President Obama honors Willie Mays, Yogi Berra with Medal of Freedom

[PufPuf23]

Source: ESPN / AP


WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama recognized 17 Americans with the nation's highest civilian award Tuesday, including the first African-American woman elected to Congress, one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and a "Funny Girl."

"Today we celebrate some extraordinary people: innovators, artists and leaders who contribute to America's strength as a nation," Obama said.

"It's because of giants like Willie [Mays] that someone like me could even think about running for president," President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he awarded Mays and Yogi Berra (posthumously) the Presidential Medal of Freedom. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The sports honorees were Baseball Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Yogi Berra. Berra, who died in September, was a famed Yankees catcher, an 18-time All-Star and a 10-time World Series champion. The president noted that Berra also served in World War II. Mays was among the first African-American players in Major League Baseball.


Read more: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14217458/president-barack-obama-recognizes-yogi-berra-willie-mays-presidential-medal-freedom

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I was a huge fan of Willie Mays (and the Giants) growing up and for life (and attended at least one Giants game every season between 1959 and 2003).

I was at Candlestick when Mays hit his 512 home run.

The many Black and Latin players on the Giants in the 1960s had a positive impact on me far beyond baseball.

So I was going to put this in The Lounge but the article is Late Breaking News and may be of general interest.

There is a really sweet photo of POTUS Obama putting the award on Willie Mays at the link.

[SusanCalvin]

1. Thank you,

And so happy you are happy.

[question everything]

2. I actually watched CSPAN

and watched the whole ceremony.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/23/456832743/here-are-the-2015-medal-of-freedom-winners-in-their-own-voices

Before the official handing of the medals, Obama had several sentences about everyone. Yes, he did said that he once told Mayes that were it not for him, he, Obama, may have not ended up standing there.

Yogi Berra
Bonnie Carroll
Shirley Chisholm
Emilio Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Billy Frank Jr.
Lee Hamilton
Katherine G. Johnson
Willie Mays
Barbara Mikulski
Itzhak Perlman
William Ruckelshaus
Stephen Sondheim
Steven Spielberg
Barbra Streisand
James Taylor
Minoru Yasui

[PufPuf23]

3. Thank you for listing the others receiving the award.

I should have mentioned them as they are all admirable.

No TV so no CSPAN for me.

[mountain grammy]

4. Say hey, Willie. I loved baseball as a kid, and Willie Mays was the reason.

Was he ever fun to watch.. he made baseball fun!

We watched this on the tube today. Glad to see Shirley Chisholm honored too. I remember her well, and had the honor of meeting her once.

[Chasstev365]

5. "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks

I was so glad my all-time favorite baseball player, Ernie Banks, received this same honor from the president
not long before he died last January. Ernie gave President Obama a bat that Jackie Robinson had given him.

[tavernier]

6. I laughed when he said to Streisand,

Barbra, I didn't know you were Jewish!