Pretty interesting article about Willie Mays and the negro league owner turned scout who helped bring the Giants Marichal, Cepeda and the Alou Brothers.: Sixty years ago Monday 19-year-old Willie Mays of the Birmingham Barons was signed by the New York Giants. The circumstances that led to the Giants discovering the future Hall-of-Famer provide a previously untold glimpse into the wild-west mentality that prevailed among scouts and major league teams combing the already declining Negro League for talent.