Willie Mays, the baseball legend who played center fielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants, has died. He was 93 years old.

The San Francisco Giants shared the news on their official X account (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday: “He leaves us with a lasting memory: to work hard and find joy in this great game and this extraordinary life. Say hey, Willie Mays. The best there ever was.”

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“My father died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones,” his son Michael Mays told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the unwavering love you showed him over the years. You were his lifeblood.”

Mays, known as “Say Hey Kid,” played 22 seasons in the major leagues from 1951 until his retirement in 1973. He made his MLB debut with the Giants in New York and moved with the team to San Francisco in 1958. He finished his career with the New York Mets in 1973.

Mays, who posted a career batting average of .301, finished the season with 660 home runs, 3,293 hits, 1,909 runs batted in and 2,068 runs batted in. He was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove Award winner. (He was the oldest living Hall of Famer in baseball.)

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The post Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants Legend and MLB Corridor of Famer, Dies at 93 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

It seems like SF Giants fans will be seeing more of Buster Posey at Oracle Park in the near future. After a brief period living in his home state of Georgia following his retirement following the 2021 season, the three-time World Series champion and future Hall of Fame catcher is currently in the process of moving back to the Bay Area, according to Andrew Baggarly to draw from The Athletic.

Buster Posey says he and his family will be moving to the Bay Area.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

“As Posey explained, it took a year for the family to realize that the Bay Area had become a place where they truly felt at home,” Baggarly wrote. “Her two twins were born here. So last week they loaded the moving truck. This will give Posey the opportunity to watch more Giants games from the stands.”

The news was originally mentioned during former Giants manager and current Texas Rangers captain Bruce Bochy's KNBR radio interview Friday morning. When asked by the “Murph and Mac” show if he should stay in touch with Posey, Bochy said it had been a while since the two had spoken, but he had heard about Posey's plan to return to the Bay Area .

During his retirement press conference after the 2021 season, Posey and his wife Kristen expressed interest in moving back to Georgia with their four children to be closer to their families.

“We've been on one coast, they've been on another coast, actually since 2008 when I was drafted,” Posey told reporters at the time. “We’re definitely excited about that. Due to COVID, there is a niece we haven't met yet. Most of my family hasn't met our twin girls yet. And it's certainly like many families that are separated. COVID has made it harder for people to see each other. That’s why we’re excited to be closer to them and spend time with them.”

The family liquidated their local real estate, listing their six-bedroom Lafayette home for $7.5 million in March 2022 and scoring an off-market sale for $9.28 million. A month later, they followed suit, listing a 106-acre ranch in Oroville for $3.9 million.

The Poseys' recent change of heart led to the family selling their suburban Atlanta home for about $3.85 million last month, according to Realtor.com.

Posey joined the Giants ownership group in September 2022 and serves as a principal partner on a six-member board. He's been involved in the decision-making process from afar – including frequent visits to San Francisco – but the full-time move west could mean Posey's influence on the organization becomes much greater.

Because he is a core part of the Giants organization, Posey has been a part of several offseason free agent recruiting efforts. Even after his retirement, he was remotely involved in the club's recent pursuit of Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa last offseason.

Buster Posey, 36, has been spotted on several occasions this season at Oracle Park, sitting in seats next to the SF Giants dugout along with chairman Greg Johnson.

The post SF Giants legend Buster Posey transferring again to Bay Space appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Disneyland visitors ringing in the first day of spooky season may have been lucky enough to get a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious surprise. A viral Instagram reel shows Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke atop a balcony in New Orleans Square inside the park. The beloved star is best known in the Disney pantheon for his role as Bert, the chimney sweep, in the 1964 musical “Mary Poppins.”

“I would have lost my collective spoon full of sugar if I saw the absolute legend there,” user @jedi_master_alex wrote in the comments.

“I was there, and I just cried!! An iconic legend….,” another user @acwfoster wrote.

Van Dyke is no stranger to making guest appearances at Disneyland. In Dec. 2015, the star spent his 90th birthday in the park and was spotted on the same balcony where guests sang him “Happy Birthday.” In 2012, he also spent his birthday at Disneyland as the celebrity guest for a holiday tradition: the annual Candlelight Ceremony.

Van Dyke has spent much of his life as a celebrity figurehead for Disneyland after appearing in several Disney films. In “Mary Poppins,” he played not only Bert but Mr. Dawes Sr., the director of the bank. He also starred in the 1966 film “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” And in 2001, Van Dyke narrated “Walt: The Man Behind the Myth,” a documentary about the life of Walt Disney. 

