Willie, Rocky, and the Rose

Ruben Navarrette : Willie Mays , Rocky Colavito , Pete Rose , Luis Tiant and Pete Rose all played for the Reds .

He says Mays was the greatest player ever, but he didn't see him play except on TV or reading about him in The Sporting News .

He recalls Mays' over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series opener at New York’s Polo Grounds , robbing a potential game-winning hit.

There was Rico Carty and the big debate over the 1964 Rookie of the Year between Rico and Dick Allen . There was Fernando Valenzuela and that great game that he pitched against the Yankees and Expos in the 1981 postseason. And there was Rickey Henderson , who always played for the other team, but I admire his talents. Great players, all of them. And a reminder of when kids collected baseball cards and I played Strat -o-Matic wth my brother. PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos. Image via Pixabay ..