Willie Mays stumbling in the outfield during the 1973 World Series is almost as memorable as his signature back-to-the-plate catch 19 years previous. Maybe because so many more people had TVs by then.

He finally retired at 42, about five years too late in the estimation of many. But Mays loved to play baseball, almost as much as B.J. Penn, 38, loves to fight.

I thought about Brett Favre and Muhammad Ali, too, as I watched the pride of Hilo get pummelled by Yair Rodriguez on Sunday. It was Penn’s fourth loss in a row. He hasn’t won since November … of 2010.

Should Penn, who is now 16-11-2 in mixed martial arts, retire? I think he should have stayed retired after he hung them up in 2014.

But ultimately it’s up to Penn as long as UFC president Dana White is willing to throw him out there and pay him $150,000 a fight. Even with his age-diminished skills he could still put on a good show if he’s matched properly, not against a stud like Rodriguez.

The big if: Is anyone really interested in watching Penn fight never-will-bes or other has-beens? A big part of his appeal is Penn’s absolute lack of fear and his willingness to fight the best, even when he isn’t at his.

Penn was like Fresno State football was under Pat Hill 15 years ago. He’d take on anyone, anytime, anywhere.

He was a freakishly talented athlete, but also an underdog. Now, because of age and the advancement of talent in MMA, he’s just the latter.

Fans of one and not the other probably don’t want to hear this. But Penn and Ronda Rousey have some striking (pun sort of intended) resemblances.

It’s called mixed martial arts for a reason.

Penn in jiu-jitsu and Rousey in judo were world and Olympic champions. That used to be good enough to dominate MMA.

Both were supreme specialists. And at times when the sport was just beginning to grow for their respective genders, there weren’t a whole lot of true mixed martial artists competent in all phases enough to exploit the holes in their games.

As we’ve seen in Rousey’s last two fights and the last several for Penn, that has changed. To win now, you’ve got to be able to do some of everything. And these days “some” means “a lot.”

Penn at his peak was very good with his fists. Even someone with the expertise of Freddie Roach, who trained Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao, asserted that. But that was nearly 10 years ago.

I’ve always understood Penn’s significance in the development of MMA and to a very large segment of Hawaii sports fans. Undersized scrappers willing to take on the world are beloved here, especially when they win. For many, they are a reflection of ourselves.

That’s why some want Penn to fight forever, and that’s why some say enough already. They feel his pain.

As Garry Moore said on Facebook, “PAU! It felt like I was getting beat up!!!”

No honest assessment of Penn’s legacy — and explanation of his appeal to some and not to others — would be complete without mention of his out-of-the-ring problems. They include a 2005 Waikiki assault of a police officer to which he pleaded no contest in 2007, and a 2015 parking lot altercation on Maui with someone described as a “friend” in which charges were dropped after Penn agreed to pay his medical bills that included treatment of a broken eye socket.

In 2016, Penn faced accusations from a former work associate, which the associate later said are being “investigated.”

It’s clear a segment of Penn’s fan base approves of the bad-boy image, in particular the willingness to tangle with a cop. It’s one of the ultimate question-authority fantasies.

But the ascent of Waianae’s Max Holloway shows you can be a locally bred champion in the sport and a tough guy without being a thug.

Regardless, there was a time when B.J. Penn dominated a blossoming sport and helped it grow.

“B.J. will always be one of the pioneers and all-time greats at a time people were still figuring out what MMA was,” said Billy Hull, who covers combat sports for the Star-Advertiser. “The Conor McGregors of the world in the lower weight classes can thank B.J. for paving the way and proving the lightweights can be just as exciting as the light heavyweights.”

That’s all true. But B.J. Penn is now 12-10-2 in the UFC, and Father Time remains undefeated.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529- 4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads