Inside Bay Bridge Baseball: The Pen Remains Mighty

When was the last time you put a pen to paper and wrote a letter? And when is the last time you received a missive in the mail? in print? Although letter writing might feel like a practice of the past, two recent events in Bay Area sports have reminded how and why writing a letter is important. 

History reveals this truth. Go to any Presidential museum in this country and you will find countless letters on display. By one estimate, Teddy Roosevelt penned 150,000 letters. Furthermore, letters serve as primary sources. The book All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings taught me a great deal about American history, culture, art and more. Who knew that saving all those cards and handwritten notes could and would prove invaluable? Letters are passed down and passed on. They are both personal and private, sometimes public, often revelatory.

The first chapter of On the Eighth Day:A Catholic Theology of Sport —the required text for Sports and Spirituality—is entitled "From Saint Paul to Pope Francis." Saint Paul is important in this course because he "invokes the motif of running as a metaphor for discipleship on multiple occasions" through his letters to different communities. His wrote to inform, persuade and encourage others (of the love of Christ). These letters are recorded in the New Testament. Though they were written nearly 2,000 years ago, we write letters for similar reasons today. Such is the thought that came to mind when I saw that the Oakland Athletics' owner, John Fisher wrote a letter to A's baseball fans. I knew it was something I needed to share.

I posted Fisher's missive in my presentation but offered to read it to the class. I reminded my students that in the past athletes have written letters to their fan base when they retire or move on. Others, like Kobe Bryant have written letters to a game. Though you might not be an A's fan, I'm curious to know what you think.

Fisher notes the franchise's 123 year history. It has moved before and it is moving again. The list of accomplishments is so impressive. The characters who contributed and colored their story are legion. I got to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Bay Bridge Series and the 20 game win streak and I got so choked up, I paused. I told my students, "I'm sorry, this is harder than I thought it would be." I finished reading the letter and let them unpack its meaning, their reactions and responses. Many sat in silence. Others noted how hard that might be for those fans. I told them I had no idea I would feel this way. 

Although I grew up in Walnut Creek, California—the East Bay—I am not an A's fan. People who have met me away from my home want to know how or why I am Giants fan instead. Easy. The Giants had a Triple-A farm team in Tacoma, WA, so my dad saw the genesis of some Giant legends. My mom grew up in San Francisco, which is where I have lived for the past 20+ years. No further explanation needed. 

That being said, I grew up with and among A's fans. Several of my dear friends from high school donned the green and gold. I can still recall getting into an argument during my freshman year over who was the better franchise: the Giants or the A's. We were sitting in the back of the bus. One girl couldn't let it go. She defended the orange and black. I respect her to this day for that.

It was so moving to see many of those friends return to the ballpark for the final games. A's fans are both angry and sad. I don't think it would be too much for John Fisher to acknowledge this. Instead he wrote what a local announcer, Larry Beil deemed a "great work of fiction." His pronouncement went viral.Watch and you will see why.

One announcer said "that statement does nothing for any A's fan." Beil responds, "you sort of have to release a statement but what would be nice would be a news conference where you take questions, but we haven't seen that. Why start now? It's only been 18 years." A good friend Dan, added

I believe that no fan needed or wanted to hear from Fisher. It’s amazing that the hearts of an entire fanbase and city are in the hands of one human being. And it’s unfathomable that he could not make it work in one of the country’s largest media markets.  Its all so disappointing.  I enjoyed my farewell on Saturday vs the mighty Yanks.  You could feel the love in the building and the respect for what that franchise accomplished in Oakland.  The titles, the characters and legends, the grit, inspiring a major motion picture, the fan support throughout…I feel fortunate to have grown up with A’s and grateful to my family for getting to so many games.

Dan's words remind me—for the fans, baseball is so much more than a business. It's just not entertainment. I knew what this loss would mean to him and his family. A team binds friends and family, our community and makes a place home. It affects our lives and livelihoods in ways big and small. My brother was a paper boy for the Contra Costa Times—a news source that proudly featured the A's.  He threw out the first pitch of an A's-White Sox game on Saturday, June 16, 1984, a nationally televised game on NBC. He said, "I was among a group of seven or eight paper boys who sold the most subscriptions and was picked to throw out the first pitch after winning a contest." Great job, Mark! In sixth grade, I got free tickets to an A's game because I read ten books in the summer. Incentives do work! I wrote a letter to my Great Aunt, my Aunt Dottie. In our regular USPS exchanges, I told her about that prize!

Personally, I think it's important that Fisher wrote this open letter. Yes, his director of communications likely wrote it. Yes, it feels more fiction than fact but the written word gives all of us a place to stand. It is from this message we can respond and react, retort and reply. It could have been different. It should have been different. Silence in this instance would be deafening and damaging....and furthered the defeat so many people already feel. A meeting, a question and answer session, a press conference with the fans and for the fans isn't too much to ask. They deserve so much more. They got an open letter and lost a team. This story is a sad one.

