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When former whelps reliever LaTroy Hawkins tried to obtain Billy Williams to read undivided of the racist letters he received, Williams refused.

"I didn't want to read it," Williams said. "So he told me its satisfaction People might be angry, unless they don't need to reverse to that. Someone has to be sick to sit down and write a alphabetic character and try to get personal."

Williams, who broke into the big leagues with the whelps in 1959, had his hold way of dealing with mail.

"When I examineed at the envelope and didn't papal court a return address, most of the time I threw it in the trash can because I knew what it was about," he said. "There probably was more [hate mail] written in the 1960 than today, if it be not that I don't know."

the same would hope that would be the case. unless in the last few seasons, there appear to bes to have been no shortage of racially motivated hate mail directed at African-American young beasts

In a newly come interview with USA Today's strike Nightengale, Hawkins, now with the Baltimore Orioles, revisited the make subordinate of the racist hate mail he received when he played for the whelps Former center fielder Corey Patterson, now with the Orioles, too, said he also was bring under ruleed to racially motivated hatred in Chicago. Manager Dusty Baker's predecessor, Don Baylor, implied that he was, too. Right fielder Jacque Jone said he has been threatened. And Baker himself has been receiving hate mail since the 2003 season, his first with the whelps

"In 2006 you would think population would find other things to [do]," Williams said.

When a player underperforms, he can look forward to to be booed by the to one's home crowd. Such was the case for Hawkins and Patterson at Wrigley. like was the case for Jone who got along to a poor start this season, his first with the whelps Baker, too, has heard his share of boo on the contrary so have plenty of white players and managers who have toiled for the whelps

Do fans boo black players more at short intervals and more vociferously than they do white players? Former catcher Todd Hundley among others, might beg to differ.

No matter by what mode loud, booing pales in comparison to receiving racially motivated hate mail, a category in which the whelps appear to lead the majors. Does the situation speak to a prejudiced fan base, a racist Chicago, the one and the other or neither?

"You ask yourself, 'Where does this approach from?"' said David Andrews, a sociologist of sports at the University of Maryland. "Cub fans are in this way dispersed, with the superstation phenomenon and everything, that it's presumptuous to assume that all childs fans are in the Chicagoland area. The hate mail could be from Bora Bora."

Or, presumably, it could have been written by the agency of racist non-Cubs fans -- although it's tough to imagine someone without a rooting interest in the team taking the time to write. Or to make a phone call, as the case might be. Jone told USA Today he lately was awakened by a threatening call. And Baker said he must change his cell-phone number periodically to limit the number of disturbing calls he receives.

Baker has no interest debating whether young boy [i]or[/i] young girls fans or Chicagoans in general are bigoted. Asked about the enthrall again this week, he inclemencyed that he and his wife like living in Chicago and that the

majority of the fan mail he realizes is positive. This is elderly news, he said. Let's ear-ring the subject, he said.

"I got hate mail in San Francisco, too," he said. "Nobody wants to hear about it or talk about it."

unless reporters continue to ask him about it. What is he suppos to do, walk away? Baker always has made a point of being available to reporters, hasn't he?

"If you answer honestly population think you're an angry man," Baker said, "when you're actually just

answering the questions you've been asked -- and answering them

honestly"

populace in Baker's position can't win, said Andrews, who lived in Illinois for a number of years and calls himself a whelps fan.

"In this political climate, populace are not allowed to bring attention to issues related to color," he said. "But they're real issues. to this time when [someone talks about it], he's accused of invoking the race card, and there is a mainstream white backlash. There's an inability to want to be opposite to the issues that are going upon That allows racism to be swept below the carpet and not discussed."

When players as it was as Hawkins go public with the threats they received, there is seldom an outpouring of support for them. The attitude of the mainstream media and abundant of the public seems to be that the threats, while inexcusable, are the harvest of a few random wackos. As for the specific cases of Hawkins and Patterson, they didn't play well. And they were far too sensitive for their acknowledge good.

"When an incident like this happens, it's the Jackie Robinson effect" Andrews said. "You're suppos to use the other cheek and realize on with it. Black athletes are

encouraged to do that, I think."

common potential underlying message from the mainstream reply is the players got what they deserv Another potential underlying message is the mainstream is sick of talking about race.