Nonprofit executive Adam Swig, a key organizer behind the Willie Mays Day events, stands beside cable car No. 24 while holding a piece of sourdough bread baked by Bistro Boudin restaurant to resemble Mays’ iconic 24 jersey.
San Francisco’s love for Willie Mays shone through the stormy weather Sunday when the calendar — which read 2/4/24 — seemed to pay homage to the baseball legend and his instantly recognizable uniform number: 24.
The City found several inventive ways to seize this once-in-a-century opportunity and honor the Say Hey Kid.
“This is a great opportunity for us to just take a moment and pause and really honor this iconic individual, who has done so much for San Francisco and especially for our young people,” said Breed.
City Hall is lit up in Giants orange on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, one of several city landmarks paying tribute to Willie Mays that day.
Keith Menconi | The Examiner
City Hall, the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, and other buildings around town were lit up in Giants orange, and the Giants hung a celebratory banner along the 24 palm trees that stand outside Oracle Park.
A public ceremony was held at 2:24 p.m. inside cable car 24 parked near Fisherman’s Wharf. A small crowd cheered as operator Derrick Johnson rang the car’s bell 24 times. The rain even stopped during the brief ceremony.
“I felt very honored and blessed to be that person today,” said Johnson, who is now in his 24th year as an operator. A lifetime San Franciscan, Johnson said he has fond childhood memories of visiting Candlestick Park with his family to watch Mays play.
Cable car operator Derrick Johnson rang car 24’s bell 24 times. Johnson's car was dedicated to Willie Mays on May 6, 2016, the player's 85th birthday.
Keith Menconi/The Examiner
It’s the kind of memory that energized many throughout The City on Sunday.
“That’s why this came together so well — because everybody loves Willie,” said local nonprofit executive Adam Swig, who hatched the plan for a special day honoring Mays after he spotted the auspicious double 24 calendar date last year.
“That’s Willie Mays day!” he said he told himself.
And, adding to the date’s appeal, it also coincided with Black History Month, offering an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of a ballplayer who started his career in the Negro American League in 1948 before going on to play for the Giants for 21 seasons.
Swig — who has known Mays for much of his life — said he pitched the idea to Giants CEO Larry Baer, who brought it to the mayor. Swig also enlisted the help of 24 local bars and restaurants, who agreed to temporarily add “Say Hey” specials inspired by Mays to their menus.
Arizona waste-hauling abruptly withdrew contract to beat out Recology's San Francisco bid
“Everybody just jumped at the opportunity to honor Willie,” Swig said. “They all had a story, and some of them were impacted by Willie.”
Bistro Boudin baked a piece of sourdough bread sculpted into the shape of Mays’ No. 24 jersey. Holbrook House, a cocktail bar in the Financial District, introduced a martini with 6.60 oz of vodka as a tribute to Mays’ 660 home runs.
Slice House’s North Beach location offered a novelty pizza slice topped with fried chicken cutlets and spicy sausage “inspired by Willie’s love of Southern food,” said Tony Gemignani, the chef and restaurateur who founded the chain of fast-casual pizzerias.
“I have always been inspired by the great Willie Mays,” Gemignani said in an email to The Examiner. “In 1961, when I was 10 years old, my grandfather took me to get my first single baseball card of Willie, which I still cherish today.”
Nonprofit executive Adam Swig, a key organizer behind the Willie Mays Day events, stands beside cable car No. 24 while holding a piece of sourdough bread baked by Bistro Boudin restaurant to resemble Mays’ iconic 24 jersey.
Keith Menconi | The Examiner
The celebrations were not limited to San Francisco either. On Wednesday, The New York Giants Preservation Society held a Zoom meeting in Mays’ honor.
“Such a beloved figure in New York still,” said society president Gary Mintz of Mays.
The vast majority of the club's members are fans of the San Francisco Giants, Mintz said, and Willie Mays is the driving force behind their devotion.
“His love of the game, his mind, the way he handled himself,” he said. “Characteristics of the greatest player there really ever was.”
Mays fans are quick to point out his philanthropic work supporting young people through his Say Hey Foundation and the Willie Mays Scholars program, which offers academic scholarships to Black youth in San Francisco. The latter will receive a portion of the proceeds from the special menu items sold by the 24 participating businesses, according to Swig.
The City’s warm wishes seem to have made their way to Mays himself, who is now 92 and facing several health challenges.
“To me, this day means I am loved,” said Mays in a press release from the Giants. “This is as much my day as it is for everyone else who loves the game.”
As for Swig, he said he’s also hoping it was a day that helped to remind San Franciscans how much they have to be proud of.
“Willie’s the G.O.A.T. — you know, greatest of all time,” said Swig. “Just like San Francisco is.”
