Los Banos Rotary Club History
High School Ball Team Is Honored

One of the grand old men of major league baseball, Walter "the Great" Mails, thrilled members of the Los Banos high school baseball team and some 125 adults here Thursday evening of last week with reminisces of his baseball career and of baseball in general, and with his sound advice to the youngsters of today who would seek a career in one of the nation's highest paid sports.
Mails entered big time baseball with Seattle in 1914, pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers for three years, and after World War I returned to the game with Sacramento, then back to the big time with the Cleveland Indians. He reached the peak of his fame in the 1920 World Series, winning the third game 1-0 and coming back in the fifth game to cinch the pennant. He pitched 16 2-3 innings in the two games without being scored on for the third best record in World Series competition.

Mails retired from the playing field in 1936, and is now a public relations director for the San Francisco Giants.

His appearance here was as guest speaker at a dinner given by the Native Sons in honor the high school baseball squad, to which the Lions, Rotary and 20-30 Clubs and Junior Chamber of Commerce were also invited. Native Sons President Donald Silva presided at the dinner, with Joe Cardoza serving as master of ceremonies.

Following the introduction of the Tiger coaching staff, faculty members and presidents of the several clubs and individual members of the Tiger team, Donald Accardo, Tiger third sacker and relief catcher, was presented with a gold baseball miniature. Such mementos are given each year to graduating members of the team, and this year Accardo is the only senior.

In his talk to the team, Mails told the boys "you have to know what you want to do, how to do it, and you must not let anyone deviate you.
"Don't think all roads are straight, paved highways," he said, "because you will find a lot of rough stretches along the highway of life."

He stressed the importance of education and of completing high school and college. "A diploma," he said, "is a mighty important asset in this terrifically fast world we are living in today."

Commenting on the San Francisco Giants, Mails said that with the coming of major league baseball, San Francisco takes its place among the great cities of our country. Some day, he said. San Francisco will have a World Series – "the greatest spectacle in the world and capturing the imagination of the people in every country in the world."

The speaker was introduced by M. D. Wheat, local P.G.&E. manager who is also a former baseball great. He and Mails were teammates on the Dodger squad, and through the years have retained a close friendship.

June 6, 1958

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