That post season journey included witnessing the Nats dissemble the 106-win Dodgers, going the distance in a best-of-five National League Divisional Series. The last win was executed at Dodger Stadium. There was heck to pay.
That NL East wild-card team had the “Baby Shark” power. And Anthony Rendon’s idiotic stats (34 HRs, 126 RBIs, 117 runs, .319 average). And rookie Juan Soto’s muscle. And Trea Turner’s speed. And veteran Howie Kendrick’s grand-slam gumption. And veteran Kurt Suzkuki’s intelligence. And the arms of Stephen Stasburg and Max Scherzer and do-nothing Sean Doolittle. And a year removed from Bryce Harper.
“You have a great year, and you can run into a buzz saw,” Strasburg told Dougherty after the team advanced to the World Series. “Maybe this year we’re the buzz saw.”
These weren’t your recycled Montreal Expo who started 19-31 and ended up with the District’s first title in 95 years. We enjoyed the book as something that needed to be reassembled for our disbelief.
Because, in a way, even if we watch today’s Washington Nationals play at the Dodger Stadium, we’re still a bit history challenged.
At our last count, 17 major professional baseball franchises have called Washington D.C. their home. Many shared the same nickname. Or switched midway.
The place better known for housing the Bill of Rights may have had the right idea, but often a wrong outcome.
Before going forward, play this in the background and enjoy the tribute:
Now, we look back at history.
The reviews in 90 feet or less
So where were you when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home-run record on April 8, 1974?
I was sitting in the third-base dugout of my Hawthorne American Pony League Dodgers’ team (and we wore green and white for some reason). It’s about 6 o’clock and the sun is in our eyes as usual. Lots of squinting to see what was going on in front of us. Amidst the glare, everyone on my team — and around the park — knew the Dodgers were in Atlanta playing the Braves. A few of our parents brought their transistor radios with them, listing to Vin Scully’s call. It was also a nationally televised game on NBC, with Curt Gowdy doing it. But we had Vin.
At this exact moment 50 years ago (April 8, 1974, 9:07 pm ET), Hank Aaron made history. pic.twitter.com/IPCM7H3QFQ
There was a buzz was in the stands as Aaron hit his 715th homer in the fourth inning off the Dodgers’ Al Downing.
I knew I was going to the Dodgers-Braves game at Dodger Stadium a few weeks later. The Dodgers gave away a special poster commemorating the feat. On May 17, 1974, it was “Hank Aaron Poster Day” at Dodger Stadium — a Friday night, the first trip the Atlanta Braves came to L.A. that season. Downing actually started this game and went the first eight innings in a 5-4 loss to the Braves that went into the 11th inning (as Aaron went 0-for-3 against Downing this time.)
The beauty of this poster is that it was a chart so kids could document Aaron’s home runs in 1974 — and we dutifully logged in the information. We participated. We were invested in recording history.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s accomplishment, so many things were going on April 8, 2024.
The Baseball Hall of Fame announced it was erecting a new statue in Aaron’s honor. An MLB Network remembrance narrated by Bob Costas. A new set of U.S. postage stamps for those who still use letters. At a ceremony before the Braves’ game, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced a $100,000 endowment of a scholarship at Tuskegee University, a historically Black university in Aaron’s home state of Alabama.
The obituary of Glenn Burke as it appeared in the San Francisco Examiner on June 1, 1995
In parts of three Major League Baseball seasons in Los Angeles, Glenn Burke showed flashes of his abilities while wearing No. 3 as a center fielder for the Dodgers in the 1970s. He had put in three seasons, some overlapping, in the Dodgers’ minor league system, hitting a combined .303. Three times he led the league in stolen bases, at the Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A level.
Burke’s highest point at Dodger Stadium reached his impromptu creation of the high-five celebration. It then went as low as the realization that his personal lifestyle didn’t fit in with the team’s ethos and he would be banished.
Consider it symbiotic. Those in the literary book world who have wanted to tell the essence of Burke’s story have been able to operate through three entry points.
= The autobiography:
In 1995, as Burke was experiencing his final days, Erik Sherman had spent months with him and figured out a way to self-publish a manuscript that gave the Oakland native a platform by which to explain what he had been through.
As explained in the obituary above, Sherman released parts of his book to the Associated Press so it had the more accurate material to include.
“You take a great risk when you self-publish,” Sherman said, explaining that he feared a lawsuit might be filed by someone in the Dodgers’ family who took offense to what Burke said was done to him. That didn’t happen.
“It’s a somber day, but also a day of relief because his family and friends know he’s at peace with himself,” Sherman said at the time. “The doctors didn’t give him past Christmas. He’s been hanging on for months.”
Sherman could later add as context: “The thing that kept going through my mind was how unfair it was for him because he loved baseball. If there is a legacy for this book, it is, if you can play at the major league level, then your teammates don’t care if you are gay.”
Twenty years later, Penguin Publishing reissued “Out at Home” at a time when there was more open discussion about athletes and the LBGTQ community. The publishers explained in their book synopsis: “Before Jason Collins, before Michael Sam, there was Glenn Burke. By becoming the first—and only—openly gay player in Major League Baseball, Glenn would become a pioneer in his own way, nearly thirty years after another black Dodger rookie, Jackie Robinson, broke the league’s color barrier. This is Glenn’s story, in his own words .”
A new book on Glenn Burke, baseball's first openly gay player, will be published tomorrow, but you can read an excerpt of it in today's @NYTSports print edition.
In using the YA format, Maraniss still captured a mature telling of Burke’s story.
“I interviewed dozens of people for this book and did essentially the same type of research that I would have done for an ‘adult’ book,” Maraniss told me. “I feel that there is room for more good narrative non-fiction aimed at teens, particularly that involve sports. I love visiting schools and telling these stories about sports and social justice. It means a ton to me when a teacher or librarian comes up and says ‘this student doesn’t ordinarily read much, but he or she loved your book.’ I feel that given the state of the world right now it’s important to reach young people with stories that shine a light on injustice and encourage them to use their voices to make change. My hope is that the audience for this book is actually expanded, rather than limited, by aiming it at both high school students and adults.”
Maraniss said his takeaway from the story is a passage he uses toward the end of the book, when the pastor speaks at Burke’s funeral and says that Glenn “died in truth. He told the truth. He didn’t live a lie, and I believe the truth sets people free.”
“And then I write: ‘In that proclamation resides the paradox of Glenn Burke’s life, and the lesson to us all. Allowed to be his authentic self, Glenn embodied achievement, innovation, love, humor, friendship, freedom, and compassion. But when powerful elements of society told him that was unacceptable, that he must somehow instead deny a fundamental aspect of his being, his life devolved into one of confusion, lies, ambivalence, anxiety, seclusion, and self-destruction. What clearer evidence do we need that homophobia, like other hatreds, not only deprives individuals the ability to become their very best selves, but also robs the world of their gifts?’ ”
“It recognizes the challenges Burke faced while celebrating how his bravery and his now-famous handshake helped pave the way for others to live openly and free,” according to the publisher’s press release.
In 2020, Bilder also wrote “A High Five For Glenn Burke” as a piece of fiction. It crossed our radar for a review, telling the story of a kid who was questioning his own true self in the setting of his Little League team. It was intended for ages 10-13/Grades 5-7. In the acknowledgements, Bildner, a former New York City public school teacher, gave a shout out to “Kevin, my husband. My husband. Words a previous, self-hating version of me would’ve never been able to process, comprehend or accept.”
In each format, honesty is at the foundation of the storytelling. It’s no different than how authors have taken to explain the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson or St. Francis of Assisi.
In the end, Burke may not have been the most well-known No. 3 in Southern California sports history. Or even in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
But he could honestly have the most enduring legacy of a Southern California person who happened to be an athlete.
Glenn Burke was known more his basketball skills than his baseball IQ at Berkeley High in Oakland. The Dodgers were convinced by a local scout they could give him an opportunity for the later in 1971, as well as let him play some college baseball. \
As a 17th round pick out of Merritt College in 1972, the Dodgers gave him a modest a $5,000 signing bonus and let him play in the offseason for the University of Nevada (basketball, since he wasn’t eligible to play baseball now as a professional). He scored 35 points in a 106-101 win over Stephen F. Austin in his first game and would average 16 points a game in the first half dozen games of the 1974-75 season. He then twisted a knee and would be dismissed from the team.
“Glenn Burke leaves Reno, criticizes both Padgetts,” read the headline in the Reno Evening Gazette when Burke was dismissed shortly before Christmas 1974. They were 4-2 with him and finished 6-14 without him.
“I think the problem is that Burke couldn’t adjust to the college way of life and way of playing college basketball,” then-Nevada coach Jim Padgett told the paper. “He lacks the discipline. … He hasn’t been on a coached team since high school and I stress a team effort. He just hasn’t matured.”
He made his debut in the first and last month of the 1976 season, as a spare outfielder playing behind Rick Monday, Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker. Burke had trouble with the curveball and hit .239 in 51 plate appearances.
“Unlimited potential,” said second baseman Davey Lopes.
“Once we get him cooled down a little bit,” said the late Junior Gilliam, then Dodger coach, “frankly, we think he’s going to be another Willie Mays.”
