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SPORTS Friday 21 June 2024
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Willie Mays was baseball’s greatest living Hall of Famer and the

heir apparent isn’t obvious

By NOAH TRISTER tween Brock and 46th-place
AP Baseball Writer Jimmy Rollins.
Amid all the tributes and Mike Schmidt
memories about the legend- In a 13-year span from 1974-
ary Willie Mays, consider this 86, the Philadelphia third
perspective on his greatness: baseman won three MVPs,
He may have been base- eight National League home
ball’s greatest living Hall of run titles and 10 Gold Gloves.
Famer not just at the time And his numbers which in-
of his death this week, but cluded three straight on-
from the moment he was base percentage titles and
inducted in 1979. seven 100-walk seasons have
Mays’ combination of hitting, aged well through the years.
baserunning and defensive Schmidt struck out a lot and
brilliance was so extraordi- rarely had a high batting av-
nary that simply calling him erage, but modern stats only
an all-time great feels insuf- enhance his status as one of
ficient. Some sort of superla- the most valuable sluggers of
tive is warranted, and while his era. Greg Maddux, Randy
“greatest living Hall of Famer” Johnson or Pedro Martinez.
is obviously subjective, few Take your pick from this trio
would argue that Mays had Oakland Athletics’ Rickey Henderson dives for third base to steal his 939th career base to set of stellar pitchers who com-
a strong case. the all-time stolen base record during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York bined to win a dozen Cy
As for who deserves that Yankees, May 1, 1991, in Oakland. Young Awards. Martinez’s
title now well, it’s a much Associated Press 1997-2000 peak may have
tougher question, especially If Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson Henderson with Oakland and the won his been the best of the bunch,
since Mays was preceded in were in the Hall, he’d be a is the leader among living Hall lone MVP award the following although Maddux’s incred-
death in recent years by the pretty easy choice as the of Famers in Baseball Refer- year. He retired with a career ible 1992-95 stretch was lim-
likes of Hank Aaron, Frank Rob- game’s greatest living Hall ence’s version of wins above on-base percentage of .401 ited a bit by a couple strike-
inson, Tom Seaver and Joe of Famer, but PED-related replacement, and while he’s and is still the all-time leader shortened seasons. Johnson
Morgan. It’s been a sobering controversy continues to keep known largely for his speed, at in stolen bases and runs. The pitched until he was 46, and
period for baseball fans as him out. Here are a few other his peak he was an all-around gap in steals between him only Nolan Ryan has more
so many stars from the 1960s candidates for this unofficial offensive force. Henderson and second-place Lou Brock strikeouts than the 6-foot-10
and 1970s have passed on. but compelling honor: dominated the 1989 playoffs is the same as the gap be- left-hander. q

NCAA presents options to expand March Madness tournaments

from current 68 teams

By DOUG FEINBERG eight-team models. The tension of its TV deal for the first-round opening on want to lose the automat-
AP Basketball Writer NCAA would keep its 64- men’s tournament worth Thursday. Women’s play- ic bids that come with a
The NCAA has presented team bracket but would $8.8 billion that runs through in games are at the same conference tournament
a plan to Division I confer- add play-in games involv- 2032. That would not be campus sites as the first two championship or face the
ence commissioners that ing the 10 through 12 seeds. expected to change if a rounds of the tournament. prospect of always be-
would expand the lucra- If the men’s tournament handful of teams are add- Expansion is largely backed ing slotted for the play-in
tive men’s and women’s were to expand it is ex- ed. by larger conferences and games.q
basketball tournaments by pected the women’s tour- More games would pro- smaller leagues do not
four or eight teams along- ney would as well. vide a small boost through
side an option to leave There are many in college ticket sales and merchan-
each field at 68 teams, ac- basketball who have said dise, but the pool of money
cording to a person familiar they believe the 68-team the NCAA uses to pay out
with the details. fields and three weekends conferences and member
The proposals were out- of play are ideal but pres- schools would essentially
lined to the commissioners sure has grown to add stay the same. What could
this week by NCAA Senior teams and games to one change, however, is how
Vice President of Basketball of the most popular sports that money would be di-
Dan Gavitt and NCAA Vice events on the U.S. calen- vided up if the tournament
President for Women’s Bas- dar. Last year, the NCAA broadens.
ketball Lynn Holzman, the Division I board of directors Expansion would also
person told The Associated approved recommenda- mean the men’s tourna-
Press on Thursday on condi- tions that included allow- ment would have to find an
tion of anonymity because ing one quarter of teams additional site besides Day-
no official announcements in larger sports to compete ton for its First Four games.
have been made. The in championship events; in The Ohio city already has
news was first reported by that scenario, March Mad- games on Tuesday and Staff members for the NCAA place the names of the teams in the
Yahoo! Sports. ness tourneys could ex- Wednesday and wouldn’t Sweet 16 on a bracket in the media workroom before practices
Under the proposal, expan- pand to nearly 90 teams. be able to host additional at the East Regional of the NCAA college basketball tournament
sion of the 68-team field The NCAA is currently in the play-in games ahead of in New York, March 23, 2017. Associated Press
included both four- and midst of an eight-year ex- the tourney’s traditional