exist, someone who, through all his success, has remained unbelievably humble and generous. It was written by Vahe Gregorian and originally appeared on August 16, 1998. It is reprinted with permission of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A great atricle from the San Francisco Chronicle on the work of the Willie McGee Foundation. This article was written by Jason B. Johnson and originally appeared on January 29, 2005. It is reprinted with permission of the San Francisco Chronicle.

I was 17 in the spring of 1982 when Willie came up. He was supposed to be just filling in for the injured David Green for a couple of weeks. Instead, he helped the Cardinals reach, and win, the World Series. A couple years later, Vince Coleman joined the team. My Dad and I debated for a couple of years over who was faster. We finally decided that going from home to first or from first to second, there's never been anyone like Vince. However, going from first to third, or legging out a triple, no one's ever done it like Willie. Watching him round second was the coolest site in baseball. He practically was laying over on his side when his foot hit the bag and he rounded for third. His grace on the basepaths was in stark contrast to his appearance at the plate. I remember watching This Week in Baseball when John Morris was on there doing an impersonation of Willie at the plate. He said the key was that you have to look like your feet hurt. And that's how Willie was, he looked so awkward and uncomfortable at the plate, but Man! could he hit. Willie, Ozzie Smith, and Jose Oquendo are easily my all time favorite Cardinals, classy guys who busted their butts every time they took the field and who gave back to the community off the field. I'm so glad that Jose is now the third base coach, being a positive influence on the current Cardinals. I wish they'd find a way to get Willie back, too.
--Ken Carriker
Riverton, IL

I grew up a Cardinal fan near Hannibal, and moved west in 1982. I was in the LA area for the '82 series, but also saw the games of the Cards vs. the Dodgers. Ozzie was the one who made the biggest impression on everyone, including Dodger fans. But Vin Scully made special note of the young Cardinal center fielder. We were told that in every ballpark he is in, he has a routine of throwing the ball off the fence in each stadium to see how the ball reacts, and he was instructed to do this by his coaches. Many years later during one of the other World Series, already an MVP, Willie was still doing this in the pre-game drills and a reporter asked him why. He replied, "No one ever asked me to stop." I live in Seattle now, where there has never been any number retired outside of 42 [Jackie Robinson]; it's a young franchise and Randy Johnson's number is worn by Ichio. I also understand when a player has as much respect to garner a standing ovation every time he comes to bat, and I did witness this via cable. It is time to do the right thing for the community and franchise as a whole, because that it what it is all about.

I entered a listing to honor Willie McGee just last year. My dream has come true. I was able to meet him personally, talk to him, have a photo taken. And when I emphasized that I hadn't given up on his number being retired in St. Louis (come on owners, let's do it!), he smiled humbly, put his head down and said "That's not important. I'm happy now without it." Wow - what a guy.

I was 9 years old and my first vivid baseball memory was Willie McGee performing in the 1982 World Series...the 2 HR game, of course, but what stuck out to me was the leaping catch to rob a HR off Gorman Thomas's bat. From that point on, he was my favorite player. Loved Ozzie, Tommie, Lonnie, and later Vince, Terry and JClark...but there was something about the way McGee played that was special. Fact is, growing up in Detroit while the Tigers were assembling their own great talent, I would often get teased and asked, "How can you not like the Tigers?" or "Why do you like this McGee guy and not our own Krik Gibson?" I never really had an explanation....it wasn't even like he was an all-star every year, but he was to me. He wasn't even the most graceful player, yet it seemed to me he was graceful? I guess the message here as that every ballplayer should always give their absolute best...you never know when some 9 year old is looking for a hero. 51 should never be worn again by a Cardinal....it just wouldn't look right on anyone else.

My fondest memory was just going to the game and watching Willie bat, run or just being there to see him, I think I was one of his biggest fans.

I am from San Diego, and a younger fan so unfortunately I was unable to experience all of Willie's brilliant career. However he has endured as one of my favorite baseball players. My fondest memory of Willie McGee is when I was watching a Padres/Cardinals broadcast. The stadium was fairly empty and occasionally you could hear fan remarks over the air. Willie McGee was standing at the plate. A fan with an ecstatic high-pitched voice exclaimed, "It's Willie McGee, the greatest home run hitter of all time." It still makes me laugh that someone would say that and that it could be heard on the air.

