LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An emotional Willie Mays, whose Hall of Fame career
began under Leo Durocher in 1951 and flourished under his guidance, said
Friday the death of Durocher felt like the loss of a parent.
“I can't stress the feeling that I have for this man,” Mays said, his
voice cracking, during a memorial service for Durocher at the Old North
Church at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. “All I can say is that I have
lost a dear father.
“All the things you heard about Leo, how evil he was. . . . He never treated me any way but perfect. So much has happened to me with Leo Durocher, I can't put it into words.”
Durocher died Monday at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, Calif., of natural causes. He was 86.
Durocher is survived by a son, Christopher; a daughter, Melinda Michele Thompson, and 10 grandchildren.
Durocher's son burst into tears before he could speak to a gathering of about 40 friends and family members.
“We knew him as a wonderful competitor and a manager and a great
friend,” the younger Durocher finally said. “Michele and I remember
him as a wonderful father. He gave us a wonderful childhood, both
of us.”
With that, Durocher's son broke down again and couldn't continue.
Durocher played for 17 seasons, almost all as a shortstop, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, the team he broke into baseball with in 1925.
Then, he managed in the big leagues for 24 seasons and ranks sixth on baseball's all-time managerial list with 2,008 victories.