The post Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke makes shock look at Disneyland appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Former NFL running back Frank Gore has listed his Southwest Ranches, FL, home for more than twice what he paid for it.

In 2020, the future football Hall of Famer snagged the 10,000-square-foot residence for $3,225,000. And now it’s back on the market for nearly $7 million.

Doubling one’s money is an exciting prospect, but we’ll see if Gore’s ask is truly realistic or just aspirational. Either way, we’re sold on this luxe, six-bedroom looker.

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Built in 2007

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Long driveway out front

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Living room

Realtor.com

Kitchen

Realtor.com

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Main bedroom

Realtor.com

Primary bathroom

Realtor.com

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Gaming room

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Home theater

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Pool and patio

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The Miami-adjacent abode is awash in glam flair—maybe even a Vegas vibe—thanks to all the shiny, silver surfaces and opulent chandeliers. The spacious great room has a soaring ceiling and loads of windows that fill the living spaces with that famous Florida sunshine.

The chef’s kitchen offers a large island, walk-in pantry, two dishwashers, and two ovens for easy holiday hosting and dinner-party catering.

The main bedroom is on the first floor and has its own living room, wet bar, walk-in closets, and posh bathroom.

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There’s also a one-bedroom guesthouse that doubles as the pool’s cabana. And when it comes to fun, well, it’s endless here. The home is outfitted with two bars—one in the man cave and another outside. Other entertainment options include a pool, basketball court, play area, gym, sauna, game room, and home theater.

Gore was drafted in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers and went on to play for 16 seasons with a variety of teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills. He rushed for exactly 16,000 yards in his career, a feat that puts him in third place on the all-time list for rushing yards.

The post NFL Legend Frank Gore Goals To Double His Cash With Sale of South Florida Property appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Former NFL running back Frank Gore has listed his Southwest Ranches, FL, home for more than twice what he paid for it.

In 2020, the future football Hall of Famer snagged the 10,000-square-foot residence for $3,225,000. And now it’s back on the market for nearly $7 million.

Doubling one’s money is an exciting prospect, but we’ll see if Gore’s ask is truly realistic or just aspirational. Either way, we’re sold on this luxe, six-bedroom looker.

Built in 2007

(Realtor.com)

Long driveway out front

(Realtor.com)

Living room

(Realtor.com)

Kitchen

(Realtor.com)

Main bedroom

(Realtor.com)

Primary bathroom

(Realtor.com)

Gaming room

(Realtor.com)

Home theater

(Realtor.com)

Pool and patio

(Realtor.com)

The Miami-adjacent abode is awash in glam flair—maybe even a Vegas vibe—thanks to all the shiny, silver surfaces and opulent chandeliers. The spacious great room has a soaring ceiling and loads of windows that fill the living spaces with that famous Florida sunshine.

The chef’s kitchen offers a large island, walk-in pantry, two dishwashers, and two ovens for easy holiday hosting and dinner-party catering.

The main bedroom is on the first floor and has its own living room, wet bar, walk-in closets, and posh bathroom.

There’s also a one-bedroom guesthouse that doubles as the pool’s cabana. And when it comes to fun, well, it’s endless here. The home is outfitted with two bars—one in the man cave and another outside. Other entertainment options include a pool, basketball court, play area, gym, sauna, game room, and home theater.

Gore was drafted in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers and went on to play for 16 seasons with a variety of teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills. He rushed for exactly 16,000 yards in his career, a feat that puts him in third place on the all-time list for rushing yards.

The post NFL Legend Frank Gore Goals To Double His Cash With Sale of South Florida Property appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Running Back Frank Gore Looks to Double His Money With The Listing Of His South Florida Estate

Former NFL running back Frank Gore has listed his Southwest Ranches, FL, home for more than twice what he paid for it.

In 2020, the future football Hall of Famer snagged the 10,000-square-foot residence for $3,225,000. And now it’s back on the market for nearly $7 million.

Doubling one’s money is an exciting prospect, but we’ll see if Gore’s ask is truly realistic or just aspirational. Either way, we’re sold on this luxe, six-bedroom looker.

