Willie Mays to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Barack Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to Giants legend Willie Mays this month.The Giants legend is among 17 medal recipients named by the White House on Monday, along with late Yankees icon Yogi Berra, composer Stephen Sondheim and director Steven Spielberg. Oakland Police Kill Suspect Armed With Replica Gun Recipients will receive the medals from President Obama in a Nov. 24 at the White House.Mays spent most of his 22 Major League seasons playing center field with the Giants, in New York and then San Francisco. Vigil for California Student Killed in Paris Attacks "Known as 'The Say Hey Kid,' Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 and landed on MLB's All-Time team," the White House said in a statement. "In 1951, Mays became one of the first African-American players in Major League Baseball history and won the Rookie of the Year award. Mays also served his country in the United States Army."Mays returned from his military service and was named MVP of the 1954 World Series. He remains close the franchise: When President Obama lauded the 2014 World Champions at the White House...