My baseball hero is Willie McCovey. "Stretch", which was his nickname was and is a very quiet and yet personable fellow. The Giants paid for a one-way bus ticket from Arizona to San Francisco, so he could play with the team. He received no bonus for signing with the Giants. I met him when I was 17 at Levin’s Auto Supply, where he worked during the off-season, to earn a living. “Stretch”, sold me parts for my bicycle.

Times change. Professional sports are now a business, which encompasses the player, his or her agent, trainer, union, and the team. Teams and players share no loyalty to each other or to the fans that pay their salaries. Teams and players are here today and there tomorrow. It is all about the money!

I am waiting for our San Francisco 49'ers to move to some other state like Alabama for instance. Yes sir, that sounds good - the Alabama 49'ers. Not to fret! I am sure that if such a thing did occur that the team would find another name! :)