After 85 games with the Dodgers in 1977, batting .254 with 13 stolen bases, he made the post-season roster and found himself in the starting lineup and hitting seventh in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. He went 1-for-3 with a sixth-inning single, a play that ended with Steve Garvey thrown out at home plate trying to score from first. In the top of the ninth of a 3-3 tie, Manny Mota pinch hit for him. Burke got in to play in Games 2 and 5 as a defensive replacement to help protect the Dodgers’ leads in both eventual wins.
By the middle of the ’78 season, the Dodgers front office people weren’t comfortable with the way he led his life. Burke was offered $75,000 toward a honeymoon if he would just get married. “To a woman?” Burke replied.
By this point, few in the Dodgers were comfortable with the relationship Burke had with manager Tommy Lasorda’s openly gay son, Spunky.
The Dodgers swapped him out for Oakland Athletics center Bill North in a sudden traded in May of ’78. It was not popular with Burke’s teammates.
“He was the life of the team,” said Lopes. “No one cared about his lifestyle.”
“There was no justification for it,” Burke’s agent Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim told ESPN. “You could’t have found one player in the locker room who felt good about it, so why now and what for?”
Added Baker: “I don’t know what people are going to say why he was traded, but we knew the reason he was traded was because he was gay. You couldn’t be more blunt than that.”
Burke’s season and a half with the Athletics and manager Billy Martin wasn’t pretty. Martin, in the twilight of his career, ostracized Burke, calling him a “faggot” among other slurs, which also came from fans in the stands.
“They knew I was gay and were worried about how the average father would feel about taking his son to a baseball game to see some fag shagging fly balls in center field,” Burke wrote in his autobiography. “Martin never called me a faggot to my face. He may have known I would’ve kicked that ass.”
He was back in Triple A in 1980 for 25 games, another knee injury, then out of baseball at 27.
Three years after his MLB career was over, Burke officially come out as a gay man to the world in a 1982 story that ran in Inside Sports titled “The Dodger Who Was Gay.”
When that issue landed, there was a subsequent media-made coming-out party. A somewhat less-than-revealing Burke sit-down interview with Bryant Gumbel on NBC’s “Today” show (which apparently made Gumbel nervous, we now read). There was also an L.A. Times piece Randy Harvey did on Burke headlined “Tired of Torment, Burke Searches for Inner Peace.”
By that point, Burke had been ostracized from baseball and started using drugs to cope. His leg and foot were crushed after being hit by a car in 1987. He was arrested on drugs charges and lived on the San Francisco streets for several years. He would never really recover.
The high five
History lesson! Did you know the first high-five ever was most likely at Dodger Stadium? Isn't that cool?? Makes you wanna love the team more.
The ref photo was kinda murky and in B&W, so it was fun imagining the colors and details. pic.twitter.com/qlsar6vGU2
On Oct. 2, 1977, Glenn Burke created one of the most endearing celebrations in sports.
It was the last game of the regular season, as the Dodgers already clinched the NL West. With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Dusty Baker hit a home run of Houston’s JR Richard, giving him 30 to lift him into a group with Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Reggie Smith as the first team to have four players hit 30-or-more homers.
Burke, in the on-deck circle, greeted Baker not with the usual hand slap, but held both his hands high for embrace. Baker bought into it.
Burke then went up hit his first and only home run as a Dodger.
A week later in the National League Championship Series Game 2, Baker hit a homer against the Phillies, and there was Burke — hat on backward and wearing Davey Lopes’ blue jacket — doing this “high-five” again.
It became a thing.
“No, I didn’t invent the high five,” Baker said. “All I did was respond to Glenn. That’s all I did.”
In 1995, I published a book with #GlennBurke about his life as a gay man with the @Dodgers and @Athletics. Despite tremendous talent, he was ultimately blackballed from baseball because of his sexual orientation. Tonight, remarkably, he will be honored at Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/VRiVe7NtfA
Major League Baseball used its 2014 All-Star Game as a time to recognize Glenn Burke as a “gay pioneer” and launch its own department of inclusion, eventually headed up by another former Dodgers outfielder, Billy Bean.
“He could take any moment in time and make it fun,” former teammate Rick Monday told the L.A. Times in 2013. “There was no better guy in the clubhouse, I’ll tell you that. There was no one who didn’t love having Glenn around.”
Seven years later, the Dodgers got their act together and did it during a 2022 Pride Night event at Dodger Stadium. Burke’s brother, Sidney, threw out the first pitch wearing a Dodgers jersey with the number “03.”
“Glenn probably would have said, ‘Dang, about time!’” Burke’s sister, Lutha Burke Davis, told Miller. “He’d be grinning from ear to ear. He would be thrilled that he was thought about that much, really.”
More about Burke’s life and times can be found in OutSports.com, a 2010 documentary, “OUT: The Glenn Burke Story” produced by Doug Harris. The Legacy Project Chicago also put up a plaque honoring Burke, sponsored by the Chicago Cubs.
Pride Spotlight:
Today we’d like to recognize Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay when he did so in 1982 after his retirement. Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976-1978 and the Oakland Athletics from 1978-1979. pic.twitter.com/xvIITMSxOB
— The Word on Pop Culture (@thewordwebzine) June 2, 2023
Today in 1952, Glenn Burke is born in Oakland. As kid, Glenn would sing on Limeliters album; as teen lead HS🏀team to undefeated season; as adult, invent high-5, become 1st MLB player to wear @Nike, start in Gm 1 of '77 World Series, & come out as 1st openly gay @MLB player (1/2) pic.twitter.com/qmKWTP4Afw
When Burke was voted into the Pasadena-based Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals in 2015, his bio read in part:
Glenn Burke (1952-1995) was a fleet, capable outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics during a four-year major league career …. He was the first big league ballplayer to publicly acknowledge he was gay. Although his public disclosure came after he had retired, Burke’s sexual preference was well known during his playing days, and he encountered widespread homophobia from locker rooms to board rooms. … Having appeared in just over 100 games for Los Angeles during parts of three seasons, Burke was sent packing to Oakland. Returning to his hometown didn’t make Burke’s life any easier. … He became active in amateur athletic competition after baseball, competing in the 1982 and 1986 Gay Games in basketball and track. Burke’s life then went into a tailspin. Cocaine addiction and an accident that crushed his leg and foot led to years of physical misery, bouts with the law, and homelessness. … A documentary, “Out: The Glenn Burke Story,” was released in 2010. “They can’t ever say now that a gay man can’t play in the majors,” Burke stated, “because I’m a gay man and I made it.”
Who else wore No. 3 in SoCal sports history? Make a case for:
At Tailback U., where USC’s first four Heisman Trophy winners were guys known for running the ball, the 6-foot-5 strong arm out of Santa Margarita Catholic High in Rancho Santa Margarita (wearing No. 3) who set 27 school records became the Trojans’ first quarterback so honored and the first from the West Coast in more than 20 years. The clinching weeks of his senior campaign, as he established himself as the school’s all-time passing leader with a 448-yard, 5 TD game against No. 14 Oregon, was a win in Week 11 over No. 25 UCLA (19 of 32 passing, 254 yards, 4 TDs, where he became the conference career leader in passing) and a Week 12 win over rival Notre Dame (425 yards passing, the most ever against the Irish in its history), and 4 TDs. He threw for 3,942 yards and 33 TDs against 10 picks as a senior, led USC to a win in the Orange Bowl over No. 3 Iowa as the game MVP.
It led to him becoming the No. 1 overall choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft. As a four-year starter at USC, he set or tied 33 Pac-10 and USC records. He was also able to pile up a little more than four seasons worth of stats for the Trojans — he was allowed a redshirt in ’99 after playing three games — which pushed him to 11,388 yards passing and 71 touchdowns in his career for a quarterback rating of 131.2. Palmer also made some news when he allowed transfer wide receiver Jordan Addison wear the retired No. 3 jersey in 2022, the same number he had at Pitt for two seasons. “He promised to work his tail off and represent all that it means to be a Trojan, and that he’d be incredibly humbled to wear No. 3,” Palmer said. This was the same Palmer who arrived at USC under coach Paul Hackett and had wanted to wear No. 3 so bad he switched to it after his freshman season when it became available.
His two seasons at USC saw the former L.A. Dorsey High and West L.A. College standout pull in just 12 touchdowns total. But it was the 90 receptions as a senior for 1,218 yards (and a seventh-place finish in the Heisman race) that dazzled enough scouts to make him the No. 1 overall pick of the New York Jets in the 1995 NFL Draft. Add to that his performance in big games: The two-time All American was named MVP of the 1995 Cotton Bowl as a junior and the 1996 Rose Bowl as a senior. In the later, he caught 12 passes for a Rose Bowl record 216 yards and a TD in USC’s 41-32 win over Northwestern. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2008.
Three seasons were plenty good for Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen, aka the “Chosen Rosen” who was a five-star recruit out of St. John Bosco in Bellflower. He became the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year as the first true freshman to start a season opener (28 of 35 passing for 351 yards and three TDs in a 34-16 win over Virginia) also set a school record with 199 consecutive passes without an interception. The highlight of a sophomore year where he missed time with a shoulder injury was a career-high 400 yards passing in a loss to Arizona State. As a junior, he opened the season with a 45-44 win over Texas A&M by throwing for 491 yards and four touchdowns to overcome a 34-point deficit. After five games, he led the nation in passing (2,135 yards) and touchdowns (17). He ended up eclipsing Bred Hundley’s single-season school record with 3,740 yards and then jumped to the NFL Draft, the 10th overall pick by Arizona. He said those drafted ahead of him were “nine mistakes.” That included USC quarterback Sam Darnold, taken at No. 3 by the New York Jets.
