“I was a big Giants fan” - When Huey Lewis composed baseball stories to share memories of his childhood

The San Francisco Giants have had some legendary names don their iconic jersey, none more so than the legendary Willie Mays. While the entire baseball community acknowledges the greatness of the 24-time All-Star, rock icon Huey Lewis also has some great stories about the baseball icon.

Lewis was one of the faces of pop rock in America during the 1980s and '90s as the frontman for Huey Lewis and the News.

His band's hit single "The Power of Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song after it was featured in the blockbuster classic "Back to the Future" movie in 1985.

However, it could have been a different fate for the renowned vocalist had he stuck with his childhood dream of playing baseball. As it turned out, a fateful tour across Europe when he was slated to join the baseball team at Cornell changed the destiny of the musical great.

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“I took a year off, bummed around Europe, discovered the harmonica and music, and all bets were off,” Lewis said on The Chronicle’s “Giants Splash” podcast. “I didn’t go out for the team when I got to Cornell. I just joined bands and played music.”

Huey Lewis was enamored by Willie Mays during Giants stint

While the team has been a big part of Lewis' life, the musical great has always been a huge admirer of MLB icon Willie Mays. Mays played the majority of his career with San Francisco, winning his only World Series ring with the team in 1954.

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“I was a big Giants fan,” Lewis said. “Watching Mays in his heyday, it just doesn’t get any better than Willie Mays. I have so many great Willie Mays memories. What a great player, and what a great person Willie Mays is. What a treasure.”

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