Priest names favorite athletes

* BABE RUTH, whom Father Downs watched hit "three home runs in a double header in a game between the Yankees and the Washington Senators," when he was a boy in grade school. He could not remember what year it was, but he still remembers the "crack of the bat" in Yankee Stadium when the Babe hit the homers;

* TED WILLIAMS, who so impressed Father Downs that he wrote three letters to the Hall of Famer. He received two responses from the "Splendid Splinter." When asked if he still has the letters, he replied, "Oh, I suppose they're around here somewhere."

* DUFFY DOUGHERTY, Michigan State University's football coach, whom Father Downs met in the 1970s. Father Downs was appointed "chaplain of the extra points" for the team. The coach was renowned for appointing chaplains for touchdowns, field goals etc. When he learned what a great Michigan State fan Father Downs was, Dougherty appointed him to the make-believe position.

Even though he loves baseball, the priest's favorite sport is football, and Father Downs has traveled 17 times to Lansing, Michigan, and South Bend, Indiana, to see Notre Dame play Michigan State. They are his two favorite teams to watch.

Although once a New York Yankees fan, Father Downs switched his allegiance to the Red Sox many years ago.

"I saw Ted Williams play for the Red Sox, and I became a permanent fan," he said. "He was one of the best ballplayers I ever saw. Years ago, when my niece went to college in Boston, I would drive out to 'visit her,' particularly whenever the Red Sox had a home game. We would sit and watch the game while she and her college friends did their homework. Needless to say, I visited her often." (PP)

(06-27-02) [[In-content Ad]]