The Strong, Silent Type

"You know in your heart you can," she replied. "But whatever you do is O.K. with us."

"If I'd quit then," says Williams now, "I'd have had years of wondering what might have been." He went back to Phoenix and hit 26 homers in just 76 games. The Giants recalled him in late July, and he finished the season hitting 16 more homers and playing in the 1989 earthquake World Series against the Oakland Athletics. The next year he led the National League in RBIs, with 122.

Those early travails have made him a better person, Williams is convinced, one who is infinitely more appreciative of the life he now leads, complete with a five-year, $30 million contract he signed last December and homes in San Francisco and Scottsdale, Ariz. He's more than willing to share his experience with others who have troubled souls. "When I was sent down [in 1992]," says Clayton, "Matt was the first to talk with me. I could see in his eyes, he knew what I was going through. It was characteristic of Matt to care."

So Williams may not have the fame he deserves, but he has everything else he wants—a wife and three children, and a job he loves. "I wouldn't trade what I have for the world," he says. "It's a wonderful life."