Willie Mays, considered the best all-around player in modern-day history, a man seemingly in constant motion during his storied career, is caught in a moment of quiet contemplation at his first home, the Polo Grounds. While investigating the provenance of the large center field ad sign, which was the signature icon in the stadium, I learned that this version (Knickerbocker Beer) was not put into place until 1956/57. This dates Mays’ portrait to his final year at the Giants home at Cougan’s Bluff before they moved across country to a new stadium built beside the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay.
In a bold act of artistic license, I messed with mother nature herself and created an hour behind that iconic billboard that either bathes Mays in the twilight of reflection or the dawn of a promising future in distant lands.