8. Willie McGee: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Sometimes the most attractive people in the world are horrible human beings. And sometimes, as in the case of Willie McGee, the opposite is true. If you’re familiar with the way St. Louis adores its Cardinals and the team’s history you’ll know what a significant thing it is when it can be said that a player is revered by the fans there as much as anyone shy of Stan the Man.
He was shy and polite and the team never had to wonder if he was giving his best effort. A gold-glove centerfielder, McGee won two batting titles and an MVP award in St. Louis while helping them to three NL pennants and a World Series win in 1982. But he wasn’t pretty.
Willie was called “Mongoose” early in his career because he was so fast. Or at least that’s what his teammates told him. Later, some began referring to him as “E.T.” and there was no disguising that one. His features were pressed too tightly together and his jaw and chin were diminutive, giving his head the overall shape of an alien who wanted to phone home. No Cardinal fan cared. To this day, Willie McGee could getting a standing O in the Lou for jaywalking.
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