He Carried a Big Stick, but Plugs Not So Softly

He preached the importance of education. Told them to appreciate the support their parents give them. And took every opportunity to plug the baseball card company that made it all possible.

Such was Monday night’s “Rap With Reggie Jackson,” one of the bonuses for the players in this week’s Upper Deck baseball tournament.

Jackson spent a few minutes addressing the 300 or so high school players gathered in a conference room of the Fullerton Marriott, telling them how to better prepare themselves for life--with or without baseball.

Then he opened it up to questions.

--Reggie on escalating player salaries: “I have no problem with it . . . but the best players in the game should be the ones making the most money.”

--Reggie on why he once went after pitcher Gaylord Perry with a big jug of Gatorade: “I loved it! I thought it was great!”

--Reggie on why he accepted a bit part in the movie “Naked Gun”: “For $22,000 a day, I would have got naked.”

The biggest hit of the tournament, though, seemed to be the boxes of baseball cards raffled off throughout the evening.

Of course, it wasn’t the simple joy of winning the cardboard legends that put a smile on the winners’ faces. For many, it was the possibility that the boxes might someday mean big bucks.

As one winner returned to his seat, his teammates rushed around him to check out his prize.

“Whatever you do, don’t open it!” one said. “It’ll be worth way more that way!”

Members of Miami Westminster Christian, the top-ranked team according to Collegiate Baseball, said the trip to California has been fun, though left fielder Luis Lanz said he could do with a bit more off-the-field entertainment.

“There’s more excitement in Miami,” Lanz said. “I mean, there’s excitement here, but it’s not Miami excitement. Maybe another part of California is better, I don’t know. All I’ve seen is 7-Eleven.”

Butterflies Are Free: Edison distance runner Shelley Taylor used to chew dozens of Tums before track and cross-country meets, such was the size of the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

This season, Taylor is as relaxed as a rag doll. Much of that, she said, has to do with the “fun first” philosophy offered by the Chargers’ new distance coach, Dave White, who also coaches the school’s football team.

At Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational, Taylor won the 1,600 in the nation’s fastest time this year--4 minutes 51.98 seconds, a career best. Later, she ran a 4:53 split to anchor Edison to victory in the distance medley.

So what was White’s secret strategic advice before the meet?

“Something like, ‘Twenty million Chinese don’t even know you’re running Arcadia, so just go out and have fun,’ ” White said.

Question: Can Edison football players count on the same outlook once the first week of September rolls around?

When Dana Hills softball player Lisa Simpson hits one out, do they call her Homer?

Time to Warm Up, Mrs. Malmquist: Orange Lutheran’s baseball team (10-3, 3-1 in the Olympic League) has managed success despite its poor performance at the plate, Lancer Coach John Malmquist said.

“We’re in a hitting cocoon,” he said. “We’ve got to get out of it. We (sometimes) score 10 runs, but the other team helps us out quite a bit. The worst thing is we really haven’t seen any good pitching (in league) yet. There have been one or two, but the rest are like my wife throwing at us.”

(Advice to Mrs. M.: Show him your stuff. Bean him with a bagel or something).

Newport Harbor senior Maureen McLaren, a standout in volleyball, basketball and swimming, will attend Stanford on a volleyball scholarship next year.

And what will she pursue thereafter?

Civil rights. McLaren said she hopes to win the Nobel Peace Prize in that field someday.

BagDad: El Dorado third baseman/pitcher Shawn Holcomb is one of the county’s best all-around players. But he didn’t exactly have a smashing debut when he first moved to Southern California from Turlock in 1990.

According to his mother, Holcomb hustled over to the baseball field, excited to show his new teammates his stuff in their summer league game.

But after giving up hit after hit--”He got bombed,” said his mom--Holcomb trudged home disillusioned and depressed.

When Holcomb got home, his father was waiting . . . with a paper bag over his head.