NEW BRITAIN – If Paul Molitor had played in New York, children in The Bronx likely would have another choice in chocolate bars next to Reggie and Baby Ruth.

If he had played in Boston, a street in the Back Bay may bear his name.

Molitor instead plyed his trade in Milwaukee, Toronto and Minnesota where the headlines only sometimes made it east. Yet statistics confirm that he had more hits than Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Willie Mays or Carlton Fisk.

He’s the only player in baseball history to accumulate 500 doubles, 200 home runs and 500 stolen bases. He alone has surpassed 3,000 hits, 200 homers and 500 steals. Nobody else has maintained a lifetime .300 average, hit 200 or more homers and swiped 400 or more bases.

While those numbers are soaking in, here are a few more. Molitor played from 1978 to 1998, amassed 3,319 hits (9^th on all-time list), collected 605 doubles, cracked 234 homers and stole 504 bases.

Who better to be teaching the young New Britain Rock Cats players some of baseball’s offensive nuances and conveying what it takes to be a successful big-league player. Molitor, the Twins’ minor league baserunning/infield coordinator, visits the city annually.

“When you come down here and you see the young players, a lot of them want to talk about something other than those two subjects,” Molitor said . “Naturally some of the hitters want some input and even the pitchers want to know what hitters think about. You try to make yourself available. You try not to bring in a presence that may be intimidating or of somebody who is going to bring bad news back to Minneapolis.”

In 1987, Molitor made a run at DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. His ended at 39.

“There is a certain pressure that comes with something like that. Naturally the attention grows the longer the streak goes,” Molitor recalled. “But it’s a lot different than trying to hold onto a two-game lead with three games to play. You’re in this game to try to get to the postseason and become world champions.

“While there’s pressure, it’s something you can have fun with. … It’s just one of those things where you get into a rhythm, you get good pitches and you’re seeing the ball well. To span it out over six weeks is something I never imagined I’d accomplish but now you think back and envision those pitches you missed in that 40^th game.”

He played in the 1982 World Series and set a record by getting five hits in a game but his Brewers lost to St. Louis. He came away with the Series MVP in 1993 when the Blue Jays turned back the Phillies.

“I got to the (Series) in my fifth season and we lost to the Cardinals in seven games,” he said. “I was thinking that if I stayed healthy I’d get a chance to play in three, four or five more World Series’. I didn’t realize it would take me 11 years to play in another Fall Classic.

“When I went to the Blue Jays, I was able to complete that one void of getting a ring. … We had a lot of guys who played well. More memorable than Paul Molitor winning the MVP was Joe Carter’s home run off Mitch Williams to win (the Series in Game 6).”

Molitor had to overcome injuries yet maintained his physical and mental stamina enough to excel for 21 years.

“In hindsight as far as the baseball aspect of my career is concerned, I’m proud of the longevity,” he said. “It would have been really easy with the numerous trips to the disabled list and some of the injuries I had to overcome to lose some of that fire.”

Molitor spoke of his enjoyment playing in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. The experience of playing in the major media centers eluded him.

“I would have loved to have had the chance to play in one of those places,” he said. “But I liked the continuity and for myself it worked out very well. When I had a chance to move after my first 15 years, Toronto was a very hot organization coming off a world championship. The Red Sox or Yankees never became a feasible possibility.

“I remember the Yankees talking about trading for me my last year in Toronto (1995) but it never came to fruition. But naturally, to play in a larger market with a team that has that type of tradition would be a great thing to have in the history book but I try not to think about it with any regret.”

Molitor was an active player with the Twins for the exhibition game against the Rock Cats on August 18, 1997 and was on the coaching lines when the Twins returned on April 23, 2001.