Standing by Their Men : Event Honors Strawberry, Davis Despite Recent Incidents

On a strip of sidewalk near Success Avenue and 103rd Street, a group of civic leaders gathered Wednesday to enshrine two native sons in the Promenade of Prominence--Watts’ answer to the Walk of Fame.

But “The Straw” and “E,” childhood buddies who became millionaires, were not around to celebrate.

Dodger outfielder Darryl Strawberry, arrested last weekend on charges of beating his girlfriend, was said to be receiving therapy for his surgically repaired back. Eric Davis, the driver in the recent Dodger Stadium firecracker fiasco, was in Detroit preparing to take the field for the Tigers.

“I don’t mean to excuse what they’ve done,” said James A. Mays, the South-Central Los Angeles cardiologist who created the Watts landmark in 1988. “But if you want all your role models to be perfect, you’d have to go down Hollywood Boulevard and pull up every star.”

So, even with the guests of honor indisposed, their admirers united under a searing sun, joining in prayer, pledging allegiance to the flag and paying tribute to two homeboys who have earned respect for not abandoning their roots.

As Mays rolled back the maroon velvet covering their plaques, he revealed two heart-shaped photos of the sluggers mounted on a black and gold background. The inscriptions described them each as a “superstar . . . compassionate . . . giving.” By memorializing them, Mays said, he hoped the ballplayers would be inspired to fulfill the expectations that--fairly or not--are thrust upon them.

“Darryl needs to come here and say: ‘If I decide to do something stupid, a lot of people are going to be looking at me forever,’ ” said Mays, a Vietnam veteran and former head of cardiology at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, who is also a poet and novelist. “We hope that being placed on the sidewalk for eternity may be a motivation.”

Still, it was not the moment envisioned a month ago, when Mays and his fellow board members decided to name Strawberry and Davis as the 18th and 19th inductees to the Promenade--the first celebrities to join a list of politicians and activists that includes Danny Bakewell, Maxine Waters, Kenneth Hahn and Sybil Brand.

True, Strawberry’s back was a mess at the time and Davis was struggling to recover from injuries of his own--problems that have held them to a combined 29 home runs over two seasons during which the Dodgers have faltered.

But their stock quickly plummeted even further as each encountered problems off the field. Davis had just come under criticism for dismissing as “a joke” the explosive device that former Mets outfielder Vince Coleman threw from his car this summer, injuring three fans seeking autographs. Davis was abruptly traded last week.

Then Strawberry, who three years ago entered an alcohol rehabilitation program after he was accused of threatening his then-wife with a handgun, was arrested by Glendale police last Saturday on charges of hitting his girlfriend with his fist. He will be arraigned on the felony charge Sept. 30, and Dodger officials have said his contract will be severed if he is convicted.

“They’re superstars, but they’re not gods,” said Jeffery Davis, a Pasadena mortgage broker who helped sponsor the event. “Unfortunately, I think any person of Eric and Darryl’s stature, especially being a minority, is going to be scrutinized twice as hard.”

While politicians made speeches Wednesday in adjacent Will Rogers Memorial Park, half a dozen TV cameramen hovered near the curb in hopes of ambushing Strawberry if he decided to show up. Four Los Angeles County safety officers stood by to keep order.

Strawberry’s cousin and manager, Bo Rankins, said the injured outfielder wanted to be there but had been ordered by the Dodgers to attend a physical therapy session at Centinela Medical Center. Mays, noting that Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn was in attendance, quipped: “This may be inappropriate, but that’s probably why Darryl didn’t show up.”

A member of the Promenade’s organizing committee who hoped to get some autographs was left holding a bag of brand-new baseballs.