Willie Mays sat on the stage of a grade school auditorium on the site of the old Polo Grounds, addressing a room full of attentive kids. He was to give the “A” students a dozen baseballs along with three cream-colored, vintage 1951 jerseys.

The Say Hey Kid gave these kids a day they will never forget.

Mays was back yesterday where his big league career, bringing along the San Francisco Giants’ World Series trophy celebrating the team’s first title since 1954. In a charming talk, with Giants managing general partner Bill Neukom and President Larry Baer sitting in the front row, he made the “Willie, Mickey and the Duke” era of flannel uniforms seem real and vibrant in this iTouch age.