Was Mays Better Than Ty Cobb? Shirley You Jest

Willie Mays, you’re no Ty Cobb.

So contends Shirley Povich, the venerable Washington Post sportswriter who is old enough to have seen both players at their athletic peak--and claims there’s no comparison between the two.

“My colleagues at the Baseball Writers Association of America have chosen their All-Time All-Star team,” Povich writes. “In most cases they are most perceptive and correct and in some cases they are nuts. The one that leaps out at us is their choice of the all-time center fielder--Willie Mays over Ty Cobb.

“What an aberration. What delirium. Two and two make six, the world is flat.

“Willie Mays a better ballplayer than Ty Cobb. Mike Tyson is a saint. Trouble is, there are baby boomers in the press box. To be forgiven, perhaps, because they never had the thrill of seeing Ty Cobb play. They’re all caught up in the Mays hoopla of their era.”

*

Add Cobb: According to Povich, Mays “couldn’t carry Cobb’s shoelaces. Knowing Cobb, he would regard the great Willie Mays as, well, a weak sister. Anybody with a lifetime batting average of .302 would merit Cobb’s scorn. How about a lifetime average of .367? Willie Mays never hit that much in any single season.”

Povich also points to the players’ base-stealing abilities.

“Cobb stole--count ‘em--554 more bases than Willie Mays, and won more ballgames all by himself with his slashing play that could terrorize a whole team more than Mays ever could claim. It’s no contest.”

*

Trivia time: Who holds the career record for All-Star game stolen bases?

*

Returning fire: The movie “Midway” was on the big screen in the Angel clubhouse Friday, prompting some serious ribbing of pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa as Japan fell behind in this one early.

Hasegawa endured the razzing in silence, standing motionless in front of the screen until a scene of a Japanese plane being shot down in battle.

“You guys should’ve done that to [Hideo] Nomo last night,” Hasegawa said as he turned on his heel and walked away.

*

This date in history: Twenty-nine years ago today--July 9, 1968--the Lakers sent Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers and an undisclosed amount of money to the Philadelphia 76ers for center Wilt Chamberlain.

*

Discard: Recently dropped from the prestigious Italian soccer club AC Milan, Roberto Baggio complained that no team official had directly informed him of the news.

“When they need you, they call you even at home,” Baggio said. “When you are no longer any use, the telephone ceases to exist.”

*

Trivia answer: Willie Mays, with six.

*

And finally: After hitting a monstrous home run at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium two weeks ago, Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves was told he was the first player to reach the park’s upper deck in left-center field since Mike Schmidt 22 years ago.

Mike who?

“I never heard of that name,” Jones said. “I’m just starting to hear of players in the ‘80s and ‘90s.”