They talk about "the catch". They talk about the speed. The defense. The power. The hitting. All of it true. And then they mention he was an even greater person, playing stickball with neighborhood kids in NYC, among other things. Well I remember an incident on the field that indicated "the person". I forget the year but when Willie's teammate Juan Marichal tried to bust Johnny Roseboro's skull open with his bat (succeeding) and a brawl broke out, who was the guy who led Roseboro off the filed to safety (and treatment) in the midst of that brawl? Willie Mays. That says all that needs to be said about the person. And among the multitude of tributes to the man since he passed last night, nobody mentioned that act of kindness. Mantle was always this Yankee fan's favorite Yankee but Willie was always my favorite ballplayer.