By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
ANOTHER HERO IS GONE: On Sunday, Feb. 18, Eddie Mathews, the All-Star third baseman and Hall of Fame baseball player from the Milwaukee Braves, died. His death was overshadowed, even in the state, by the crash that killed racing driver Dale Earnhardt.
Mathews was the only person to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta. He played in an era sometimes referred to as "the glory days of baseball." It certainly was in Milwaukee, where the team set attendance records surpassing two million people.
Mathews was a hero to many Wisconsin residents, a lasting hero. He played when sports heroes usually provided an example to youth.
Mathews hit a lot of home runs in his lifetime, 512 of them. When he hit his home runs, he usually trotted around the bases with his eyes down, a manner he learned from old-timers who advised him not to show up the pitcher. If only some players of today's game followed that advice.
Mathews made a lasting impression on many youths, some of which has extended into their adulthood.
Dennis Bohm, a mainstay of the area softball diamonds, usually, if not always, wears a jersey with the No. 41 on it, in tribute to Mathews, his boyhood hero.
Craig "Archie" Hansen is a avid collector of Mathews memorabilia, including baseball cards, figurines, gloves, bats, autographs and photos.
The "Santa Barbara Bomber" may be gone, but his memory lives on.