Willie Davis, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder (1960 to 1973):
The “Three Dog” out of L.A.’s Roosevelt High — a nickname that his ability for wearing No. 3 and letting hits into the gap for three-base triples — became more appropriate after he shed wearing the No. 26 originally given to him after a September call up in 1960 when he was about to replace Duke Snider as the team’s center field. Davis, a three-sport standout in high school who once ran a 9.5-second 100-yard dash and set a city record in the long jump, twice led the NL in triples — 10 in 1962 and a career-best 16 in 1970, and finished with 138 in his career next to 182 home runs, 395 doubles and 1,053 RBIs. The three-time Gold Glove winner in his last three seasons in L.A., which included an All-Star selection, was quite the turnaround for the player who had been marked as the one whose three errors in one inning of the 1966 World Series helped in the Dodgers’ undoing against the Baltimore Orioles. He finished his career with the Angels in 1979 wearing No. 24.
Steve Sax, Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman (1981 to 1988):
The story goes that when Sax left the Dodgers after eight seasons, following the team’s 1988 World Series triumph, he asked his new team, the New York Yankees, if he could keep his No. 3. Well, no, they said. A guy named Babe Ruth had it, and we’ve retired it. He took No. 6 instead. It has since been retired for former manager Joe Torre. The NL Rookie of the Year in 1982 had three NL All Star seasons with the Dodgers, stealing as many as 56 bases in 1983. That was the same season he piled up 30 errors, also a career high, third most in the league and tops among second baseman. He also led NL second baseman in errors with 22 in ’85, and was second with 19 in ’82, and third with 14 in ’87 and 21 in ’84. Nothing really about the glove. Just the arm. And somehow, he wrote a book! Check for errors!
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers center (2019-20 to present):
Davis was not supposed to have worn No. 3 in his inaugural season with the Lakers having come over in a trade with New Orleans. That decision was already made –LeBron James would bequeathed his own No. 23 as a way to lure The Brow to L.A. after his first seven seasons hidden away as a Hornet/Pelican. Davis had worn No. 23 through college and in the NBA — not to honor Michael Jordan, but because of his admiration for James. But then the league intervened. Davis became No. 3 and, quickly by default, the most productive player to don the number in Lakers history. In his first season in L.A., Davis was an All-Star, a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and, at 26.7 points per game, the leading scorer on a LeBron-led Lakers team with the best record in the Western Conference prior to the season’s suspension. When he’s healthy, Davis can be an historic force. In May 2023, during the Lakers’ Game 1 Western Conference semifinal series against Golden State, Davis had 30 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks, joining Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal as the only other Lakers to reach those statistical marks in a playoff game. In the Lakers’ inaugural In-Season Tournament title win in Las Vegas, Davis had 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks — the only Lakers with a 40/20/5 game in franchise history were Baylor and Chamberlain. In a Lakers’ win in March 2024, Davis, despite dealing with a shoulder bruise, became the first NBA player to have at least 27 points, 25 rebounds, seven steals, five assists and three blocks in a game. When he’s not healthy …
Illustration from a 2019 interview with The Ringer.
Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks forward (2008 to 2020): Drafted No. 1 overall by the Sparks out of Tennessee, the 6-foot-4 Chicago native was the WNBA’s MVP and Rookie of the Year right away as she averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. She won another MVP Award in 2013 (17.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists) and was the 2016 WNBA Finals MVP. In league history, there have been 10 seasons during Parker’s career when she has averaged at least 15 points and seven rebounds per game. The only one ahead of her: Lisa Leslie, who did it 11 times.
Paul Krumpe, UCLA soccer defenseman (1982 to 1985): A four-year starter, the standout from West Torrance High was co-captain of the 1985 NCAA championship team and held the school record for single-season assists by a defender with 10 in ’85, including the game-winner in the title game. Krumpe spent three seasons as an assistant at UCLA as the team went 56-9-1 and won the ’97 national title. He was the head coach at Loyola Marymount from 1998 to 2021.
Have you heard this story:
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers guard (2011-12 to 2016-17):
Hornets working to finalize details on 3-team deal to send Chris Paul to Lakers, Gasol to Rockets and Odom, KMart, Scola to NO, sources say.
Less than four hours after Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that, coming out of the NBA player lockout that had already delayed the season, the New Orleans Hornets were about to ship Chris Paul to the Lakers as part of a three-team trade that also included the Rockets, he reported that the deal was off. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss would later reveal the trade collapsed due to miscommunication between Stern and Dell Demps, New Orleans’ general manager at the time. Had things broken the Lakers’ way, Paul would have been in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant.
The trade was voided by NBA commissioner David Stern. The collective of NBA owners — who, at the time, bought the team as caretakers of the Hornets because of ownership troubles of their own — complained the Lakers were pillaging a franchise for talent and the balance of power had to be watched. There was also the idea that the NBA owners realized how much cap space the Lakers had at the time and argued they would unfairly dominate in the league if the NBA allowed the trade to take place — especially knowing that Dwight Howard would soon end up with the Lakers in a deal with the Magic. So instead, they allowed Paul to go to the Clippers with two second-round picks in exchange for Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, and a 2012 first-round pick (which turned out to be Austin Rivers). As a Clipper, Paul became a five-time All Star, twice leading the NBA in assists and three times in steals. And it’s not all that complicated why Paul has insisted in wearing No. 3 since his days at Wake Forest. His father and brother also have the initials C.P., so he is the third.
Odell Beckham Jr.,Los Angeles Rams receiver (2021): The Rams were off to a 7-3 start to the season when they took a flyer on the mercurial three-time All-Pro released by the Cleveland Brown — it cost them a reported $4.25 million, and Beckham said he was getting paid in cryptocurrency. The Rams worked him into the system for eight games and saw him make 27 catches for 305 yards and five TDs. The payoff seemed to be coming during the Rams’ eventual 23-20 Super Bowl LVI win Cincinnati. Beckham caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford for a 7-0 lead, and pulled in a 35-yard pass from Stafford early in the second quarter. But a knee injury later in the quarter sidelined him the rest of the game.
Kelly Claes Chen, USC women’s beach volleyball (2014 to 2017): A two-time All-American and three-time national champion in the sport, the redhead from Fullerton partnered with Sara Hughes to form one of the most dominant teams in college sports. The pair expect to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
We also have:
Aaron Miller, Los Angeles Kings defenseman (2000-01 to 2006-07) Jack Johnson, Los Angeles Kings defenseman (2006-07 to 2011-12) Freddie Mitchell, UCLA football receiver (1998 to 2000) James Washington, UCLA football running back (1984 to 1987) Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers forward (2007-08 to 2008-09; 2021-22). Also wore No. 4 for UCLA in 2003-04. Elmore Smith, Los Angeles Lakers center (1973-74 to 1974-75) Sedale Threatt, Los Angeles Lakers guard (1991-92 to 1995-96) Devean George, Los Anglees Lakers forward (1999-2000 to 2005-06) Gene Mauch, California Angels manager (1982): Also had No. 44 in 1981 and No. 4 in 1985 to 1987. Cesar Izturis, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop (2002 to 2006) Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder (2016 to present) Gary Gaetti, California Angels third baseman (1991 to 1993) Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels outfielder (2018 to present)
The quote was from an MLB Network program that aired in 2011 –23 years after No. 23 was “there,” limping into the left-handed hitting batter’s box at Dodger Stadium, almost naively trying to will a team that also probably had no business being in the 1988 World Series.
A photograph of Gibson’s 1988 Game 1 World Series home run incorporated into the Dodger Stadium halls.
Scriptwriters don’t even bother to make this up for movies because it doesn’t pass the smell test.
It’s the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, with two outs, and a full count. The Dodgers were someone still breathing against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics. They trailed 4-3, and future Hall of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley was staring them in the face.
Gibson, on two bad legs, didn’t blink.
None of this made any sense, and in a sense, that’s why it’s so memorable. So Hollywood.
So etched into the psyche of the city that, all this time later, it’s still considered the Greatest Sports Moment in Southern California Sports History.
The story
After nine seasons wearing No. 23 for his hometown Detroit Tigers — which came after four years of wearing No. 23 as a flanker and defensive back for Michigan State’s football team — Kirk Gibson was convinced by Dodgers general manager Fred Claire to spend three seasons in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers finished fourth in the NL West in ‘87 and after it seemed Tigers management seemed to be tired of his injury-prone ways and volatile personality. As well as never living up to the “Mickey Mantle” label that manager Sparky Anderson once put on him.
A week after a labor arbitrator made Gibson a free agent based on a decision about owners involved in collusion, Claire got him for $4.5 million over three years when the Tigers’ final offer wasn’t satisfying enough. Gibson’s agent had reportedly been seeking a three-year, $4.8 million deal.
The Dodgers had already went out and signed Oakland free agent Mike Davis, then got Rick Dempsey, Jesse Orosco, Jay Howell and Alfredo Griffin. They even brought Don Sutton back.
There had been talks of the Dodgers trading either Pedro Guerrero or Mike Marshall to the Tigers for Gibson. But that arbitration decision kept hanging in the balance.
Until then, Gibson’s hey-day baseball moment had been four years prior, carrying the Tigers to the 1984 World Series title, capped off by an eighth-inning, three-run homer into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium off San Diego’s future Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage.
Gibson was known — and somewhat adored — for his hard-nose football mentality (it would get him inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame eventually) as well as living the life as an avid hunter and fisherman. It’s why Joe Posnanski felt compelled to include him in the 50 most famous baseball players of the last 50 years because of that wild nature: “Gibson’s fame was certainly mixed. … I tend to believe careers are often what they’re supposed to be, and I’m not sure that a mercurial player like Kirk Gibson—who played with such wild abandon—can stay healthy or be metronome consistent. He was a bright-lights performer. He was a ferocious competitor. He was a football player. Had he stayed in football, who knows, his bust might be in Canton right now. But baseball wouldn’t have been the same.”
Several defining moments of that ’88 season for Gibson:
Kirk Gibson, center, with Orel Hershiser, left, and Jesse Orosco, right. Photo by Jon Soohoo / Los Angeles Dodgers
== His angry reaction to having black shoe polish inside in his cap by new teammate Orosco during spring training, and changing the ethos of a team roster that was why Claire brought him in the first place.
“I was with the Tigers my whole career before this, under the late Sparky Anderson, a real business–type guy. No screwing around,” Gibson explained to Bob Costas and Tom Verducci in that 2011 MLB Network show that highlighted that 1988 World Series Game 1 as one of the Top 10 best games in the sport’s history.
“I came to the Dodgers that spring training and … it was a different atmosphere and I was a little uncomfortable with that. I remember we were doing bunt drills one day and Pedro Guerrero picked up the ball and threw it down the right field corner and everybody laughed. And I was like: That’s not funny. I remember the St. Louis Cardinals the previous year running the bases on the Dodgers like a Little League team.”
Dodger players were probably not aware of Gibson’s reaction to “levity” as a Detroit prospect in 1980 when veteran pitcher Jack Billingham derisively called him “rookie” as he did with other young players. Gibson warned Billingham to stop. When Billingham chided Gibson’s presence in the trainer’s room hours before a game — “That kind of wonderful treatment are we getting today, rook?” — Gibson snapped. According to his autobiography, “Bottom of the Ninth,” Gibson jumped on the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Billingham and pinned him on the floor. “Rookie me one more time!” Gibson screamed. “You say one more word, and I’ll rip your windpipe right out of your throat! You’ll never talk again! You hear me?”
Gibson turned around and challenged the rest of the stunned clubhouse. Silence. Gibson nodded and calmly said, “Thank you.”
(In a version presented to the Los Angeles Times prior to Gibson’s L.A. arrival, Billingham explained it this way:
“I was always an agitator and a needler, and he was tense. I was saying, ‘What’s the matter, you nervous?’ and he didn’t even smile. He yells, ‘Jack, just leave me alone! Just leave me alone!’ I saw a look of fire in his eyes, so I stopped.Fifteen or 20 minutes later, I’m going through those swinging doors of the trainer’s room, and he comes walking through again, and I say, ‘Geez, you can’t stay out of there, can you?’ And he comes at me with a flying body block, knocks me 10 feet. I don’t think it’s too funny to have an ex-football player charge me. I was no fool, so I stayed away from him after that. But, I said, ‘Relax, Kirk. If you’re going to play this game and stay that tense, you’re gonna go crazy.’But, that was the first year, and Sparky and everybody put the extra pressure on him, comparing him with Mickey Mantle and saying he was the best prospect since Johnny Bench. This all happened a few years ago. Is he still that tense?”
== August 20: The Dodgers trailed Montreal, 3-2, going into the bottom of the ninth inning on a Saturday evening game. Gibson’s one-out infield single scored pinch-runner Dave Anderson to tie the game. One out later, Gibson stole second. With John Shelby at the late, Expos pitcher Joe Hesketh spiked a pitch that went to the backstop — long before stadium renovations added more seats to that area and cut down the foul territory. Gibson not only went to third base, but his helmet went flying off as he kept on going and scored sliding in to win the game.
== In Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the favored New York Mets, Gibson, already limping around in muddy left field at Shea Stadium drenched by recent rain, stumbles but manages to lift his glove up and behind him to snare Mookie Wilson’s opposite-field liner and rob him of an extra base hit. This was after a moment earlier where Gibson bobbled a ball hit to him by Darryl Strawberry, but he was able to recover and throw out Keith Hernandez trying to go to third base.
== In Game 4 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium, Gibson’s 12th inning home run with two outs off Roger McDowell gave the Dodgers a winning 5-4 margin. Gibson had been mired in a 1-for-16 slump to that point. It was the game where Orel Hershiser came in on relief to get the last out, the save, and tie the series at 2-2.
Gibson woke up lousy for Game 1 of the World Series. He had not only a bad left hamstring from stealing second base in Game 5 of the NLCS, but also banged up his right knee sliding into second on Game 7.
Three days fell between the NLCS and World Series, but there was no travel. By a fluke of the rotation, the National League team hosted the first two games, even though Oakland had a far better record.
“I got up that morning about 4:30 and started to walk across the floor and I’m thinking, ‘That doesn’t feel too bad’,” Gibson says in the MLB Network show. “And then I jogged across the floor and I said, ‘Uh, oh, we might have a problem here.”
He said he alerted the team trainers, saw a doctor, and had several pain-relief injections.
Game 1 of the World Series started with him in the trainer room icing both legs. He not only didn’t appear in the opening lineup, he didn’t go out for pre-game player introductions.
“I just knew I couldn’t play, I couldn’t overcome it,” he said. “I knew we’d be a better team without me.”
As the game played out, after Jose Canseco’s second-inning grand slam would provide all the runs the Athletics thought they might need, and Dave Stewart effectively keeping the Dodgers in check, the ninth inning came around with a one-run deficit, and some of the fans already leaving the stadium to beat the traffic.
Gibson, Mike Davis and Dave Anderson were the only ones left on the bench as the Dodgers’ Nos. 6, 7 and 8 hitters were coming up.
“I had this dream in my mind if Davis got on (hitting in the) eighth (spot) I could hit (in the) ninth (spot),” said Gibson.
He also heard Vin Scully, in the NBC national broadcast, say before the inning started as the cameras panned the dugout: “There’s no Kirk Gibson, he won’t be playing tonight for sure.”
“And I just said, ‘My ass,’” Gibson told Costas and Verducci.
Gibson threw on his jersey and took some 20 practice swings off a tee into some netting down the ramp from the dugout to the locker room, with bat boy Mitch Poole not only helping, but also sent by Gibson to alert Lasorda of his plan.
After Mike Scioscia popped out and Jeff Hamilton took a called strike three against Eckersley, Gibson is now seen in the dugout by the TV cameras with a helmet, a bat and his batting gloves on.
“I appeared a little earlier than I was supposed to,” Gibson admitted, “but I didn’t really care if they knew I was going to hit or not.”
Mike Davis, as per Gibson’s plan, came up to pinch hit for shortstop Alfredo Griffin. Davis it hitting .196, and .106 over his last six weeks of the season. Somehow, he coaxed a rare walk out of Eckersley.
“And look who’s coming up,” Scully tells the audience. “With two out you talk about a roll of the dice. This is it.”
“My teammates had counted on me in certain situations,” Gibson said. “That’s why I said I gotta go up there and see what I can do. The fans wanted to see what I could do. And that’s why I’m there.”
Gibson had already told his wife to head home with their 2-year-old son because he wasn’t going to play. Now he was.
First pitch: Fastball fouled off to the left. Gibson staggers out of the batter’s box.
“You can see the first swing wasn’t real pretty,” Gibson says. “My base (foundation) is not real good.”
Second pitch: Fastball fouled back.
“That hurt,” Gibson says. “We’re 0-2 (on the count) and I’m going into full emergency — I really spread out (both legs) and I got my hands in tight and kind of duck down (in a crouch).”
Third pitch: Fastball dribbled down the first base line, going foul. As Gibson limps up the line, he converges with first baseman Mark McGwire picking up the ball and Eckersley coming over to see if he can field it. Gibson does a quick turnaround and heads back.
“I’m just thinking about fouling balls off off,” says Gibson, as the Dodgers ballboy brings home plate umpire Doug Harvey a new handful of balls.
Fourth pitch: Fastball sails outside. Gibson lunges for it but doesn’t swing. A’s catcher Ron Hassey sees an opportunity to throw down to first base to try to pick off Davis, who just does get back in safely. Had he been out, game over.
Fifth pitch: Fastball sails high and outside. Gibson stands upright, hitches his belt and take a short walk outside the batters box. “Two-and-two,” says Scully.
Sixth pitch: Fastball runs outside. Gibson lunges again, with his left foot sliding behind home plate. Hassey catches it, stand up and sees Davis running to second. Hassey’s glove brushes up against the left arm of Gibson, who spins away to avoid contact. Hassey hesitates and doesn’t throw, briefly looking back to Harvey to see if there is any interference. No gesture from Harvey. Gibson turns his back and walks out of the batter’s box again. Davis’ steal is successful. Had he been thrown out, or Gibson called for interference, game over.
“Now the Dodgers don’t need the muscle of Gibson as much as a base hit (that could send Davis home to tie the game and go into extra innings),” says Scully.
A tie game really doesn’t help the depleted Dodgers. But it beats losing.
Before the seventh pitch, Gibson calls time and backs out of the box. This is the moment he says he recalls the words of Dodgers scout Mel Didier: “As such as I’m standing here and breathing, partner, if Eckersley gets you 3-and-2, he will throw a backdoor slider.”
Eckersley had thrown 17 fastballs to this point in the inning. No sliders.
Seventh pitch: A backdoor slider, dips toward the outside part of the plate, just below belt high. Gibson lunges for it, swings with his arms, right hand comes off the bat, left leg comes across the plate, right leg stays stiff, and the ball is lofted toward right field.
“High fly ball into right field … she is gone!” proclaims Scully.
Gibson rounds first in a slow measured trot and throws his right arm up with his hand balled in a fist after first base coach Manny Mota slaps him on the back. Gibson then thrusts both arms in the air — reminiscent of the home run he hit for the Tigers in the 1984 World Series.
Gibson rounds second, cocks his right arm and does two pumps, drawing his arm back to his right side, elbow out.
“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” Scully says.
Gibson rounds third and slaps the hand of third base coach Joe Amalfitano, who then waves his left arm to slap him on the rear end.
Making his way down the third base line, Gibson sees Mickey Hatcher holding out his hands to slap. More teammates are around him: Orel Hershiser, Tim Crews, Mike Sharperson, Rick Dempsey, pitching coach Ron Perranoski. Steve Sax is at home plate screaming. Tracy Woodson hugs Gibson from behind.
In the NBC post-game interview with Costas, Gibson explains his thoughts as the crowd behind him ceases to quiet down: “I was very disappointed I knew I couldn’t play … I saw the opportunity. I knew if (Eckersley) got a guy on base, the pitcher was coming up, I could hear the fans cheering and I could suck it up for one A-B and maybe something good would happen.”
And Gibson then looks over his shoulder toward home plate.
“And … it happened.”
Gibson summed up the rest in the MLB Network interview:
“It was an ugly swing. You just needed to strike the baseball properly. All wrist and hands. Put backspin on the ball. It carried out. Fortunately I had some physical and athletic ability and was able hit the sweet spot of the bat.
“Throughout my career, I had a lot of people who were critical of me and I told my mom and dad many times — because it really hurt them — I said don’t respond to that. We’ll have our day. Yeah, here it is, right here.
“You can’t even imagine how it feels to come through in a moment like this. In the end, it’s a part of the history of the great game of baseball. And then how this influenced the whole rest of the series. We were fortunate to have people underestimate that team. Fortunately in the end we won out in that series. That’s a tribute to all my teammates. I didn’t have another at bat that series. Tommy was masterful in making us believe in ourselves.
“Over time, the personality of what it really means has come out. Trust me, to all the fans out there, I’m honored to be the guy. I’m not really sure why it was me. I worked hard throughout my career. It’s who I saw myself as being.”
For his hitting .290 with 25 homers, 88 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, Gibson had not led the NL in any one category, yet he was voted the National League’s MVP Award. Teammate Orel Hershiser had a better case to winning MVP (finishing sixth in the voting) to go along with his NL Cy Young Award. It was Gibson’s grit and grind led voters to name him most valuable to the team.
The city celebrated a couple days after they won the World Series. Lasorda danced. Gibson just tried to stay upright.
The aftermath
In his first at-bat on Opening Day, 1989, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Gibson, hitting third and playing left field, lined a single to right field to drive home new teammate Willie Randolph and give the Dodgers a 1-0 first-inning lead.
Topps 1989 Gibson card
Gibson went to second on an Eddie Murray groundout, stole third base and then came around to score, with a pump of the fist that called back his ’88 heroics, on catcher Jeff Reed’s throwing error. In the fifth inning, Gibson homered off Danny Jackson.
But the Dodgers lost the game, 6-4.
In the Dodgers’ home opener on April 13, after raising the World Series banner, Gibson struck out in the bottom of the sixth, the second time he struck out in the game against Houston. In the seventh inning, he was replaced in left field.
Gibson was still hurting. He played just 79 games in 1989, and 89 in 1990. He hit just 17 homers and drove in 66 runs those two seasons combined. He was playing more center field. He didn’t like it so much.
Topps 1990 Gibson card
In July of 1990, Gibson announced he was tired of L.A. and wanted to be closer to his family in Michigan, already hinting he would leave after his contract ended. By September, Gibson’s agent said that unless the Dodgers made some “personnel moves” — getting rid of left fielder Kal Daniels so Gibson could move back there from center field — he might consider staying.
Daniels had been hitting .296 with a team-best 27 homers. Gibson finished the ’90 season with just nine hits in his final 60 at bats and hadn’t hit a home run after Aug. 11.
“Some people think I’m selfish because I don’t feel I can play center field,” Gibson said. “I think I’ve proved what I’ll do for the team. I’ve played hurt. I’ve taken injections, undergone surgery. I’ve played different positions, batted in different spots in the order. I’ve done just about anything they’ve asked. But I don’t think I can play center field adequately. I said I’d try. I tried and now I think it’s too much for me and now suddenly I’m selfish?”
Topps 1991 Gibson card (early issue)
“I certainly don’t have anything against the Los Angeles Dodgers or the city of Los Angeles or the fans. I was never upset at the Dodgers or anyone else. All I have been is honest, about today, about tomorrow, about next year. It’s really not up to me at this point. As far as the future, or beyond this year, we’ll just have to wait. I’m under contract to the L.A. Dodgers, and I’ll fulfill that contract.”
When the Dodgers signed Darryl Strawberry in the offseason, Gibson left as a free agent to Kansas City. Then to Pittsburgh. He put in three more years with the Tigers (’93 to ’95) returning to his No. 23. When it all ended, with 17 seasons, he was never once voted onto or added by the manager to either the NL or AL All Star team. Even after he had five straight seasons of 20 homers/20 stolen bases from 1984 to 1988.
The bat that Gibson used and the jersey that he wore on Oct. 15, 1988 was up for sale. An auction, technically. So was his 1988 NL MVP Award and his World Series replica players trophy.
Say it ain’t so, Gibby.
He was the one behind it.
Now the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Gibson called a press conference at the Los Angeles Sports Museum in downtown L.A. one afternoon in 2017 and explained that these were not only items he owned, but he would accept the winning bid and donate proceeds to charity.
“That’s not an appropriate question,” he said when challenged about the ownership of the items. “I don’t know what that has to do with anything. … I’m really at peace with what I’m doing.”
I thought it made no sense — this stuff belonged in some shrine, and the stuff likely belonged to the team. But I went ahead with the ruse for the sake of the story.
“I mean, they were mine,” he said, adding that owner Peter O’Malley also gave him a giant LeRoy Neiman lithograph of that moment and allowed players to keep their jerseys and other items. They were his?
“I’d like to see (the items) in the Hall of Fame,” said former manager Tommy Lasorda, himself a Hall member, “but if he can help a charity more, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Chad and Doug Dreier of the Dreier Group in Santa Barbara paid $1.19 million for the five items, which included the bat ($575,912), jersey ($303,277), helmet ($153,388), NL Most Valuable Player Award ($110,293) and World Series trophy ($45,578).
Gibson wasn’t done fundraising after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015.
Starting in 2018, the Dodgers announced a special promotion for anyone who wanted to pay for a ticket to sit in the seat where the team guessed was the spot of the home run landing in the right field pavilion could do so with a ticket package with proceeds going to the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s. The bench seat had been painted blue and gold.
In 2023, street artist Corie Mattie unveiled a mural in the Atwater area of L.A. — on the wall of Bill’s Liquor store on Glendale Blvd. — to honor Gibson as well as his foundation, which incorporates the No. 23 at the center of its logo.
The Dodgers have yet to retire No. 23.
Instead, the team honored him as part of the Nebulous Wall of Greatness and created a bobblehead for him to mark the occasion.
It reminded us of when the Dodgers started in the bobblehead giveaway business in 2001 and made Gibson one of the first giveways. Vin Scully took at look at it and laughed. “It looks more like Stacey Keach,” he said, referring to the Hollywood actor.
Yeah, we can see that.
“The Gibson chapter was a success,” Claire once said. “I don’t know if in the history of the game there was a player who signed as a free agent and became a most valuable player the next year. That speaks for itself.”
Who else wore No. 23 in SoCal sports history? Make a case for:
Eric Karros, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman (1991 to 2002):
When Gibson left the Dodgers after the 1990 season, rookie Karros inherited the number. Karros once told us: “I had No. 26 through high school and college, and in the minor leagues had No. 35. My first year on the roster I was given No. 23 with the understanding that the general manager, Fred Claire, was responsible for assigning the numbers to new players. I was obviously aware of the significance of the number, not only in Dodger history, but in general, with the popularity of Michael Jordan at that time. In fact during my run with the Cubs in ’03, Jordan was around quite a bit during the September chase and in the locker room for our playoff celebrations. During one conversation we had, he brought up the fact that I was the guy who wore 23 for the Dodgers. I ended up wearing No. 32 in Chicago — reversing No. 23 — because the team had not issued No. 23 since Ryne Sandberg retired. My next choice was No. 14, after Pete Rose, who was my favorite player as a kid, but that was already retired for Billy Williams.”
