The Best Ballplayer Alive - Part 1

Baseball is a game steeped with traditions and superstitions, moreso than any other professional sport.  There are innumerable "unwritten rules" and a pantheon of past greats that receive reverence unparalleled amongst professional athletes.  The most revered of baseball greats is a short list, and the greatest living player is Willie Mays.

Independently, he may not have been the best pure hitter, though his stats do add up favorably against some 99% of the rest of baseball history.  He may not have been the best pure baserunner, but he was pretty darn good.  He may not have been the best fielder when you compare his stats objectively using advanced modern metrics.  Actually, he may have been the best defender of all time.

He's also not signed a lot recently, which I think a lot of people attribute to his health.  It's a shame, not just because I wish the best for Mr. Mays and his family, but because we probably won't get a lot of amazing cards for younger generations to enjoy like the Hank Aaron / Willie Mays dual autograph below.  That one is safely tucked in my PC, and I know most others like it are as well.  I would love him to be more celebrated in the hobby, but then again, he hasn't produced an MVP caliber season since 1971.