See our Flickr slideshow of the event.

In the summer of 2008, Major League Baseball decided to hold its annual All-Star game in Yankee Stadium in its last year of operation to commemorate its status as one of the hallowed grounds of the sport. As a part of the events surrounding the game, MLB teamed up with Richie Mojica, The Emperors Stickball League, and RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) on July 13 to bring Willie Mays back to his Polo Grounds stickball roots.

This event, in our eyes, is long overdue recognition of the cultural significance of Willie Mays, and the relation of baseball to stickball. ESPN may spend hours on the steroid levels and love affairs of various so-called sports heroes, but it was singularly Willie Mays who, after spending a full day roaming the vast expanse of the Polo Grounds center field, would still visit the streets and play stickball with the kids for just one reason: his love of the game.

The life and career of the Say Hey Kid is far too big a topic for our site; we recommend you visit the Wikipedia article on Willie Mays to learn more about his life and times. Also, don't miss a short video interview with Willie on MLB.com done during this event.