How Baseball Explains America by Hal Bodley

Author:Hal Bodley [Bodley, Hal]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: United States, General, Baseball, Sports & Recreation, History
ISBN: 9781623688073
Google: hX0kAwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2014-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

10. The Dream Is Alive in Oakland

Across the choppy waters of San Francisco Bay the city of Oakland rises out of the fog, almost like a little boy standing in the back of the classroom. Hey, what about me?

When it comes to cable cars and Tony Bennett lyrics and five-star restaurants, Oakland is merely “the other place” to sophisticated San Francisco.

As Steve Treder once wrote in Hardball Times, Oakland is “the supporting player, the sidekick to the area’s glitzy, overbearing, egotistical star.”

But when talk turns to baseball and its wonderful history, roles are reversed.

Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, and Willie Stargell all came from Oakland.

Curt Flood, who changed the very fabric of the game in his fight for players’ rights, grew up there, as did Vada Pinson, Lloyd Moseby, Gary Pettis, Jimmy Rollins, Dontrelle Willis, and scores of other major leaguers.

Billy Martin, who played in the majors and gained fame as a manager, was born and grew up in nearby Berkeley. He was one of the most controversial and colorful managers in the game’s history.

Pitcher Dave Stewart, who won two games as the A’s swept San Francisco in the historic 1989 “Earthquake World Series,” grew up in Oakland and remains a favorite son. Stewart, from the moment the Loma Prieta quake struck on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 PM PT, forgot about baseball and for the next 10 days delved into the recovery effort, working around the clock with hundreds of volunteers.

He’s never forgotten his roots and continues to donate time and money to charities he’s created in his homedown.

And don’t forget Bill Russell. The first black coach in the NBA also hails from Oakland.

Since the Oakland Athletic League was formed in 1919, it has produced 61 major league baseball players, 23 professional basketball players, 47 NFL players, and many Olympic gold medalists.

“There was so much spirit growing up there,” remembers Morgan, one of the game’s greatest second basemen, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. “Watching those older players from Oakland in the big leagues inspired me.

“Remember, back in those days, baseball was the sport. There wasn’t much else. People weren’t that concerned with basketball or football. Your parents, your father, everybody pointed you in that direction.

“I think obviously because Jackie Robinson had made such an impact, not only on baseball, but on our country, we looked to baseball. My dad played baseball and I was his batboy. Watching Frank Robinson and the others was a tremendous motivation for kids in the area.”

Robinson, during an extensive interview with me in December 2013, tried to explain the Oakland phenomenon. “It was like, ‘I want to do it too.’ It was a chain,” he said. “There were a lot of outstanding players, but you had that feeling you wanted to be in the right place at the right time. And, luckily, I was.”

Rickey Henderson chewed on the question for a few moments.

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