No one is sure of what is to come for sports in and around Oakland the larger Bay Area. I can however report this week, my students were privy to letter with a different tenor. Speaking about the San Francisco Giants ten years ago felt a whole lot different. Loyal fans like me are hopeful that the words from our All-Star and three time World Series champion, Gerald "Buster" Posey will deliver the promise he offers. 

The fact of the matter is feelings, hopes and desires, dreams and dreams deferred need to be written and shared. A letter is an important place to make a record of that. The pen is mighty... Shakespeare said so himself.

Photo Credits
Buster Posey—is he getting better looking or what
A's in Line
Double Trouble

Dear Basketball by Kobe Bryant. Is it spiritual?

It doesn't happen every day....or very often, for that matter, but one of the best feelings in the world as an educator is when your class breaks into applause. I love when my students get so excited or moved that they only reaction is to clap. 

Such is the case, on the day I told the seniors in Sports and Spirituality that we would be going on a field trip to the historic Castro Theater to see the screening of "Dear Basketball," an animated short film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant. 

Field trips merit their own excitement, but the pièce de résistance was the fun fact that Kobe would be at the theater and hosting the event. I heard "best class EVER" at least eight times that day.

I write about that memory now, because on this night two years ago, Kobe became the first former professional athlete to be nominated for and win an Academy Award. I wanted my students to see this animated short film because I think it is spiritual. 

As written on IMDB, "On November 29, 2015 Kobe Bryant penned a letter in the Players' Tribune announcing his retirement from basketball at the end of that season. This film is the visualization of that letter, narrated by Kobe, scored by John Williams and animated by Glen Keane."

At the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, Michael Strahan moderated a discussion between Bryant and Keane. As written by Taylor Weatherby,

During the chat, Bryant spoke about his newfound love for storytelling, which he believes is his purpose. "The best way to inspire is through story, it tends to sink in more," he said. And though he didn't mention whether he has more poems or short films in the works, he is plenty satisfied with what became of his initial post-NBA hobby. "I was happy I wrote something Glen and John believed in," Bryant said. "And that I could do something other than play basketball."

Kobe traveled to promote this film in person; he wanted to share with school kids this story and much more. He encouraged young people to find their passion, in athletics and far beyond. I believe he was committed to inspiring others. It is what he did first through basketball and I am not surprised he found others ways to do the same. I am grateful he didn't waste any time figuring that out!

The image from "The Player's Tribune."

About one week before the field trip was supposed to take place, I got a message from the San Francisco Film Society that due to unfortunate circumstances,  the event was cancelled. I did not want to tell my students, but I had to.... I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How I wished we had gotten a chance to hear from Kobe in person and in that context.

While I did share the poem "Dear Basketball" with that class, we were unable to view the short film together. Therefore, I decided I would share his work with this year's class as a way to begin talking about his life and his death. I asked them to respond to the question I would ask any of my students. Is it spiritual? Why or Why Not? 

I hope you will watch the film. Take your time reading and even reflecting upon their beautiful responses. And do as my class once did—clap.

Thank you, Kobe for sharing your love for storytelling with us. I can't help but find the connection to spirituality. Amen.

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His video is very spiritual, given that he describes that he was not pulled towards
basketball, but rather basketball pulled him. He viewed it as this “intolerable pull” as it slowly became his passion. From when he was younger, he sees himself as the same person with the desire to run through the court, and shoot shots into the basketball hoop, “with five seconds left on the clock”. Basketball is how Kobe harnessed his energy and this fire that he was able to control with the sport. This energetic flame can be seen through the way he plays in the games for the Lakers. His spiritual calmness can be seen within the reflection of his years of his basketball career, and the acknowledgement that his desire for playing basketball will be forever untouched, but he knows that his body will not be able to handle the stress any longer, as he is getting older.

He also thanks the sport of basketball for pulling him into it, only for him to love it even stronger.

By a very insightful reflection of his time in basketball before retiring, I believe that his view on the sport of basketball and his spirituality are very strong together.

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“Dear Basketball” by Kobe Bryant is spiritual. Kobe says in the video that he gave
basketball his all because that is what someone does when something makes them feel so alive.

The very root of the word spirituality is the Latin word spiritus, meaning breath, and in turn, life.

Kobe dedicated much of his life to basketball because ultimately, it is what made him feel alive and gave him purpose. The video follows Kobe’s journey from being a little boy playing with balled up socks and a trash can to being an NBA star—only a drive of great magnitude could lead to such progress. Throughout the video, he says that he is “in love” with basketball; the entirety of this video is a love letter to basketball. His being in love dovetailed with the drive that he had is an example of eros. Kobe directed this eros into fueling his basketball success. Playing basketball fed his soul and was a large part of his spirituality; he seemed to have been able to maintain a healthy spirituality by continuing to do what he was passionate about: basketball. The two functions of the soul—to give energy and to hold together—seem very much like they come from basketball for Kobe.

Photo Credits
Oscar
Animation
Players' Tribune
Movie Poster