Author Jim Hirsch wrote in his bestselling 2010 biography “Willie Mays, The Life, The Legend” that the late San Francisco Giants icon loved the spotlight of center field, but hated the scrutiny of stardom.

But don’t mistake the modesty of the “Say Hey Kid” for apathy, Hirsch said. He said he learned that the first time he stepped foot inside Mays’ longtime mansion in Atherton, where the walls were lined with magazine covers, awards, plaques, bats and gloves — both old and gold.

The sea of memorabilia was “affirmation of a career that Willie knew was special,” Hirsch said.

“When you walked into his home, you were just bombarded by the imagery of one of the greatest baseball players of all time,” Hirsch told The Examiner. “It felt like you were walking into an auction home.”

Now, many

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