The Question: If you were given the Pittsburgh Pirates for Christmas, what would you do with them?

PETER J. McGOVERN
Commissioner
Little League baseball
I'd set dead aim for the pennant. Winning baseball begins in the Little League. We have the greatest array of talent that ever appeared in the history of the sport. Within a reasonably short time I could, with the pick of these youngsters, land the Pirates in the World Series.

HENRY FORD II
President
Ford Motor Co.
Any married man knows how difficult it is to select a Christmas present for his wife, one that he has not given before. I'd give the Pirates to my wife as a Christmas gift. It would be unique. She's good at solving problems, and I'm sure she would like to be a full-fledged manager on her own.

KAUFMAN T. KELLER
Former Chairman of the Board
Chrysler Corp.
Pittsburgh deserves a pennant. It's a rabid baseball town with a great tradition going back to the days of the Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner, my first sports hero. If I owned the Pirates, I'd gladly buy the added strength the team needs to reward the loyal Pittsburgh fans.

THOMAS J. HARGRAVE
Chairman of the Board
Eastman Kodak Co.
Why not give me the Yankees instead? But I won't quibble. If it must be the Pittsburgh Pirates, I'd make them an admirable club. They would be admired in every city, as this fine group of young men was admired last season when the Pirates led the National League for a spell.

CLOUD WAMPLER
Chairman of the Board
Carrier Corp.
If I were in any other business, I'd quit and run the Pirates. That isn't advisable because I would be going from air to error. At that, though, the two jobs are not too dissimilar. There were times when I felt that to be successful in the air-conditioning business you had to be a pirate.

JAMES M. BULLOCK
College student
Colgate University
The Pirates are my team. Most of the players are college men. I'd love managing a team like that, but I would need an additional catcher who hits .300 and hits them long. Also, with a top left-handed pitcher like Johnny Antonelli I could guarantee the Pirate fans a pennant.

DICK HAYMES
Singer
I'd trade First Baseman Dale Long for Gil Hodges, Shortstop Dick Groat for Ernie Banks, Catcher Jack Shepard for Yogi Berra, Outfielder Lee Walls for Mickey Mantle. You say it is impossible to make these trades? I know. No one is going to give me the Pittsburgh Pirates for Christmas.

MRS. BRITTON B. WOOD
Housewife
Having lived in Cincinnati all my life, I know how long it took the Reds to grow strong. It wouldn't have taken long with a woman owner. If I got the Pirates for Christmas, I'd raise a half-million dollars from my friends in one afternoon and buy the players needed to win the pennant.

ANTHONY M. UHRIK
Owner
Uhrik Truckers Soccer Club
I would convert the men into soccer players. Dale Long should kick as well as he hits. Bob Friend, big and-fast, would be an ideal inside right forward. Dick Groat, a pepper pot, would be a scintillating center forward. I'd have a team that could win the World Cup in 1958 and the next Olympics.

ROBERT HARRON
Assistant to the President
Columbia University
Some persons would sell them, but I would not. I would try to make Branch Rickey's dream come true by taking that old gentleman's advice. In two years my Pirates would win the pennant. Even without me they're going to win in two years and give the Pittsburgh fans a real Christmas.

JIM TATUM
Football coach
North Carolina
You should never look a gift horse in the mouth, but that's one Christmas gift I would refuse. I have enough trouble with the Tar Heels without taking on the Pittsburgh" Pirates. The football season is over and Is have no worries. Go away. Let me enjoy the Christmas holidays.

THEODORE F. SMITH
Engineering authority
I'm a native Pittsburgher, and I've often daydreamed of owning the Pirates. Now you offer them to me as a Christmas present. Am I still daydreaming? You could not get them away from me, although they couldn't have better ownership and management than they have now.

HARRY A. BULLIS
Chairman of Board
General Mills Corp.
I remember the Pittsburgh Pirates as a proud band of Buccaneers led by Free Clarke and the greatest player of all time, Hans Wagner. I would move the Pirates to Minneapolis where we have a wonderful new stadium. We would make the Pirates the greatest team in the country.

FOURTEEN PHOTOS

NEXT WEEK: Do you think colleges will follow the lead of the Ivy League and reappraise football?