In love with baseball, a lifetime passion

Chris Mavraedis has been a Giants fan since even before he was a boy playing Little League baseball. As he puts it in his new book, “Falling in Love With Baseball,” he was born in the Mission District at a hospital across the street from the site of the ballpark where the San Francisco Seals played before Seals Stadium. “So right from birth I’ve had San Francisco baseball in my blood.”

Mavraedis became an adult going to games, rooting for his team, eventually meeting some of his idols, Giants stalwarts, announcers and team brass ... and writing, writing, writing little notes and observations about them, which he’d send to friends and other members of the Giants family.

Eight years ago, Mavraedis was stricken with ALS. His body had been failing, but not his will, his powers of observation or his dedication to his team. Six years ago, when Willie Mays turned 80, Mavraedis had written to him that he’d “collected all your baseball cards. I cut your picture out of magazines to put up on my bedroom wall. I followed your every move on the field whenever I could get out to Candlestick to watch you play.” And about two weeks ago, Mavraedis, who uses a wheelchair and communicates by computer rather than voice, was at the ballpark a few hours ahead of the game to present to his idol the first copy of his book about the game and his team, “Falling in Love With Baseball.”

Bob Sockolov, who helped Mavraedis get the book published by Mavo Press (under the auspices of Chronicle Books) was there for that occasion. Bruce Bochy and Marty Lurie wrote forewords. Mavraedis presented Mays with a book signed by rubber stamp, and Mays, in return, autographed a few books for Mavraedis. Mays “was in great spirits and was very supportive of Chris and the book,” said Sockolov.

It’s being sold in the Giants Dugout stores exclusively until Father’s Day, with proceeds from the sales going to help Mavraedis and to the ALS Association. The author’s life, said his friend Sockolov, “is just dedicated to his love of the Giants, and his love of baseball.”

June’s Town & Country magazine includes an interview with Dede Wilsey and son Todd Traina about philanthropy and how to encourage it.

Mama Wilsey, well known as president of the Fine Arts Museums board, is also, after heading a capital campaign for UCSF Medical Center, a lifetime member of that board. She is known — as are other powerhouses, like Nancy Pelosi and Charlotte Shultz — for her powers of persuasion, especially in beckoning donors. For UCSF, she said, she would “ask” for that cause by telling people that enjoying cultural institutions — the opera, ballet, symphony — is voluntary. But for every one of us, “you or someone you love is going to get sick. And you are going to wish that you had donated to this campaign.”

(Because I am Pollyanna, I am taking that to mean you’ll be glad you pitched in to make it a better hospital, not that donors get hospital sheets with a higher thread count.)

Dermatologist Kathleen Welsh has been seeing “more and more patients with thick nodes and painful bumps over the medial aspect of the thumb.” The patients complain that the bumps are unsightly, that they hurt, or that people with whom they shake hands will be grossed out.

“Observation of these patients showed that the lumps occurred from chronically holding their cell phones in the same position. We used to see similar lumps on the side of the knuckle of the third finger from holding pencils.” Writers’ Bump or Callous is uncommon now, says Welch, but “Now we have Cell Callous to go along with Tech Neck.”

Callous and corn creams designed for feet may help, or a superficial cortisone shot. But sufferers should adjust their phone grips. “Palm it,” says the doc, “or better yet, put it down.”

Leah Fortin forwarded a posting on her NextDoor site, seeking “some things to help me feign adulthood,” including various items of furniture. “Oh, yeah, and things for the walls, like art. And a 36” wide by 48” long tapestry/wall-rug/macrame owl. I can pay you small/reasonable amounts of money for these items. I just cannot make myself go to IKEA again.”

PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING “Yes, he’s my twin brother, but he’s a Taurus and I’m a Gemini.” Man on cell phone, overheard at UCSF by Chris Jehle