Jim Salisbury | Starstruck for Mays

SAN FRANCISCO - Everything you could want in a baseball player was on display in the 78th All-Star Game last night.

Power? Barry Bonds, the man who soon will be (add your own asterisk) king, was here.

Speed? Ichiro Suzuki certainly showed it with that inside-the-park home run.

Throwing arm? Vladimir Guerrero gets it done.

Outfield play? Ken Griffey Jr. covered some serious ground in his prime; Carlos Beltran isn't too shabby, either.

Overall hitting ability? How 'bout that Albert Pujols?

Charisma? David Ortiz. Derek Jeter. Alex Rodriguez. Torii Hunter. Need we go on?

Willie Mays embodied all of this, in one awe-inspiring baseball package.

This might have been Bonds' All-Star Game - his town, his see-no-evil fans - but Mays, a Giants great on two coasts, had a piece of it, too.

Remember the scene in Boston at the 1999 All-Star Game, when the heroes of today were so moved by a pregame tribute to an aging Ted Williams that they walked onto the diamond and surrounded him before the first pitch?

This was Mays' turn.

Say hey.

"It was Willie's stage," Bonds said. "He was excited and happy. It was very emotional."

Bonds, loathed in many places but loved here, received a couple of big ovations. The cheers he received were only part of the thrill for the 42-year-old Bonds. Sharing the spotlight with his 76-year-old godfather, Mays, made it all the better.

"This is one of the top ones," said Bonds, ranking his career highlights. "Not only is it in San Francisco, my hometown, and with the fans I consider family, but it's with Willie, and it's possibly the last time, you know, maybe we'll ever see that, and I had the opportunity to walk with him."

Moments before the first pitch, Mays appeared (where else?) in deep center field. Players formed two lines in the outfield, and Mays walked down the middle, accompanied by Bonds and Derek Jeter as a replay of Mays' famous catch on Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series played on the video board.

In a neat touch, Mays threw out the ceremonial first pitch from center field, his former kingdom. Jose Reyes caught it and had Mays autograph the baseball.

Mays then climbed into the back of a 1958 Cadillac El Dorado convertible and was driven around the field. He tossed baseballs to the fans as they stood on their feet and cheered, 43,965 strong.

Mays arrived in San Francisco in 1958, when the Giants moved here from New York. By that time, he already had been an NL rookie of the year, a batting champ, and an MVP. He hit .347 with 29 homers and 96 RBIs his first season on the West Coast. He then hammered out eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

He played 22 seasons in all, finishing as a limping 42-year-old with the New York Mets in 1973. In those 22 seasons, he hit .302 with 660 homers, 1,903 RBIs and 3,283 hits.

It was fitting that Mays was honored during all-star festivities. After all, Ted Williams once said, "They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays."

Mays shares the record for most All-Star Games (24) with Stan Musial. He holds all-star records for hits (23), runs (20) and triples (3). He was the game's MVP in 1963 and 1968.

Mays scored the only run in the '68 game at the Houston Astrodome. He opened the bottom of the first with a single, went to third on an error and a wild pitch, and scored on a double-play ball by Giants teammate Willie McCovey.

For his favorite all-star memory, Mays often has pointed to the 1959 game, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. He belted a go-ahead triple off Whitey Ford in the bottom of the eighth inning, helping the NL win, 5-4.

Notice that Mays was still playing in the eighth inning - and those were the days when they played two All-Star Games. There was no one-at-bat-and-a-shower for Willie Mays.

Today, of course, the game is different. Managers put a premium on getting everyone into the game. Starting position players rarely go more than three or four innings.

Bonds started in left field for the NL and went 0 for 2. He soon will resume his quest for the all-time home run record. He needs five to move past Hank Aaron (755).

It is widely believed that Bonds' late-career power surge was fueled by steroids. Much of the baseball world is skeptical of Bonds' charge up the home run ladder. But the folks here love Bonds and treat him like a god.

They also love Mays, who hit his home runs with nothing but natural bat speed.

Mays has steered clear of all controversy involving Bonds.

Last night, he wouldn't say this was Bonds' All-Star Game or even his own all-star night.

"This is about San Francisco," he said. "This is not about a godfather or a player. It's not about that. The All-Star Game would have went on regardless of him or I."

It certainly would have. But the whole night was a lot better with Willie Mays around.