Bill Greason, 99, and Willie Mays in 2011. The duo were teammates on the Birmingham Black Barons.
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Black baseball and Birmingham remembered
When Wilie Mays broke into pro baseball in 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons, his teammates at Rickwood Field included pitcher Bill Greason. Mays would go on to rank among the greatest and most scintillating players in the sports’ history as the slugging, base-stealing, fly shagging, power-armed centerfielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants. When Mays died last week at age 93, he was the oldest living Hall of Famer (inducted in 1979). But don’t forget Bill Greason, also known as Rev. Greason.