Being born in 1983, I was too young to really remember Willie in his first tenure with the Cardinals. I just remember hearing about how he single-handedly (and glovedly) won Game 3 of the WS in 1982.
My first concrete memory of Willie came after he returned in 1996. We were down by one with a runner on in the 8th. He came in to pinch hit to a roaring Standing O, and you just knew something magical was going to happen. A few pitches later Willie hit one dead-red into dead center field for a game winning home run. Awesome!
--Jim Pagano

I don't remember dates or specifics, but I remember the pride and joy I had each time Willie stepped to the plate in his final years as a Cardinal. In Willie's first tour as a Cardinal he was raw and unpredictable--you know the tendencies, swinging at balls in the dirt...getting picked off, etc. But he was a brilliant player and when he left, the Cards lost something...and they didn't realize what it was 'til Willie returned. Willie was the consummate Cardinal. He respected the game and himself. I think those standing ovations were not only to appreciate Willie, but to tell other players, "be like this guy--he IS St. Louis Baseball. The best fans in the world want players like Willie." We are fans who don't get excited over the easy highlights that the novice fans notice, we like the true ballplayer. Willie was a player for the baseball connoisseur.

It would truly be a crime not to retire his number and I'm glad that this site it dedicated to making that happen. Thanks Willie, excuse me while I stand and applaud.

I remember, simply, being a huge Cardinal fan, and being all of 14. Walking through chesterfield mall with my mom, walking through…I think Sears, seeing Willie and literally staring at him not being able to speak. He asked me to duck down, and he and I sat on the ground and just “hung out” for the 10 minutes my mom and who he was with shopped. It has never left me how cool that was and what it meant to me. My parents thought he was unbelievable. I do not think my boys will ever experience something like that. But I met someone who clearly has HOF stats.

I remember early in the 1982 season listening to KMOX as Willie had just cracked the Cardinals lineup. Even over the radio you could feel the excitement as he would slice one down the right field line and turn it into a triple. Nobody went from home to third faster than Willie. I can still see him from my seats at Busch, as he turned the corner at first and broke into that hunched over sprint...he just kicked it into another gear.

One of the things I always loved about Willie, is that he was as raw at the end of his career as on the day he came up. He could bat right-handed against a lefty junkballer, and strike out on three pitches in the dirt...or get picked off first, and then come up later and get the game-winning hit. You never knew what would happen next with Willie. He was a thrill ride.

I remember sitting in the third base box seats in Milwaukee for game three of the 1982 series. We had split in St. Louis and had to win once in Milwaukee to force the series back home to St. Louis. It looked grim that night when Ted Simmons smashed a one-hopper off Andujar's knee and Jack was literally carried off to an early exit. The Brewers were hitting Sutter late. It was Willie who single-handedly won that game for the Cardinals. The two big homers and two homer saving catches. Awesome.

I was also at what is referred to as "The Ryne Sandberg Game" on June 23, 1984 at Wrigley. I was wearing my Willie jersey, and long before Sandberg became Babe Ruth that day, Willie had already hit for the cycle. Cardinal fans were high-fiving me for two hours. At the end, I exited in a beer-soaked frenzied Cubs celebration. An incredible game.

I was in Cincinnati on Memorial Day weekend in 1985. The Cardinals were struggling along playing 500 ball. In the series opener on Friday night, Neil Allen beaned in the winning run in the 13th inning. After that, Whitey declared the Neil Allen era complete, and we went to "bullpen by committee." The next two games, Vince and Willie absolutely ran wild, and from that weekend on the Cardinals were truly off to the races, playing forty games over 500 throughout the remainder of the season.

I also remember flying into St. Louis and hurrying to game three of the 1985 NL Playoffs. We were already trailing the Dodgers two games to none, when we came home for that Saturday afternoon game three. It was your classic sunny autumn day in St. Louis... what I like to refer to as "Red October!" Immediately in the bottom of the first, Vince and Willie got Bob Welch all frazzled. Tommy Herr tacked on a homer, and with Pendleton flashing the leather at the hot corner, we turned the series around. Everybody knows about those four glorious victories. "Go Crazy Folks!"

Willie, you were a class act, and you were my favorite player. It was a gas cheering for you. Thanks for everything, and God Bless You!

