Willie Mays—'still a crowd pleaser'
NEW YORK (UPI)—That Willie Mays' magic never wears off
Okay, so he's 38, which is old as ballplayers go. He's sensitive enough about it sometimes that he shrugs and says, "who knows, this could be my last year?" but whether it is or not, he still packs more personal appeal than any performer in the game today.
There are some who say Willie Mays has had it—never directly to his face, of course—and some
Jo Jo White—
(Continued from page 1) people the fact that he had appealed his induction status and stated that it was his understanding it was being reviewed by the Selective Service offices in Washington. He had been waiting for some time for a ruling.
"When White started negotiations with the Boston Celtics, he made inquiry about military reserve units in Massachusetts and neighboring states, in case his appeal was upheld. He learned that there were openings in the Marine Reserve unit in Hartford, Conn., and took preliminary steps to enlist if he were eligible to do so."
Kennedy added, "About two weeks ago White was notified that the Selective Service office in Washington had advised his St. Louis draft board that they had approved his request for deferment. White advised the Marine Reserve unit in Hartford of this.
"The Marine unit verified that White was eligible to enlist in the Marine Corps in a telephone conversation between a Marine Corps sergeant and a representative of White's local draft board in St. Louis, a routine procedure in such cases."
The commissioner said, "Therefore, White was sworn in on June 11 and on June 19 left Hartford with his reserve unit for Parris Island, S.C. for basic training."
Communications-
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realities such as racism, poverty, war and self-serving academic bureaucracies. Most of those confronting the system have not been long exposed to radical ideas about social reform and political action. Rather, they are people who have experienced real grievances at the hands of the political and social systems, see the possibility of a better world, and seek it. Most conflict situations are essentially bargaining situations."
Bailey pointed out that Dr. Martin Luther King had said "the purpose of confrontation is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it inevitably will open the door to negotiations." Bailey pointed out that Dr. King was always ready to go to jail. "We can't make that statement about representatives of the Klu Klux Klan," he said.
Other featured speakers during the two day symposium were William Bruce Cameron, professor of sociology at the University of South Florida, and Jack Daniel, Jr., professor of speech at the University of Pittsburgh.
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who claim the kids of this generation are out looking for other younger heroes with whom to identify.
All this may be true except for one thing. Somebody forgot to tell that fellow with the skin-tight baseball pants who plays center field for the San Francisco Giants.
AUTO GLASS Sudden Service East End of 9th St.-VI 3-4416
There are younger and better players in baseball today but nobody draws the people like Willie. Not even red-hot Reggie Jackson, who got a wire from the President. Mays demonstrates that fact every day.
Willie merely sought to greet an old friend, singer Pearl Bailey, in her field box seat at Shea Stadium recently and that simple act nearly set off a stampede among a mob of younsters who descended upon Mays like a swarm of bees upon honey the moment he bent over the rail to say hello to the entertainer. Two cops had their hands full trying to keep the kids back.
Mays loves kids. He worries about them, too. He sees the way some of them are behaving
"Pretty bad some of them, aren't they?" a newsman said to him.
around the country today and it distresses him.
"You're a writer, you can say that. I can't." Willie said. "All I say is I wonder how some of them ever are gonna get a college education. I know one thing; my son is gonna get one no matter what. I don't care whether he becomes a ballplayer or not, but he's gonna get a college education. I never had one, but he will. That's for sure."
Mays' feeling for kids is such that he even likes to mother hen the young players with the Giants. He looks after them. Quietly. He doesn't want any medals for what he's doing.
Willie came into the Giants' clubhouse the other day with a bunch of expensive wrist watches. They were immediately admired by some of the younger players who normally couldn't afford such expensive ones.
"Anybody has a good day gets one of these from me," Mays said.
"No kidding?" inquired one of the young outfielders.
"No kidding," Willie confirmed.
"I don't kid about things like that."
He gave away all the watches but that wasn't anything new with him. He has always given away things. When he was in the army he'd always give the keys to his automobile to other soldiers who didn't have a car. And anytime Willie does things like that he makes sure no one from the media is around to see or report it.
"He has a deep concern for others," says Clyde King, in his first season as manager of the Giants. "He's genuinely interested in other people, and I think that is what has struck me most about him since I've taken this job. He lives and dies with the other players on the club daily. I think he takes their bad days much worse than his own. When one of our players has a bad day, he worries for him. Too much sometimes. I'm not sure that's so good for him."
King says its no trouble at all managing Mays.
"It hasn't been difficult. Not at all. He hurt his back swinging against Bob Gibson and he was out for a while with a cold but you have to expect things like that at 38. The fans expect him to play every day. If he played until he was 45 they'd still expect it. I wouldn't let him play every day even if he could. Every town we go into people ask 'Is Willie gonna play today?' Sometimes I have to tell them he needs a day's rest but they always come back with 'Why does it have to be in our town?' They don't really understand. Willie was a great ballplayer. I know; I pitched against him. For 38 he's still great. Not many his age can still perform on the field."
"Not many his age are still on the field," put in Larry Jansen, the Giants' pitching coach, who heard what King had said.
"That's absolutely right," King commented. "Willie is one of a kind. They don't make the likes of him in bunches."