Built in 2007

(Realtor.com)

Long driveway out front

(Realtor.com)

Living room

(Realtor.com)

Kitchen

(Realtor.com)

Main bedroom

(Realtor.com)

Primary bathroom

(Realtor.com)

Gaming room

(Realtor.com)

Home theater

(Realtor.com)

Pool and patio

(Realtor.com)

The Miami-adjacent abode is awash in glam flair—maybe even a Vegas vibe—thanks to all the shiny, silver surfaces and opulent chandeliers. The spacious great room has a soaring ceiling and loads of windows that fill the living spaces with that famous Florida sunshine.

The chef’s kitchen offers a large island, walk-in pantry, two dishwashers, and two ovens for easy holiday hosting and dinner-party catering.

The main bedroom is on the first floor and has its own living room, wet bar, walk-in closets, and posh bathroom.

There’s also a one-bedroom guesthouse that doubles as the pool’s cabana. And when it comes to fun, well, it’s endless here. The home is outfitted with two bars—one in the man cave and another outside. Other entertainment options include a pool, basketball court, play area, gym, sauna, game room, and home theater.

Gore was drafted in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers and went on to play for 16 seasons with a variety of teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills. He rushed for exactly 16,000 yards in his career, a feat that puts him in third place on the all-time list for rushing yards.

The post NFL Legend Frank Gore Goals To Double His Cash With Sale of South Florida Property appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Dot Wilkinson, a softball and bowling phenom who became the first woman to be inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, died in Phoenix on Saturday. She was 101.

Wilkinson was widely regarded as one of the finest catchers in the history of women’s fast pitch softball, which she played with the title-winning Phoenix Ramblers from 1933-1965.

With Wilkinson at the helm, the Ramblers brought Arizona their first sports championship win in 1940 and two more in 1948 and 1949.

Softball meant everything to Wilkinson, a 19-time All-American who played to win. She was adamant and argumentative about the diamond, with the talent and accolades to back it up. Off the field, she was generous and kind.

As her softball career came to an end, Wilkinson focused on bowling, in which she also excelled. She won major titles and earned a place in the International Bowling Hall of Fame.

Though her athletic talents took her across the United States, Wilkinson never moved from South Phoenix, where she was born, grew up and developed her amazing skills.

“She was Phoenix history, she was women’s history, she was sports history,” her biographer, Lynn Ames, told Republic.

“She was so wrapped up in a burly 5ft 3 dynamo.”

Stories from Arizona:How 101-year-old softball legend Dot Wilkinson found her two great loves in the same place

Dot’s early years

Dorothy Elsie Wilkinson was born on October 9, 1921 in South Phoenix.

She was raised on a farm by her British parents, who had moved to Arizona from London ten years earlier. Her mother and father were athletes and it was clear from Wilkinson’s early years that she had inherited her athletic talent.

She played her first game for the Ramblers in 1933 at the age of 11 and became a sports phenom under coach and mentor Ford Hoffman.

Wilkinson was a gifted catcher, known for her phenomenal arm and a first-rate left-hander. And once the game was on, she was in business, her friend and former opponent Bonnie Bryant told The Republic in 2022.

“She was serious as a player. Very serious,” Bryant said. “You better be prepared when you go home that you’ll be taken out.”

In 1940, the Ramblers brought Arizona their first athletic title when they won the women’s national amateur softball championship in Detroit. Two more titles were added in 1948 and 1949.

The Ramblers’ success coincided with the height of women’s softball in Phoenix. Thousands turned out to watch games, particularly hard-fought derbies between the Ramblers and the Arizona A1 Queens.

As women’s softball in Arizona began to decline in the late 1950s, Wilkinson’s bowling career picked up speed. In 1962, she won the Women’s International Bowling Congress Queens Tournament and took the WIBC national singles title the following year.

She retired from softball in 1965 while also disbanding the Phoenix Ramblers, which she had acquired from Hoffman.

She was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1970, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 – the first woman to be honored – and the International Bowling Hall of Fame in 1990.

In 1999, Wilkinson was ranked #8 on the Republic list of the greatest Arizona athletes of the 20th century.

talent recognized:Arizona High School Super 10 Softball Rankings

her other great love

One of Wilkinson’s greatest rivalries was with Estelle “Ricki” Caito, a second basewoman for the California Orange Lionettes.

They were both intense competitors and would engage on the field both inside and outside the bounds of the rules. At one point, Caito was so angry with Wilkinson that she jumped onto her back as she ran from second to third base.

The enmity shifted over time, and in the early 1960s Wilkinson and Caito began dating. They stayed together until Caito’s death in 2011, almost 50 years.

They lived together in Phoenix and made a living flipping houses, buying up ramshackle buildings, and doing all the work—plumbing, roofing, you name it—by yourself.

Although those close to them knew what they meant to each other, they had grown up in a time when gay and lesbian relationships were kept secret. Their relationship was first publicly acknowledged in Caito’s obituary, which named Wilkinson as her “longtime companion.”

Her story inspired a novel called Bright Lights of Summer by author Lynn Ames, who set out to document Wilkinson’s life story after meeting her in 2010. She has written a biography of Wilkinson to be published in October.

“Softball Kings”

In 2016, Wilkinson threw the first pitch at a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants with his friend and former teammate Billie Harris — himself an Arizona sports legend and Hall of Famer.

“You’re softball kings, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said as Wilkinson and Harris walked toward the mound.

That same year, Wilkinson received a lifetime achievement award from the Arizona Softball Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been very lucky my whole life,” Wilkinson, then 94, said in her acceptance speech. “Everything was easy for me.”

Staying at home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she told Republic it was the worst crisis of her long life that she could remember.

In her later years she was always eager to talk about softball with the numerous friends she had made during her long sporting career. She celebrated her 101st birthday in October 2022 with a party.

Wilkinson died at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday surrounded by loved ones. She is survived by six great-great nieces and nephews, 11 great-great nieces and nephews, and seven great-great-great nieces and nephews.

Ames said Wilkinson was a remarkable person, brave and unforgettable, and a towering figure in women’s sport history.

“I know so many women have told me about the example she set for them,” Ames said, “the glass ceilings she broke for them. And the path she paved for them to live their dreams.”

Wilkinson has always been humble, Ames added, proud of her accomplishments but unwilling to delve into her legacy.

“Dot didn’t put much emphasis on stuff like that,” Ames said. “She just wanted to play ball.”

The post Dot Wilkinson, a legend in softball and bowling, dies at 101 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants retired the number of Mississippi State legend Will Clark, best known at Magnolia State for his role in the “Thunder and Lightning” tandem.

During a pregame ceremony at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Clark became the 11th San Francisco Giant to have his number retired. The Giants placed Clark’s number 22 between Major League Baseball phenoms at Monte Irvin and Willie Mays, who wore numbers 20 and 24, respectively.

Although the Giants typically retire the number of players who are members of the MLB Hall of Fame, the team changed their protocol in 2018 when they retired Barry Bonds’ number and essentially decided to give Clark the same honor.

“This is my Hall of Fame. It’s incredible to be recognized with the incredible names of this historic franchise,” Clark said during his retirement speech. “I always wanted to win and make others around me winners. We all did that together here. I’m Will ‘the Thrill’ Clark, I’m a part of San Francisco and I’m a giant forever.”

The Giants originally planned to hold Clark’s retirement ceremony in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the event to be postponed by two years. The delay seemed a little random, as the retirement came in 2022, 22 years after Clark’s last game as a Giant and one honoring the number 22.

During his 15-year MLB career, Clark appeared in six All-Star games, won two Silver Slugger Awards, won a Golden Glove Award and hit 284 home runs.

The post San Francisco Giants retire variety of MSU legend Will Clark appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants retired the number of Mississippi State legend Will Clark, who is most famous in the Magnolia State for his role in the “Thunder and Lightning” tandem.

During a pregame ceremony at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Clark became the 11th San Francisco Giant to have his number retired. The Giants placed Clark’s number 22 between Major League Baseball phenoms in Monte Irvin and Willie Mays, who wore numbers 20 and 24, respectively.

Although the Giants typically retire the numbers of players who are members of the MLB Hall of Fame, the team changed its protocol in 2018 when they retired Barry Bonds’ number and essentially decided to place the same honor on Clark.

“This right here is my Hall of Fame. To be recognized with the incredible names of this historical franchise is beyond belief,” Clark said during his number retirement speech. “I always wanted to win and have others around me be winners. We all did that together here. I am Will ‘the Thrill’ Clark, I am part of San Francisco and I am forever a Giant.”

The Giants had initially planned to hold Clark’s number retirement ceremony in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the event to be postponed for two years. The delay seemed a bit serendipitous given the retirement was held in 2022, 22 years after Clark’s last game as a Giant and one in which the number 22 was honored.

Over his 15-year MLB career, Clark appeared in six All-Star games, won two Silver Slugger Awards, won a Golden Glove award, and hit 284 home runs.

The post San Francisco Giants retire variety of MSU legend Will Clark appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.