Willie Mays Aikens: A Second Lease On Life

Baseball’s Willie Mays Aikens has done a lot of living in his 57 years.  He’s now a hitting instructor for the Kansas City Royals, something he knows a thing or two about: he was the first major leaguer in history to hit two home runs in a game twice in the same series.

Those were the good times.  But it wasn’t all like that. The bad times followed: landing him in federal prison for 14 years. He calls them his “drinking and drugging days.” The Royals have given him a second chance, and Willie Mays Aikens these days has a second lease on life.

Wednesday on Up to Date: a conversation with Willie Mays Aikens about his journey from major league to Mexico to rock bottom, from prison to halfway house, and from road construction and renewing relationships back to the Royals again.