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1960 • Baseball Clip • Jackie Robinson Mail Bag - Radio Show · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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  This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
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  Today I'm going to catch up with the mail and answer a few of the many questions sent in by our listeners.
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  So stand by sports fans and we'll dip into the mail bag right after we have this important message.
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  Let's start with this question from a young fellow from Stockton, California.
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  A teenager who signs his name Danny G.
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  Danny wants to know how I feel about smoking.
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  He says that his mother told him that most professional athletes don't smoke.
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  Danny says they do.
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  Well here's my comment for whatever it's worth.
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  I say to Danny that certainly many of the professional athletes smoke,
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  but while they were growing up, while they were teenagers, they didn't.
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  Smoking for a growing boy is not good.
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  And I think that any kid who wants to be an athlete or wants to develop his potential must refrain from smoking.
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  Mr. Myron Bloomgarden of Plattsburgh, New York would like me to give my views about professional athletes becoming members of a sports union.
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  Well, Mr. Bloomgarden, I would like to say first of all that it would be a difficult kind of a thing to organize a sports union.
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  I think it would be difficult for any organization to go in and bargain for an athlete who hit perhaps 250
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  and then for another one who hit 280 and then going up to a fellow who hit 45 home runs or so.
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  Frankly, I don't think it would work.
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  Now here's one from Sam Portman of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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  He says, don't you agree that having two All-Star games each season is overdoing it a bit?
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  I thought it was certainly better when we only had one, but this is business once again, Mr. Portman.
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  These fellows that are in baseball today are able to take down a lot of money to put in that pension plan,
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  and they're thinking about their future.
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  So even though they may be overdoing it a bit, I think they are ensuring their future, and frankly, I'm all for it.
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  A high school teacher from Madison, Wisconsin, writes to tell me that he thinks it's unfair for an athlete to receive a scholarship
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  just because an individual excels in a particular sport.
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  This teacher goes on to say that, in his opinion, scholarships should be only awarded to students who excel academically.
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  Well, first of all, I think that it would be a shame to ignore fellows with athletic ability.
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  Many of them can get to college only on this ability, and they ought to be able to take advantage of it.
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  It's good if schools will give scholarships on academic ability also,
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  but certainly do not exclude the athlete from getting these scholarships.
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  Well, I enjoyed Answer the Mail, and I hope you have enjoyed listening to today's program.
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  But unfortunately, time's running out.
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  Just about does it for now, fans. See you soon.