And in wearing No. 23 for the Dodgers, Karros extended an odd occurrence: He, like Gibson, was never included on an MLB All Star roster. Despite Karros’ ’92 Rookie of the Year season (.304, 20 HRs, 88 RBIs at age 24). Despite finishing fifth in the NL in the 1995 MVP voting and capturing a Silver Slugger award (.298, 32 HRs, 105 RBIs), and followed that up in ’96 with a 34 HR and 111 RBI season, or had perhaps his most productive statistical year in ’99 (.304, 34 HRs, 112 RBIs). Or the fact he remains the all-time leader in Los Angeles Dodgers history with 270 home runs. During that stretch, the NL All Star first basemen included Fred McGriff, Will Clark, John Kruk, Andres Galarraga, Gregg Jefferies, Jeff Bagwell, Mark Grace, Mark McGwire, Sean Casey, Todd Helton, Ryan Klesko and Richie Sexon. Eventual perennial selection Albert Pujols made his first All Star team in 2001 as a third baseman.
Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman (2012 to 2017): He broke the streak: Gonzalez was named to the 2015 NL All Star team at age 33, a year after he was seventh in the MVP voting, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger after leading the NL with 116 RBIs to go with 27 homers. Gonzalez’ five-and-a-half season stay, after he was emancipated from Boston in a blockbuster deal in July 2012, saw him put up 101 homers and 448 RBIs. He was an All Star four straight years, three with San Diego from 2008 to 2010, as well as with Boston in 2011 when he led the AL with 213 hits.
Claude Osteen, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher (1966 to 1973): Pitching in a rotation that would include Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton, Osteen was a pretty important cog. A three-time NL All Star and 20-game winner in 1969 and ’72 led to 147 wins in his nine years, which still ranks eighth all time, and fifth as an L.A. Dodger, ahead of Fernando Valenzuela.
David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder (2007 to 2012):
The film “Bend It Like Beckham” came out in 2002. Five years later, Becks, his 65 tattoos, and wife Victoria spiced up their lives buying an $18 million home on San Ysidro Drive in Beverly Hills because the international footballer was bending his career toward Hollywood.
He wore soccer traditional No. 10 as well as No. 7 through most of his ballyhooed career with Man U. But he picked No. 23 with Real Madrid to honor Michael Jordan — and that’s what he kept when he joined the Galaxy for a five-year, $32.5 million contract. It was official when Victoria, aka Posh Spice, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after the couple arrived in L.A. and gave him a No. 23 Galaxy jersey with his name on the back.
Beck’s arrival included a spectacular press conference at the Galaxy’s home field in July, 2007 that included 700 media members and some 5,000 fans. Even the MLS official website will admit that Beckham’s arrival in the U.S. “changed the league forever,” starting with “The Beckham Rule” that redefined how the league brought over new “Designated Players” to liven up the roster.
“I’m coming there not to be a superstar,” he said of the journey to American football. “I’m coming there to be part of the team … I’m not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they’ve been around. But I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could make a difference.” We don’t remember Pele or George Best ever putting it that way, but so be it. The Galaxy saw a financial windfall in a new sponsorship with Herbalife nutrition — a five-year shirt sponsorship for $20 million.
It took five seasons of stops and starts before Beckham was on an MLS title team — in 2011, he was second in the league with 15 assists during 26 regular season games, but also tied a team record with 10 yellow cards, leading to a pair of one-game suspensions. A 1-0 win against Houston in the ’11 MLS Cup came on a goal by Donovan, assisted by Beckham and Robbie Keane. He decided to stick around — another two-year contract was signed, and in 2012, the Galaxy somehow brought themselves up from a fourth-place Western Conference regular season to repeat as MLS champs with a 3-1 win over Houston. Near the end, Beckham was substituted off and received an ovation from the fans as the game was on the Galaxy’s home field. Even with another year on his contract, Beckham said that was his walk-off game for the franchise. He retired from playing in 2013.
His first four seasons in L.A., playing alongside Landon Donovan, was much more about his celebrity than any sort of production on the field. In ’09, his iconic free kick in the first half of extra time led to a game-winning goal in the Western Conference title game against Houston, and he played the full 120 minutes of the MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake, converting a penalty kick in the game’s decisive shootout of a 5-4 loss.
Although Beckham left the MLS as a player, one of his Galaxy contract provisions allowed him to buy an MLS expansion franchise in any market except New York, at the cost of $25 million. That came about in 2014 when he landed a franchise in Miami, but didn’t start until 2020 because of stadium delays. The team debuted on March 1, 2020 — and lost 1-0 to the Galaxy. And the Galaxy will never forget him — there’s been a Beckham statue outside their home field since 2019, honoring his 118 appearances and 20 goals and 40 assists — and 27 yellow cards. His honors in the MLS: Comeback Player of the Year (2011), All Star appearance (3), and MLS Best XI (2011).
Harold Miner, USC basketball guard (1989-90 to 1991-92): No surprise, the player known as “Baby Jordan” wore No. 23, not only in his three seasons at USC where he averaged 23.5 points a game. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Miner admits he dreamed of attending North Carolina, Jordan’s alma mater, but George Raveling attracted him to USC. “You don’t have to go to a car dealership 10 times to spot a Mercedes,” Raveling said about the fact he’d only seen Minor play four times at Inglewood High, where Minor wore No. 33. Miner averaged 29.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and four assists in leading Inglewood to the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs in his senior year. At USC, Miner became the Pac-10 Player of the Year as well as Sports Illustrated’s choice as college player of the year in 1992 — ahead of Duke’s Christian Laettner or LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal — after he led the Trojans to the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, only to lose on a last-second shot to Georgia Tech in the second round. After three seasons as first team All-Pac 10, including the 1990 conference freshman of the year, Miner declared himself eligible for the NBA, having become USC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,048 points. The 12th overall pick by Miami had reportedly more in Nike endorsement money ($14 million) than his five-year, $7.3 million deal with the Heat. Knee injuries shortened his NBA career, but the highlight may still remain two NBA Slam Dunk titles in ’93 and ’95. But he was out of the game at age 25. “I always felt the worst thing to happen to Harold was the ‘Baby Jordan’ tag,” Raveling would say. USC retired his No. 23 in 2012 during a USC-UCLA game. “You get to a point where you think it’s going to last forever, that it’s never going to end, so you start to take things for granted, the privilege it is to play basketball,” he said. “And so, play each game like it’s your last, have passion for it and love what you do.”
Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings right wing (2003-04 to 2021-22): His 18 seasons with the Kings, starting at age 19 as the 13th overall pick in the 2003 draft, saw the captain hoist the Stanley Cup twice and, after the ’14 title season, win the NHL’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, adding his name to a list that includes Chris Chelios, Sidney Crosby and Kings teammate Anze Kopitar. Brown also received votes for the Lady Byng Award for sportsmanship and the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward. In 2007, he was the youngest, and first American-born, captain in franchise history, holding that for eight seasons, including the two Stanley Cup runs. His 1,296 games played as a King is second all-time to Kopitar, his 325 goals are sixth in the franchise history, and his 387 assists are eighth best. His 42 game-winning goals are also No. 6 on the franchise list, and his 3,360 shots are second only to Marcel Dionne. When the Kings retired his No. 23 jersey in 2023, it also included putting a statue of him outside the team’s arena, depicting him hoisting the Stanley Cup. “Throughout my 18 years, I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. C or no C I always wanted to retire a King,” Brown said during the retirement number ceremony. “Seeing my jersey raised to the rafters, my only hope is that in the future when you look up and see it hanging there, you think not about my achievements but our achievements.”
Kenny Washington, UCLA basketball (1963-64 to 1965-66): The key sixth man on Coach John Wooden’s first two NCAA title teams (coming out of the Athletic Association of Western Universities). In 1963-64, the 30-0 and No. 1 UCLA team outlasted Duke in the title game, and Washington scored 26 points with 12 rebounds. To cap the 1964-65 season, the 28-2 No. 1 UCLA team crushed Michigan in the title game behind Gail Goodrich, and Washington scored 17 points to be on the All-Final Four team. He circled back to UCLA in 1974 to become the first head coach of the women’s basketball team, posting an 18-4 record with Ann Meyers as the star.
Have you heard this story:
Diana Taurasi, Don Lugo High School (1996 to 2000): Before she would become the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, a three-time league champion, a two-time finals MVP, a 10-time all star and 10-time All League first team, five-time scoring champion, three time NCAA champion, two-time Honda Award and Naismith Award winner, four-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the year and five-time gold medal winner in the Summer Olympics, she wore No. 23 at the Chino high school across the street from her house, scoring 3,047 points, second all time to Riverside Poly’s Cheryl Miller in the CIF-Southern Section scoring leaders. A 52-point game in a season-opening 81-76 overtime victory over Moreno Valley started her senior season and was her fourth 50-plus point game.
