It is not clear how Mays became known as the "Say Hey Kid". One story is that in 1951, Barney Kremenko, a writer for the New York Journal, having overheard Mays blurt "'Say who,' 'Say what,' 'Say where,' 'Say hey,'" proceeded to refer to Mays as the 'Say Hey Kid'.
The other story is that Jimmy Cannon created the nickname because, when Mays arrived in the minors, he did not know everyone's name. "You see a guy, you say, 'Hey, man. Say hey, man,' " Mays said. "Ted Williams was the 'Splinter'. Joe DiMaggio was 'Joltin' Joe'. Stan Musial was 'The Man'. I guess I hit a few home runs, and they said there goes the 'Say Hey Kid.'"
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