Willie Mays lobbies for Barry Bonds to enter Hall of Fame

The itinerary for the Barry Bonds number retirement ceremony Saturday didn’t include a speech from the great Willie Mays. But as co-emcee Duane Kuiper said, “When Mr. Mays wants to speak, he gets to speak.”

So he did.

The 87-year-old Mays was handed the microphone, walked to the podium and, between stories of his relationship with the homers king — some emotional, some hilarious — lobbied for a Bonds statue and Hall of Fame enshrinement.

“I wish (the Giants) would give him a statue across the little bridge over there,” said Mays, referring to the Lefty O’Doul Bridge, nearby all the home runs Bonds hit into McCovey Cove. “Let him have it. Let him have the honor.