Did you know Jackie Joyner-Kersee was a two sport athlete at UCLA? Adding to her major accomplishments in Track & Field with 6 Olympic medals (4 Gold), Jackie also has 1,167 points which is 19th all-time on the Bruins list.@UCLATrack_Field | @UCLAWBB#TBT | #GoBruinspic.twitter.com/d5kW6OZOVE
Jackie Joyner, UCLA women’s basketball (1979-80 to 1984-85):
The “Jackie of all trades” was elected to the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996, far better known for her achievements in track and field. The international star in the long jump and 60-meter hurdles, she won the silver award in the heptathlon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and ended up winning six medals in four Olympics through 1996. But her four years on the Bruins’ women’s basketball team as an All-Conference player left her ranked among the career leaders in points, rebounds and games played and helped her win the 1985 Broderick Cup as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete. She red-shirt the 1983-84 season so she could concentrate on her track career and the L.A. Games. But coming back as a senior, her Bruins team twice defeated the Cheryl Miller-led USC squad. She ended up with 1,167 points in her career, which still has her in the Top 20 of the program’s history. She even played in the ABL for Richmond in 1996. She was also named the 2001 Alumnus of the Year and honored in 1998 as one of the 15 greatest UCLA women’s basketball players of all time.
Scott Spiezio, Anaheim Angels infielder (2000 to 2003): His shot heard around Anaheim came in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series, a three-run homer in the seventh inning that woke the Angels up as they trailed 5-0 against San Francisco on the verge of elimination. What made it more poignant: Giants manager Dusty Baker had just come to the mound to relieve starter Russ Ortiz, handing him the game ball as a souvenir, thinking the series had been wrapped up. The Angels would score three more runs in the eighth, win that game, forcing a Game 7, and their one-and-only title.
R.J. Reynolds, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder (1983 to 1985): His bunt heard around Los Angeles came late on a Sunday afternoon, Sept. 11, ’83, as the shadows crept over the Dodger Stadium infield. The Dodgers were again battling the Atlanta Braves in an important series for the NL West and when the Braves took a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, they could have closed the division lead to one game. But the Dodgers loaded the bases. They forced in a run on a walk to Pedro Guerrero. Mike Marshall followed with a game-tying double. After Greg Brock was walked intentionally to set up a force play, Reynolds, batting seventh and starting in center field, had his turn come up. Tommy Lasorda put on the bunt. Reynolds got it down the first baseline, and Braves reliever Gene Garber couldn’t field it in time. All Dodgers fans recall is hearing Vin Scully in the radio booth exclaiming: “Squeeze!” Guerrero came across with the winning run to end the game, 7-6, leading to the Dodgers’ dugout emptying in celebration. The Dodgers would extend their NL West lead to three games — which is the margin they maintained by the end of the season — and Reynolds became a Dodgers’ folk hero, for those who still may have confused him with as a tobacco magnet.
One more story for the road:
Richard M. Nixon (23) in his senior year at Whittier College on the football team. Photo was taken in the fall of 1933-34.
Richard Nixon: Whittier College football team (1930 to 1933): The team photo showing the 37th President of the United States from his senior year at Whittier College wearing No. 23 is the most useful evidence that he was, ahem, an athlete at some point in his life’s journey. He played JV football at Fullerton High, then transferred to Whittier High at the start of his junior year. Starting Whittier College in 1930, he played basketball and stuck around on the football team as he was in earnest pursuit of a history degree.
Listed as 5-foot-11, 176-pound tackle on his senior squad that finished 10-1, Nixon later wrote the he really admired his coach, Wallace Newman, who had been an All-American player at USC. Newman once described him as “a scrapper … Dick had enthusiasm and drive … no one had more moxie. Dick liked the battle and the smell of sweat.” (We wonder if he ever sweat as much on the gridiron as he did against Kennedy in the 1960 televised presidential debates.) From a story posted on Slate.com about Nixon’s affection for the game, it included: “The fans loved him. Toward the end of the games in which the Poets were losing badly, the fans would chant: We want Nixon! Put Nixon in!’” Yes, the school’s nickname was the Poets. Even if Tricky Dick was not poetry in motion while, in his earlier seasons, also sported No. 12.
Vice President and Mrs. Richard M. Nixon are among the 30,000 who watched the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants in Washington D.C. in the late 1950s.
There is an urge perhaps at this point to connect dots and analyze the football-related jargon Nixon may have used in his political speeches, savor stories of him befriending Washington Redskins coach George Allen to share strategy and perhaps suggest a play or two in a Super Bowl, and think that, despite all he lacked in common with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, at least they could bond over football enough that it didn’t drive either of them mad. While Nixon never received a varsity letter for playing, the Nixon Foundation put forth the narrative that he was “football’s No. 1 fan.” New York Times columnist Russell Baker once wrote of Nixon: “There were darknesses in his soul that seemed to leave his life bereft of joy. He was a private, lonely man who never seemed comfortable with anyone, including himself, a man of monumental insecurities for whom public life, I thought, must be a constant ordeal.” If true, maybe there is some empathy to save for the Nixon who, by all appearances of that Whittier team photo, or attending a game in the stands, or being in a group of people where a football was present, seemed to enjoy the experience of whatever entry point the game allowed him to have.
Richard M. Nixon catching a football tossed to him by a young boy. (Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
We also have:
Cedric Ceballos, Los Angeles Lakers forward (1994-95 to 1996-97) Stu Lantz, Los Angeles Lakers guard (1994-95 to 1995-96) Derek Lowe, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher (2005 to 2008) Donnie Edwards, UCLA football linebacker (1992 to 1995) Don Zimmer, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop (1958 to 1959, 1963) Jimmy Wynn, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder (1974 to 1975) Jason Heyward, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder (2023 to present) Mark Gubicza, California Angels pitcher (1997) Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher (2012) Tim Wallach, California Angels third baseman (1996) Chris Chambliss, UCLA baseball first baseman (1969) Dick Williams, California Angels manager (1974 to 1976)
Anyone else worth nominating? What about LeBron James, wearing No. 23 from 2019 to 21, then bringing it back in 2023? There’s an explanation here.
Steve Garvey has a modest proposal for you. It has nothing to do with a reverse mortgage, hair restoration, weight-loss supplements, or switching to a brand of particular dog food. At the website for his current U.S. Seanate run campaign, a popup will ask if you’re up to “give $6 for #6.”
It all can happen painlessly through something called efund.
The joy of six.
In a press release on Oct. 10, 2023 announcing his latest intentions, and encouraging folks to vote for him in the March 5 state primaries, the CEO of Team Garvey says: “Our campaign is focused on quality-of-life issues, public safety, and education. As a U.S. Senator, I will serve with commonsense, compassion, and will work to build consensus to benefit all of the people of California.”
None of this comes out of the blue. Yet so much of it has to do with Dodger blue.
Who do you think won tonight's #CASenDebate? Adam Schiff, Steve Garvey, Katie Porter or Barbara Lee?
So far, he’s halfway there, securing a path to the Nov. 5 general election in a bid to seize the open California senate seat once held by Diane Feinstein.
Citizen Garvey has finally pulled the lever and activated a political career that he’s had eyes on since his days of curating his name, likeness and image over 12 seasons as a Los Angeles Dodger. He has had some breathing room to plan a strategy in the hopes that he’s a) alleviated some personal damage control or b) might be able to use a Baseball Hall of Fame induction as some sort of nostalgic inflection point.
The later hasn’t happened, and it seems the former could still be nagging.
Steve Garvey, on the cover of Sport magazine, ended up as the executive publisher of the magazine in its final years in 1994.
Garvey may have some Republican-soaked red flags that conflict with true blue Democrat Adam Schiff, who may have actually tied with Garvey in the March 5 primary thanks to his own TV ads propping Garvey up as a most convenient opponent.
This is where it’s getting a little surreal.
It’s not all so perfect.
Yet, there was a time I was perfectly fine growing up in Southern California, admiring this perception that Steve Garvey was the perfect baseball player. And a future Hall of Famer. Just his presence and achievements in the game during the 1970s and ‘80s deserved such recognition. He was modeling perfection even if his teammates may have resented it. Jealousy, perhaps.
In the 1970s, he was the red, white and blue of the Dodgers. Sports Illustrated, the media giant that could make or break a career, put out a cover leading into the ’75 season proclaiming he was “proud to be a hero.”
In the 1980s, with World Series Winner finally on his resume after three earlier chances, another Sports Illustrated cover asked if despite his domestic issues he was “too good to be true” as a “man of principal” who “soldiers on.” He then went South to help push the Padres into another Fall Classic. Which led to another SI story with the headline that, yes, in some ways his baseball life was “too good to be true.”
San Diego rewarded him by retiring his No. 6 for those five seasons of service. He even had a middle school in Central California named after him. In their 1981 book, “The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of all Time,” authors Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Garvey.
Beyond that, a bit of fall from grace. He has tried to keep himself relevant. The fact he’s been in the image-making business this far, he might as well test out its power.
Because a lot of people still admire him. And that apparently counts for something these days.
The story
Manhattan Beach-based artist Kathleen Keifer’s painting of Steve Garvey on a former Dodger Stadium seat with his No. 6 has been displayed in the window of Dion Gallery in Redondo Beach, California. It sells for $950. Others have been done for Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela, Kirk Gibson, Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts.
