Denard Span can live with Willie Mays calling him ‘Bernard’
We’ve all known someone who for whatever reason could never remember our name or say our name correctly. For new San Francisco Giants outfielder Denard Span, that person happens to be an icon and arguably baseball’s greatest living player, Hall of Famer Willie Mays.
According to esteemed baseball writer Andrew Baggarly, Span and Mays have been interacting frequently during the early days of Giants’ camp in Arizona, and throughout it all Mays has been referring to Denard as “Bernard.”
[2016 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business. Sign up now]
Hey, it’s an easy mistake to make. Denard sounds close to Bernard, and is a far less common name than Bernard. Sometimes when you hear it, you just think Bernard.
That’s the way Mr. Mays hears it and interprets it, and we dare say not too many people are going to bother correcting him. That includes Denard Span himself.
Good call. If a legend like Willie Mays is going to take the time to share his experiences and wisdom, you open your ears, close your mouth and roll with it. You’re bound to learn something about baseball and about life, and that’s the most important takeaway from those conversations.
And you could do this, too.
By no means is anyone poking fun at Mays either. We’ve all been on both sides of this conversation. It just happens sometimes, and you just try to work through it as respectfully as possible, which Span is apparently doing here.
Of course, the Giants’ main concern is for Denard Span to live up to the name on the contract and the reputation that proceeds him. They put a lot of faith and money into him this winter, signing him to a three-year, $31 million contract. Span is expected to take over immediately as their starting center fielder and leadoff man, meaning he’ll be relied on heavily.
[Homer History: Paul Konerko slams door on Houston in World Series]
There might be some risk in that too after Span was limited to just 61 games last season and was forced to undergo hip surgery. Both Span and agent Scott Boras were adamant this winter that he’s healthy. The Giants must have been satisfied as well, but a big test will come once the games get rolling.
Span, 31, is a .287/.352/.395 hitter over eight big league seasons. He’s notched double-digit steals seven times and he’s never struck out more than 89 times in a season. If healthy, he should help the Giants cause as they go for a fourth straight even-year World Series championship.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
