On the court, Barkley was trading highly publicized verbal and physical shots with several Bucks, most notably Terry Cummings, Milwaukee's immensely popular forward. Off the court, he was just as visible. Somehow, a weird relationship developed between Barkley and the Bucks' fans. They would boo him unmercifully, but in a way, they seemed to like him, too. Barkley remarked on this after his trip to the baseball game, where, he said, no one booed and he was besieged with autograph requests.
"He left a lasting impression on people last year," said Wick, who also said she wasn't sure whether to characterize the impression as positive or negative.
After the Bucks defeated the Sixers in seven games - despite Barkley's averages of 27.6 points and 14.7 rebounds - then lost to the Celtics in four, Bucks coach Don Nelson got over being bounced from the playoffs by getting involved in farm relief. Nelson, who grew up on a farm in Rock Island, Ill., eventually spent nine days driving through central Wisconsin on a tractor, raising money for Nellie's Farm Fund. Along the way, he acquired a 7-foot- long, 4 1/2-foot-wide piggybank. A contest to name the piggybank was won by Liz Gleeson, one of the Major Goolsby's waitresses Barkley kidded with during the playoffs.
Nelson placed an awkward phone call to Barkley, seeking the go-ahead to name the pig for him. After all, Charles is the star player on a team Nelson seems to always wind up coaching against in the playoffs. No sense making him angry. But Barkley thought the pig idea was funny.
