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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.