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