In 1968 this crazy ball club from Kansas City moved to a city closer to Stockton. OAKLAND. Oakland is a fabulous city if you're looking to join a gang, seeking soul food cusine, or looking to get mugged and or shot, stabbed and killed. In 1968 my dad took me to a MLB game with NO GIANTS. WHAT???? NO FRICKEN GIANTS? WTF?
I was totally impressed with the Ball girls though. They were about 15 (cute as all get out) and I remember being 12 and just starting to grow hair in new spots. But who the hell were these guys named Catfish, Vida, Monday and why were they stealing TV time from MY GIANTS?
So I saw the A's as a threat. Especially since my dad just enjoyed "good baseball". Sort of like I do now. And it was much shorter a drive than going to "Hunter's point". I had to really lobby to get my dad to take me and often Ricky (my friend) to Candlestick.
In 1969, America was really changing. I was a teenager now. I was also a damn good musician. Of course I had been since I was young. When my mom was alive, she was like my publicity agent. She got me in the Manteca Bulleten for my poetry and ability to play multiple musical instruments at the age of 7.
In 1969 students at U.C. Berkeley set Telegraph avenue on FIRE. Things were changing in America. I had other things on my mind besides being the next Hal Lanier. In 1968 I got deeply involved with my next door neighbor. Congressman John J. McFall. I worked in his re-election office. I started getting deep into politics. (I was only 12). Sirhan Sirhan assasinated Bobby Kennedy in June of 68. (almost 42 years ago today) This made it really hard to live in denial of my mom's death just a year ago. In 1970, Jimi Hendrix died. But almost as tragic to this teenager; The GIANTS TRADED GAYLORD PERRY in 1971. This would mark the beginning of the end of an era. Both in Giants' baseball and for me personally. In 1972 Horace Stoneham did the unthinkable. He TRADED WILLIE MAYS. What? This was like banning Santa Claus from Christmas in your city. How could they? Who were these EVILDOERS ? In 73 the Giants sent Hal Lanier and Jim Ray Hart to the Yankees. The final nail in the coffin of my childhood was when Big Mac, Willie McCovey got traded to San Diego in 1974.
I rebelled. My childhood was traded to the east coast. I was 17. I had no reason to stay in that cow town called Manteca (spanish for LARD, how appropriate) Vietnam was still going on. The NVA had left the Paris Peace Talks so I joined the Navy as a Corpsman (pronounced Core-men Mr. Obama) I got out of the northern California valley never to return.
I HATED THE GIANTS. I think I hated life. But I really HATED THE GIANTS !!!!!
I was totally impressed with the Ball girls though. They were about 15 (cute as all get out) and I remember being 12 and just starting to grow hair in new spots. But who the hell were these guys named Catfish, Vida, Monday and why were they stealing TV time from MY GIANTS?
So I saw the A's as a threat. Especially since my dad just enjoyed "good baseball". Sort of like I do now. And it was much shorter a drive than going to "Hunter's point". I had to really lobby to get my dad to take me and often Ricky (my friend) to Candlestick.
In 1969, America was really changing. I was a teenager now. I was also a damn good musician. Of course I had been since I was young. When my mom was alive, she was like my publicity agent. She got me in the Manteca Bulleten for my poetry and ability to play multiple musical instruments at the age of 7.
In 1969 students at U.C. Berkeley set Telegraph avenue on FIRE. Things were changing in America. I had other things on my mind besides being the next Hal Lanier. In 1968 I got deeply involved with my next door neighbor. Congressman John J. McFall. I worked in his re-election office. I started getting deep into politics. (I was only 12). Sirhan Sirhan assasinated Bobby Kennedy in June of 68. (almost 42 years ago today) This made it really hard to live in denial of my mom's death just a year ago. In 1970, Jimi Hendrix died. But almost as tragic to this teenager; The GIANTS TRADED GAYLORD PERRY in 1971. This would mark the beginning of the end of an era. Both in Giants' baseball and for me personally. In 1972 Horace Stoneham did the unthinkable. He TRADED WILLIE MAYS. What? This was like banning Santa Claus from Christmas in your city. How could they? Who were these EVILDOERS ? In 73 the Giants sent Hal Lanier and Jim Ray Hart to the Yankees. The final nail in the coffin of my childhood was when Big Mac, Willie McCovey got traded to San Diego in 1974.
I rebelled. My childhood was traded to the east coast. I was 17. I had no reason to stay in that cow town called Manteca (spanish for LARD, how appropriate) Vietnam was still going on. The NVA had left the Paris Peace Talks so I joined the Navy as a Corpsman (pronounced Core-men Mr. Obama) I got out of the northern California valley never to return.
I HATED THE GIANTS. I think I hated life. But I really HATED THE GIANTS !!!!!
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