Sports

Bruce Bochy takes his final bow at Oracle Park

Published

5 years ago

September 29, 2019

San Francisco – In front of a sellout crowd, Bruce Bochy tipped his cap for the last time. Bochy announced his retirement at the start of the season, so the Giants prepared a send-off that was more than the Skipper could handle.

“This was a tough a day as I’ve ever had,” Bochy said. “I had no idea that this send-off would be like it was today.”

Despite San Francisco being shutout 9-0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The final game of the season was more about the thirty-sixth manager of the organization than the loss. Throughout the game there were video tributes on Bochy’s astounding forty-four years in the Majors. But what brought the tissues out during an emotional ceremony was who showed up to say their final farewells.

The Giants had a few surprises up there sleeves and I have to be quite honest. It blew me away as well. After the game, Bochy’s retirement ceremony began with the “Forever” Giants in attendance, Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Felipe Old and Juan Marichal to name a few.

Former players, including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts jogged onto the field to greet his former teammates. Barry Bonds took his cap and tossed it on the field. The crowd roared with laughter and excitement. After Roberts (who played for Bochy in 2007) embraced Bochy with a hug and handshake he headed back to the dugout.

“His hat should’ve been thrown,” said Bochy with a smile.

“I wish we would’ve played better for him the entire year,” Brandon Belt said.

Dereck Rodriguez didn’t have the start he would’ve liked on Bochy’s final game. Rodriguez loaded the bases after giving up a walk to Chris Taylor and two back-to-back singles to A.J. Pollock and Cory Bellinger.

Cory Seager knocked a single down the right field line and cleared the bases with a three-run double. Will Smith followed with a two-run homer to center field to make it a 5-0 game in the first frame. After Rodriguez put two on in the second, Bochy decided his time on the mound was done.

Sam Selman replaced Rodriguez who walked Bellinger to load the bases again. Selman forced Seager to ground out to end the threat. Rodriguez tossed 1.2 innings, allowed five hits, five runs, one home run, struck out two and walked two. While San Francisco’s defense kept the Dodgers off the board five more frames.

They added three more runs in the seventh and the eighth inning. After loading the bases for the third time, Sam Coonrod walked Matt Beaty, gave up a single to Kristopher Negron and hit Will Smith with a pitch. Coonrod walked in a batter after he walked Gavin Lux.

By the eighth, Joc Peterson led off the frame with a single and back-to-back walks to Chris Taylor and Max Muncy loaded the bases. Austin Barnes singled Peterson and Taylor score. Muncy scored on a fielding error by shortstop Mauricio Dubon to make it a 9-0 game.

Players from the 2010 championship team walked out on the field, Nate Schierholtz, Cody Ross, Edgar Renteria, Brian Wilson, and Aubrey Huff. The 2012 team, Angel Pagan, Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong, Santiago Casilla and Marco Scutaro. And finally from the 2014 team, Javier Lopez, Gregor Blanco, Jake Peavy, Jeremy Affeldt and Tim Lincecum. Many of these players played all three years but it was Lincecum’s arrival that really choked Bochy up.

“It was just gradually building,” Bochy said on his emotions unraveling during his ceremony. “And, at the end, Timmy… When he was announced, that put me over the edge. Timmy’s somebody that’s really close to my heart and for him to come down here, that’s a pretty big deal for me.

He’s a tough one to get a hold of. I’ve tried to text him. I’ve tried to see him in Seattle.”

Lincecum never returned to the Giants after leaving almost four years ago. Invites were unanswered and the guy once known as “The Freak” moved on to play for the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers. But what Lincecum did as a Giant was one for the history books.

Three World Series, four National League Pennants, and twenty-five years as a manager in the Majors. Bochy’s 2010 championship team was the first to bring a World Series to the organization in fifty-two years. He’s the fifth manager to to lead a team to three titles in a five year span, joining Connie Mack, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre.

“Seeing Boch get emotional throughout the day, definitely made it hit home,” Buster Posey said on Bochy retiring. “See him talk a lot. I’ve never seen him get emotional before. So, obviously this was a big day for him to say the least.”

“The team called me about this event and I couldn’t have picked a better day to make it special for him,” Former Giant Pagan said. “It’s his time, it’s his moment and I wanted to be there to thank him personally for everything that he did, not only for me but for all the teammates that I’ve had and all the players that have come through his hands. So I cannot feel any more grateful to be here and this will make me come back more often.”

Malaika Bobino

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17^th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

Oakland Post

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Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

Published

3 months ago

January 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

Oakland Post

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Published

3 months ago

January 22, 2024

Oakland Post

“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.