SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —ded swing everybody knew Denny McLain Jersey , Willie McCovey provided an example of humility in how he lived for many of his San Francisco Giants teammates year after year.“McCovey was our leader,” Gaylord Perry said as his fellow Hall of Famer was remembered in a celebration of his life Thursday at AT&T Park.McCovey died Oct. 31 at age 80 after suffering from ongoing health issues.Hall of Famers, former teammates and winners of the Willie Mac Award named for him attended on a picture-perfect day. McCovey’s 44 was written into the infield dirt next to his position at first base.The San Francisco Fire Department paid tribute with a spraying show from a boat in his namesake McCovey Cove in the bay beyond the right-field arcade. Bouquets of flowers were left on McCovey’s statue across the water.A first baseman and left fielder who won NL Rookie of the Year in 1959 and MVP 10 years later, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.“What he did on the field, everybody knows what he did,” Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said. “But as a human being, Willie McCovey was very special.”McCovey wore No. 44 to honor Hank Aaron — who like McCovey grew up in Mobile, Alabama.“If there is a second life, I’d like to come back as a major league baseball player,” McCovey once said.“Stretch,” as he was fondly known http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , never won a World Series after coming so close. The Giants lost the 1962 World Series to the New York Yankees, dropping Game 7 1-0 when McCovey lined out to second baseman Bobby Richardson with runners on second and third for the final out.“Willie’s indelible moment happened to be a screaming line drive that found Bobby Richardson’s glove in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series,” Giants CEO Larry Baer said. “A few feet one way or another, people say, and Willie’s legacy rises to a whole different level. Well, I couldn’t disagree with that more. Even if that line drive had gotten past Bobby Richardson and driven in the winning run, that one heroic moment would never have defined Willie’s legacy. His legacy transcends baseball, transcends his six All-Star appearances, his Rookie of the Year award, his MVP, even his Hall of Fame induction.”McCovey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 after his first time on the ballot.Those who played with him cherished McCovey for his thoughtful ways both on and off the field. Home run king Barry Bonds called him “Uncle Mac” ”because I’ve always admired him and he’s always taught me the game of baseball as much as Willie (Mays) and my dad have,” Bonds said Thursday.“I got to know Willie Mac the man,” said Felipe Alou Kirk Gibson Jersey , who was roommates with McCovey in the majors, minors and even winter ball in the Dominican Republic. “We came here in 1958 a bunch of kids. Willie obviously came up in ’59, another child, another kid. I have been a very privileged person, I got to play with five Hall of Famer players with the Giants.”Past Willie Mac Award winners in attendance included Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, Dave Dravecky, Buster Posey, Jack Clark, Shawon Dunston, Nick Hundley, Marvin Benard and Mike Felder.The honor is voted on by the players, coaches and training staff to recognize the Giants player who most exemplifies McCovey’s inspirational ways on the field and in the clubhouse.“I have never been around a more humble man and I’ve never been around someone who lifted up others around him more than himself,” Dravecky said. “I’ve never been around a man who loved so deeply and cared so much about wearing the Giants uniform. For Willie http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , he showed us the way.” NEW YORK (AP) — Career saves leader Mariano Rivera and late pitcher Roy Halladay are among 20 new candidates on the Hall of Fame ballot for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, joined by 15 holdovers headed by Edgar Martinez.Left-hander Andy Pettitte and infielders Todd Helton, Michael Young and Miguel Tejada also are among the newcomers on the ballot announced Monday.Steroids-tainted stars Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds each appear on the ballot for the seventh time. Clemens rose to 57.3 percent in the 2018 ballot but fell 75 votes short of the 75 percent needed, and Bonds was 79 votes shy at 56.4 percent. Martinez was 20 votes short at 70.4 percent, Mike Mussina at 63.5 percent and Curt Schilling at 51.2 percent.Rivera had 652 regular-season saves and 42 in the postseason during 19 seasons with the New York Yankees that included five World Series titles. He was 8-1 with a 0.70 ERA in 32 postseason series.Halladay won Cy Young Awards with Toronto in 2003 and Philadelphia in 2010 and was 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA in 16 seasons. He pitched a perfect game against Florida in 2010 and a no-hitter that fall versus Cincinnati in the NL Championship Series opener — only the second postseason no-hitter after Dan Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Halladay died piloting a plane in November 2017.Pettitte was 256-153 with a 3.85 ERA in 15 seasons with the Yankees and three with Houston and went 19-11 record with a 3.81 ERA in 44 postseason starts.Helton hit .316 in 15 seasons for Colorado with 369 homers, 1,406 RBIs and 1,401 runs, and Young hit .300 in 14 seasons, all but the last with Texas. Tejada batted .285 with 307 homers and 1,302 RBIs in 16 seasons.More than 400 ballots are being sent to eligible voters from the BBWAA, and a player must receive at least 75 percent for election. Ballots are due by Dec. 31 and results will be announced Jan. 22. Voters must have been members of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years.Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones Victor Martinez Jersey , Vladimir Guerrer and Jim Thome were elected last year.Players remain on the ballot for up to 10 years, provided they receive at least 5 percent of the vote annually. Martinez and first baseman Fred McGriff (23.2 percent last year) are on the BBWAA ballot for the final time.Additional newcomers on this year’s ballot include infielder Placido Polanco and outfielder Juan Pierre. Holdovers include reliever Billy Wagner, second baseman Jeff Kent, shortstop Omar Vizquel, third baseman Scott Rolen and outfielders Andruw Jones, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa and Larry Walker.