Time to Visit Mr. McGee’s Neighborhood

Willie McGee is 36, has won three batting titles, three Gold Gloves and been a National League most valuable player, but he still calls his manager, Kevin Kennedy, “Mr. Kennedy.”

The Boston Red Sox veteran told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, “I’m not a starting player anymore, and I accept that. I’m here to help Mr. Kennedy any way I can. If he wants me to bring out the Gatorade bucket or a bucket of balls or the water cooler, I’ll do it. I’m just thankful to be here.”

Not to worry, McGee is hitting .296 for Mr. Kennedy.

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Trivia time: Vinny Castilla, third baseman for the Colorado Rockies, was the seventh native of Mexico to play in baseball’s All-Star game. Who are the others?

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The way it is: Toronto Raptor General Manager Isiah Thomas, on why he took Arizona point guard Damon Stoudamire over UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon in the recent NBA draft:

“I took the best player on the board,” Thomas said. “And I know the way the rules in the league have changed, especially with the three-point line moved in, it’s a guard’s game.”

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No Jims or Marys: Bill Arnold of the Denver Post notes that baseball players seem to have a penchant for giving their children unusual names. Among them are:

Angel pitchers Chuck Finley, Wynter, and Lee Smith, Nikita and Dimitri; Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin, Brielle D’Shea; and Cleveland pitcher Jose Mesa, Yamely.

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No comparison: Laura Davies, the LPGA’s top money winner in 1994, earned $687,201. Nick Price was the men’s top money winner with $1.5 million.

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This is sport? Did anyone watch ESPN’s Extreme Games?

Chicago sportscaster Tim Weigel has some suggestions for the series: “Staying awake at the O.J. trial, night Wiffle ball in the Bronx, construction-zone driving on the Illinois toll roads and tattoo artists racing around Dennis Rodman.”

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Let up, David: An 800-pound statue of Babe Ruth was recently unveiled at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, which prompted David Letterman to remark, “I think that was his playing weight during his last season.”

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Seen him before: Relief pitcher Rick Aguilera may endear himself to young Boston Red Sox fans if he can save big games down the stretch, but some Fenway Park fans with long memories still look with misgivings on Aguilera.

Why? Because in 1986 when Bill Buckner let that grounder roll through his legs in Game 6 of the World Series, the winning pitcher for the New York Mets was Aguilera.

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Can’t wait: Looking for something new? The Los Angeles Ice Dogs, the Southland’s newest professional hockey team, will debut in September at the Sports Arena as part of the International Hockey League.

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Trivia answer: Bobby Avila, Cleveland, 1952, ’54 and ‘55; Jorge Orta, Chicago White Sox, 1975, and Cleveland, 1980; Sid Monge, Cleveland, 1979; Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers, 1981--1986; Aurelio Lopez, Detroit, 1983; and Teddy Higuera, Milwaukee, 1986.

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Quotebook: Tennis great Jack Kramer, on his old rival Pancho Gonzalez: “Pancho [got] 50 points on his serve and 50 points on terror.”