I was born in 1985 so I wasn't able to watch all of Willie McGee's amazing career. But I am able to recount the glory days of his career in the 90's. From the Cardinals to the A's, to the Giants then to the Red Sox for that one magical season. Then he came back home to the Cardinals till he retired. I love Willie McGee, I'm not ashamed of saying that. He was one of the best ballplayers I have ever seen and one of the best looking people on the planet. Thank you for allowing me to express my love of Willie McGee.

We used to listen to Cards games on KMOX and play wiffle ball in the front yard.

Coleman, Ozzie, Herr, Clark, McGee, Pendleton…I can still hear Jack Buck working down the batting order while we took easy pitches and swung a big red bat hitting homers all the way across the street.

Willie was always my favorite because he played so hard and ran with his head down. He’s a natural ballplayer, the kind we only dreamed to be, but back then we could still dream about playing for our Cards.

I first remember really paying attention to baseball in the fall of 1982. I was in complete awe of the play of Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee. I was 12 years old, and from that day until today, Willie McGee has been my all time favorite player. I have lived in Minnesota nearly all my life and I am a huge Twins fan. I was torn apart on the last out of the 1987 World Series, my Twins had won their first championship, but I had to see Willie make the final out. I never got to see Willie play in person, but my favorite items in my Willie McGee collection are the autographed baseball cards that I had sent to Busch Stadium and Willie signed and sent back to me!! I'm 35 years old now and I still love thinking about the Cardinals of the 80's, the stolen bases, the station to station baseball, the bunts and the defensive greats on those teams!! That is baseball the way it should be!! I learned a lot about Willie McGee reading other peoples letters today, now I just want to meet the man more than ever!!

I was pretty young through most of his career but I do remember playing little league and trying trying to look like him when I would lead off and try to mimic his run and his slide. He was part of what I consider the best years of baseball, before the strike and steroids. I consider myself lucky to have seen him play, but even more so to have been born and raised in the St. Louis Area. This is the best sports town EVER!! I never walk into that stadium or see baby blue without remembering those days. Without a doubt the best memories I have are being with my Dad at Cardinal games. Tonight, at a month in half old I am taking my son to his first game. I know at this day and age players like McGee are few and far between, but I hope the new stadium and the cardinal colors mean at least half to him as Busch and baby blue mean to me.

I grew up in New York, and was an avid Mets fan from the days of my childhood through the 80's and 90's. As such, the Cardinals were not one of my favorite teams, being that they were a rival of the Mets in the NL East. However, I was a true fan of the game, and appreciated and respected great players and great persons, regardless of whom they played for. And there was no one in baseball whom I admired and respected more than Willie McGee.

The man played every pitch as if it were the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the World Series. If you gave him a fraction of an inch, he took it. He cut off balls in the gap that no one else could have, he took an extra base where no one else would have and, as awkward as he might have looked sometimes swinging that bat, he could hit with the best of them. He epitomized the old fashioned work ethic in sports that is unfortunately so lacking today. As the old saying goes, he came to play every day.

What I admired most about Willie, though, was his humility and class as a human being. I saw many interviews with him, and read many things about him, and in my opinion, there was not a nicer or more genuine person in all of baseball. And simply by watching him play, and how he acted on the field and in the dugout, one could easily sense that genuineness, and that this was a very special man.

Baseball was a better game during Willie's career, simply because # 51 put on that uniform, went out there every day and gave it his best.

I am no longer a youngster, but Willie McGee will always be one of my all time heroes.

Willie McGee was my favorite ballplayer pretty much from the two home-run, homer-saving series game against the Brewers. I don't need to recount his on-field accomplishments to any Cards fan. Come to think of it, none of us need to be reminded that he was grace and class personified on and off the field. I was devastated when the Cardinals traded him to the A's, and his return to St. Louis brought me back to baseball. It may sound strange or sappy, but it was hard for me to even think about baseball during those years. And as long as I can remember, I have lived and breathed baseball and lived and died with the Redbirds. I felt reborn and my glee and optimism extended to every facet of life. You can come home again. Wrongs can be made right. Having the city savor his every at bat and express the same admiration made me even more proud to be a St. Louisan. I wrote this because, when former NFL linebacker Sam Mills passed away recently, he was described by Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson thusly: "...he was the kind of person you want your kids to grow up to be." I thought of Willie when I read that.
--Daniel Ritchey

