Say Hey

Dennis McNally recalls, April 12, 1993 at Candlestick Park, before Garcia, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick sing the National Anthem for the Giants’ home opener:

I turn to Willie Mays, who is legendary for being cranky, and I said, “Mr. Mays, can I introduce you to Jerry Garcia? He’s going to be singing the National Anthem today.” And Willie says, “NO!” and then he yells at the other two guys [Giants greats Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry], “Come on! We have to get to this alumni event. Let’s go.” And they go. And I turned to Jerry, and he was cracking up. What I realized with Jerry at that moment was that he was so fed up with people wanting something from him that the idea that somebody didn’t give a shit who he was absolutely made his day.

“Excerpted with permission from “Deadheads: Stories from Fellow
Artists, Friends & Followers of the Grateful Dead” by Linda Kelly.
Copyright 2015, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.”

Palmer, Tamara. 2015. New Edition of Old Grateful Dead Book
Revisits the Time Willie Mays Refused to Meet Jerry Garcia. NBC Bay Area, June 11, 2015, URL http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Book-Excerpt-The-Day-Willie-Mays-Refused-to-Meet-Jerry-Garcia-307013421.html.