Baseball fans everywhere mourned the death of Hall of Fame legend Willie Mays on June 18 at age 93.
But do you remember when Mays was suspended from any association with Major League Baseball?
Following his Hall of Fame induction in 1979, Mays signed a contract as a “goodwill ambassador” for Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City. The part-time job was to show up at meet-and-greets for charitable events on behalf of the resort. He would also meet with the casino’s favored customers for golf and receptions, but had no role in the casino.
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, however, said MLB’s rules at the time forbid players, coaches and team personnel from being involved with gambling. He banned Mays from having any association with baseball and from the New York Mets, where he served as a hitting instructor.
Four years later, when Mickey Mantle took a similar position with Atlantic City’s Claridge Hotel and Casino, Kuhn suspended the New York Yankees Hall of Famer as well.
In 1984, baseball owners hired Peter Ueberroth, who organized the Los Angeles Olympics, as the next MLB commissioner. The following March, he reinstated Mays and Mantle, saying they were “two of the most beloved and admired athletes in the country today and they belong in baseball.”
Both former players continued in their positions with the casinos. Mays came to Las Vegas in 1995 to help Bally’s Las Vegas open its remodeled race and sportsbook. (You can read about that event on my LinkedIn page).