I started watching Cardinals baseball in 1980 when I was 8 years old. As you know, two years later we as fans were blessed with both an extremely gifted athlete as well as a wonderful human being in Willie McGee. He immediately became my favorite ballplayer. The amazing thing about Willie was that he never made a spectacle of himself....never argued with umpires, never showed anyone up.....NOTHING to disrespect the game that he loved. I went through grade school, middle school, and high school watching every game I could on television to see Willie and the Cardinals, and I NEVER missed a game listening to Jack Buck on the radio. After I graduated high school I joined the Army. While in basic training, my best friend sent me a copy of Sports Illustrated with Willie McGee on the cover in an Oakland Athletics uniform. I could not for the life of me understand how they could trade my hero!!! Anyway, I went on to serve in Desert Shield and fight in Desert Storm, serving 5 1/2 years in the army before getting out. A few years after leaving the service, the Cardinals re-signed Willie to be a platoon player for them and I watched him finish his career out as a Cardinal. The final game played in Busch Stadium during the season that was Willie's last, I sat on our couch and sobbed aloud as I watched Willie run out to right field in his awkward style after pinch hitting shortly before, only so the home crowd could applaud him one last time. I grew up with Willie McGee. He will always be a part of some of the brightest memories that I will always hold on to, from when I was 8 years old until after I had fought for the country which we call home. He touched many of us with his humble smile and his love for the game.

Growing up in a baseball-loving family in St. Louis, I was, of course, baptized in the faith of Cardinal Nation at an early age. My fondest childhood memories include the sights of Busch Stadium, the sound of Jack Buck’s voice, and the beautiful birds-on-bat jerseys.

I was eleven years old in 1982 and enjoyed every moment of that glorious season. In retrospect, with so many great Cardinal players to choose from it seems odd that Willie McGee became the player I admired more than all. I was impressed with his solid play and effort, but his humility really made me love him.

When the Cardinals traded Willie in 1989, I was attending college far from my Missouri roots. I saw the quick note on SportsCenter and could not believe it. I immediately called home and the horrible news was confirmed, my favorite Cardinal was no longer a Cardinal. I literally cried. I was nearly a grown man, but cried like a little boy the day Willie was sent to Oakland.

I still followed his career, often wearing one of my McGee 51 jerseys, and was absolutely thrilled (as was the rest of Cardinal Nation) when Willie returned to St. Louis in 1996. A fully grown man at this point, tears once again found their way to my eyes.

Now that I live in Texas, I am only able to get to Busch Stadium or a Cardinal game over in Houston a few times a year. Amid a sea of McGwire, Pujols, and Rolen jerseys in the seats, I can easily be spotted in my McGee jersey. Inevitably, at every game (even in Houston), a Cardinal fan shyly walks over to me to shake my hand, compliment me on my jersey, and share a few Willie memories.

That is the reverence Willie McGee has in Cardinal Nation. Complete strangers are brought together not by the love of a game or one team, but by sincere adoration of a single, humble and beloved man.

When I was first exposed to baseball in 1985 (sadly enough when in my 20's), Willie McGee was the first player I got excited about. It was fun to watch him: run, jump, hit. He had that magical swing that made it look like he could never hit the ball, but boy could he!

I'm now a diehard baseball and Cardinals fan. We have now had season tickets for several years. Many players have been fun to watch, and yes exciting, but still none anymore than Willie McGee. His humble approach and truly sincere smile makes you want to like him and see him play again. What a great role model for other athletes.

I was disappointed that Willie's number has not been retired by the Cardinals. What a truly deserving honor to such a great asset to our city and its fans. He was an excellent and dedicated ball player who expected nothing more from the Cardinals than to allow him to play.

While I have purchased many autographed items, my wish in my lifetime is to be able to meet Willie McGee and thank him for the great memories!

