Card Corner--Willie Davis

At various times during his career, Willie Davis was known for eccentric behavior. After his playing days, his eccentricities degraded into the realm of the bizarre and the near violent. In March of 1996, the former Los Angeles Dodgers star was arrested after threatening his parents with a samurai sword and ninja-style throwing stars. The 55-year-old Davis demanded that his parents pay him $5,000; when they refused, he threatened to kill them. Davis was booked under investigation of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted extortion. His mother told police that she believed her son was acting so strangely because of an addiction to drugs.

Blessed with power and speed and known for playing aggressively both in the field and at the plate, Davis performed for the Dodgers from 1960 to 1973, establishing himself as one of the game's better all-around center fielders. His 1973 Topps card is his second to last as a member of the Dodgers; it shows him off balance, apparently the result of a brushback pitch that nearly sent him sprawling. Coincidentally and unfortunately, "off balance" is a phrase that might have accurately described his behavior the night that Davis threatened his parents--and at other times in his career.

After his glory years in Southern California, Davis bounced around with several clubs, including the Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres. When he first arrived at spring training with the Rangers, he reported directly from a Los Angeles jail, where he had been held for alleged non-payment of spousal support to his ex-wide. While with Texas, some of his teammates noticed his unusual habits and his strange physique. He shared living quarters with an intriguing choice of roommates--a Doberman pinscher with large fangs. He diligently performed yoga as part of an overall conditioning program that left him with an odd physical appearance. Davis had such little body fat that his veins bulged out throughout his body, giving him almost a surreal appearance. As one Ranger beat writer put it, Davis appeared to be all "skin and veins." One of his teammates dubbed Davis the "Strange Ranger."

Davis didn't long in Texas. One day, he engaged in a clubhouse fistfight with manager Billy Martin, who had his own set of personality quirks. Within minutes of the fight, Davis received his walking papers in the form of a trade to the Cardinals.

With his batting and running skills fading, Davis eventually found his way to the Japanese Leagues. It was during his stint in the Far East that he apparently became familiar with the samurai swords and ninja throwing stars that nearly became deadly weapons in his possession. Fortunately, he never used those weapons with the same aggressiveness that he displayed in swinging a bat, running the bases, and brawling with his own manager.

Thankfully, Davis seems to have won the battle with his inner demons. Currently a member of the Dodgers' speakers bureau, Davis counsels youngsters against using drugs--the same drugs that may have influenced his bizarre behavior at his parents' house. Like Dock Ellis and so many other retired stars from the 1970s, Davis is doing his best to make sure that others avoid making similar mistakes.