Whenever Willie McCovey had a bat in his hands, he meant business. Whether it's a tight pennant race game in September against the Dodgers or a batting practice in May, his focus was to cut the ball in half and smoke line drives. His path to Major League immortality was oddly uneven, mostly due to circumstance. But despite all of the obstacles, mishaps and injuries he endured, he still managed to squeeze out a 22 year playing career that saw him belt 521 career home runs, earning him the admirations and respect pf seemingly every person he ever encountered, especially in his adopted hometown of San Francisco Giants. For the city by the bay, the loss of Stretch, was more than just the loss of a ballplayer. It was the loss of a local and civic institution, just as proinent as Alcatraz Prison, the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars, and they hills they race up and down. Willie McCovey was San Francisco. #WillieMcCovey #EsterMcCovey #FrankMcCovey #JessThomas #AlexPompez #MobileAlabama #SanFranciscoCalifornia #SanFranciscoGiants #WillieMays #OrlandoCepeda #CandlestickPark #SanDiegoPadres #OaklandAthletics