I was privileged enough to be the one to pick up Mr. McGee at the airport for the Bob Gibson Classic in August 2004. I really didn't get the chance to express to him how much of a fan I was. I was just so in awe of being able to pick him up. He was very tired when he showed up, but still was very polite...it was so awesome to be able to drive him to his hotel and be able to talk like we had been friends forever. I felt like I could sit with him and talk for hours. I saw him play many times (sitting in the stands and yelling, "Go now!"). I cant say enough how awesome it was to be able to pick Mr. McGee up at the airport, even though I didn't get an autograph (we were told by the Bob Gibson Classic that we couldn't ask for one, and I really didn't feel like it was the appropriate setting for it) this memory will be something that I tell my grandchildren about. If Mr. McGee ever comes back to Omaha, or if he wants to ever come visit me and talk more about life and all the crazy experiences (like that would ever happen), I would be more than happy to pick him up from the airport again. I have volunteered for many community things, and by far this was one of the best volunteer opportunities I have ever experienced.

My name is John Hart and I am a huge Willie McGee fan. I'm from St.Louis, now living in Phoenix and I remember when he was picked up by the Cardinals. In 1982, I went to 42 home games during the regular season and to the playoffs against the Braves then to games 2 and 7 of the World Series against the Brewers. The Cards' had lots of great players on that team but I was an outfielder at the time and he was my favorite player. I followed his career when he left and was very happy when he was able to finish his career in St. Louis. When I saw he was going to be down in Florida for spring training it really made me happy. I hope he gets a chance to coach at the major league level some time. He still looks good in the red and white too.

This evening (Jan 3, 2004), my wife, older son and I were at a local driving range in the SF Bay Area hitting golf balls. As it was 39 degrees, there weren't many people out at 7:30 pm for this activity. As we were hitting, a man walked by us to setup to hit his bucket. As he walked by, I knew it was Willie McGee. I kept watching him as he was crushing his shots. When we were done, I couldn't help but ask him if he was indeed Willie McGee. In his true classy way, he acknowledged that he was Willie McGee. He immediately stopped what he was doing to shake all of our hands. I asked what he was up to and we chatted briefly about his coaching efforts. I asked what he would recommend for young players to gain strength as we had just returned from a baseball camp in Arizona with our younger son. He went on to spend at least 10 minutes with us explaining what he felt would help any young player including demonstrations of each exercise. Mind you, this was in 39 degree weather on a Saturday evening. We graciously apologized for interrupting his golf time and he responded by saying: "no problem, it was nice meeting all of you". He will always be a class act whether on the baseball field or anything else he chooses to do in life. What our kids need more than anything is someone like Willie that will take the time to share his experiences without feeling as if he is being bothered.

My two cousins and I attended a game at Busch Stadium years ago with my uncle and some others in my family. After the game, we headed to the parking garage and took a wrong turn, ending up in the players' parking area. My cousin dropped a piece of paper, which ended up near the tire of one of the vehicles. The attendant said, "Get away from there! That's Willie McGee's truck!" My cousin bent down to get the piece of paper all smudged with gunk.

I am the no. 1 fan of Willie McGee. I have over 800 items that have his name and/or picture on them. He is the most underrated player of all time. He never bragged about himself and he is a very humble man. I met Mr. McGee at a card show and had the opportunity to talk to him in private. He was great with the people. One little boy said, "Mr. Willie, how does it feel to be a big league ballplayer?" Willie replied, "It's the greatest feeling in the world to put on that uniform everyday." I believe that is just the way he felt. I wish we had more people in this world like Willie McGee.

(McGee) could fly. I think he was faster than (Mickey) Mantle. I thought he (Mantle) was the fastest in my time. (Willie) Mays was fast too. Mickey Rivers, he was fast. Dave Collins, Rickey Henderson, they were fast. Willie McGee was the fastest.

I like to brag about the teams I played with in St. Louis, because of the fire they played with. Willie could have played with those teams. I would have loved to have him out there with (Curt) Flood and (Lou) Brock.

Last week we were in Tahoe, skiing. If you think Willie look funny hitting, trust me, you got to see him get up on some skis.

I'd like to think he made us better players. In the long run, it made us better people. I can hope that in the not-too-distant future, Willie is again in a Cardinals uniform (as a coach) helping the Cardinals win a World Series.

In 1996 through '99, he was the most dangerous player off the bench in the league.

Personally, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, it will be an honor for the rest of my life to be known in baseball as the player traded for Willie McGee.

His love affair with this city is something special. Most of the guys who played on the team at the time he came up, in the 1980s, had a close relationship with the city. But with his humility, everyone has to love Willie.