In a 2012 piece for ESPN, writer Steve Wulf’s lede leaned into how he imagined what Steve Garvey’s Baseball Hall of Fame plaque would look like with all-caps bronze inscription:
HOLDS NATIONAL LEAGUE RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED (1,201). VOTED THE 1974 NL MVP AND SELECTED TO THE ALL-STAR GAME 10 TIMES. HAD AS MANY AS 200 HITS IN A SEASON SIX TIMES AND MORE THAN 100 RBIS IN FIVE SEASONS. BATTED .338 IN 11 POSTSEASON SERIES AND .417 IN THE 1981 WORLD SERIES, WHEN HIS DODGERS BEAT THE YANKEES IN SIX GAMES. A FOUR-TIME GOLD GLOVE WINNER, HE ONCE HELD THE RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES AT 1B WITHOUT AN ERROR (193).
Even then, Wulf added: The problem with Steve Garvey, though, is that he’s not going to Cooperstown anytime soon, at least not as a member of baseball’s most exclusive and maddeningly incomplete fraternity. “I don’t think I was imagining it,” said George Brett, who is in the club. “I know I read a lot of stories about ‘future Hall of Famer’ Steve Garvey.”
Steve Garvey could have found his freedom in Philadelphia.
In 1973, the Dodgers offered Garvey to the Phillies in a proposed trade for first baseman Willie Montanez, but Philadelphia declined. Although veteran infielders Wes Parker, Jim Lefebvre and Maury Wills would leave after the 1972 season, Garvey’s future was in limbo because of the emergence of third base prospect Ron Cey.
The biggest break of Garvey’s career occurred in April 1973 when an errant fastball by Houston’s Ken Forsch fractured a bone in the left wrist of Von Joshua. With Bill Buckner penciled in at first base to replace Parker, Joshua was supposed to be the team’s next left fielder. Garvey stepped into the role of pinch-hitter and in June earned a chance from manager Walter Alston to start against left-handed pitchers.
Garvey’s future of fame finally took shape in 1974.
After four seasons in which his dream team, the Dodgers, couldn’t figure out where to put him in the lineup — he tried second base, third base, the corner outfield spots — they decided to plant him at first base, send Buckner to the outfield with newly acquired Jimmy Wynn, and see what happened. He hit .304 in 114 games during the ’73 season. He had plenty of upside. But not at third base, where fans in the seats behind first base were in duck-and-cover mode.
For the record, Garvey wasn’t in the Dodgers’ ’74 Opening Day lineup. Buckner was at first base, Willie Crawford in right, Joshua in left, with Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Cey around the infield. Garvey started the second game, batting seventh. After he hit six homers in April with 20 RBIs and a .321 average, Garvey was in every day, hitting cleanup by early May. By the end of that month, he was hitting .338 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI in 49 games. The team was 40-15 by early June.
The 25-year-old wasn’t on the pre-printed National League All-Star ballot, so the campaign was started to get him in as a write-in to start at first base. It worked. He not only was the game’s MVP, but he ran off with the National League MVP award (.312 average 21 HRs, 111 RBIs, 95 runs scored) on the 102-win Dodger team, secured a Gold Glove, and the team reached its first World Series in about a decade.
From ‘74 through ’80, Garvey started at first base in every All-Star Game, and then made the ’81 team as well as a substitute when the Dodgers were on their way to a split-season World Series title.
He drove in 100 runs five times. He actually twice won the All-Star Game MVP, was twice the National League Championship Series MVP, and was second in the 1978 NL MVP voting to Pittsburgh’s Dave Parker by hitting .316 with with an NL-best 202 hits.
He also hit .338 in the postseason — and .417 in the 1981 World Series, but was not included in the MVP Award shared by Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager.
The Dodgers decided it was worth letting him go after the 1982 season — a farewell tour after that ’81 title, and the San Diego Padres were more that willing to skim off his fame, and ride his bat into the 1984 World Series.
So what’s not to smile about?
The mythology
Baseball writer Joe Posnanski doesn’t include Garvey in his popular 2021 book, “The Baseball 100,” a collection of his essays sizing up the 100 best players in the game’s history. But he has included Garvey in another project: The 50 most famous baseball players of the last 50 years. Garvey, at No. 49, was summarized this way in a Substack.com post this week:
I’m not sure that anyone in baseball history has chased fame with the white-hot intensity of Steve Garvey. … It wasn’t enough to become a baseball star. He desperately needed to become a certain kind of baseball star—a hero, a role model, an icon, a little slice of perfection.
He was not very big (listed at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds), and he was not very fast, and he had a weak and erratic arm. His plate discipline was questionable at best; Garvey hardly ever walked. But what Garvey had in abundance—as he showed by refusing to get cut from his high school choir—was extraordinary discipline and unyielding will.
His teammates … (found his methods to chase stats) it selfish and absurd. Garvey once caught them high-fiving each other when one of his carefully timed bunt attempts was turned into an out. (They) for the most part never liked Garvey or understood him. (He wanted to be) the sort of old-fashioned baseball hero that he imagined as a 7-year-old bat boy. He spent every waking hour signing autographs and visiting hospitals and speaking at banquets and representing charities and doing interviews and appearing on television. He was the proudest square in sports, Mr. Clean, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t swear, the handsome prince rebelling against the rebels.
If not for the numerous lawsuits that revealed Garvey’s many imperfections—which included numerous paternity claims and testimony from his own kids saying that they didn’t want to see him—Garvey might be in the Hall of Fame. I do think the off-the-field stuff hurt him, but also a closer inspection of his career showed that many of the accomplishments that launched him into the stratosphere in the 1970s and 1980s do not hold up all that well. His lifetime on-base percentage is an unimpressive .329, he never slugged .500 in any season, and frankly, 200 hits in a season stopped being a touchstone for greatness somewhere along the way. I think these are the bigger reasons why Garvey is not in Cooperstown.
These days, Garvey is running for Senate … and he’s trumpeting his life in baseball, his dedication to doing things right, and his 34-year marriage. He’s an underdog, but that certainly never bothered him. No, the thing that bothered him is best summed up by his former teammate Rick Monday.
“The one thing we know for damn sure,” Monday said, “is that none of us is perfect.”
The numerology
Garvey told us once:
“I wore No. 10 in baseball at Michigan State — and No. 24 as a defensive back on the football team. But No. 6 was just what I was given with the Dodgers. I knew No. 6 was Carl Furillo (in Brooklyn from 1946 to ’57, then in Los Angeles from ’58 to ’60) and then Ron Fairly (who had it from 1961 through 1969 until Garvey had it). When I was growing up, I really admired Al Kaline and Stan Musial, both whom wore No. 6. I felt like I was just like them when I started becoming the steward for it. Then it was kind of funny to see the Dodgers give it to Joe Torre. At least the Padres retired it for me, and that was quite an honor.”
That Padres ceremony came in April of 1988, the first month after he was done as an active player. It was a way to remind fans of his walk-off Game 4 homer in the ’84 NLCS against Chicago’s Lee Smith that rescued their postseason at the old Jack Murphy Stadium. He was the first player to have his number retired in franchise history. Although some have called it the “most iconic moment in San Diego sports history,” others see the retirement as a somewhat rash decision that can’t be undone.
The Dodgers, patiently, still haven’t retired No. 6 — yet Garvey has been inducted into some team purgatory of greatness with Orel Hershiser, Manny Mota, Maury Wills and a few others we can’t readily recall.
After Garvey went to San Diego via free agency following the 1982 season, the Dodgers didn’t give it out for more than 20 years, perhaps waiting to see what would happen. Torre wore it as the Dodgers manager from 2008 to 2010, winning two NL West titles, because he had worn it for 12 years with the New York Yankees.
Somehow it was then given to players such as Jolbert Cabera, Brent Mayne, Jason Grabowski, Kenny Lofton, Tony Abreu, Aaron Miles, Jerry Hairston, Darwin Barney, Charlie Culberson, Curtis Granderson, Brian Dozier, Trea Turner and David Peralta.
Growing up in 1970s Los Angeles, there was never really a question or a choice when it came to my favorite player. Steve Garvey was Dodger baseball. Really, he was even bigger than that. He was God, country, and apple pie. He was Baseball itself.
The truth is Steve Garvey was my favorite player before I’d ever seen a ballgame, held a bat, or carried around his cards in my pocket. If you grew up when I did and grew up where I did, you loved Steve Garvey. That’s all there was to it. … (In school), one could be kind, smart, or funny but at the end of the day Steve Garvey cards were the true currency of cool.
He then goes on to discuss the top 10 Garvey baseball cards issued — including our favorite, the landscape shot of him on the Topps #575 of 1974, where he’s listed as “3B-1B,” and later brought back in a 2016 Topps set.
“If a formula keeps telling you Steve Garvey belongs in the Hall of Fame as much as (or less than) Jeff Pfeffer, the fault may not be with Steve Garvey but with the formula. The man was a perennial all-star and fan favorite who led his teams to five pennants in eleven years, none of which they would have won without him. Along the way he excelled in all the statistical categories that the baseball world cared about at the time.
“I know the‘intelligent fan’ would rather visit the plaque of a guy who walked a lot or turned .400 teams into .450 teams, but the dumb guy writing this will walk right past the busts of enshrined immortals the likes of Nestor Chylak, Ned Hanlon, and Bud Selig to the overdue plaque of Steven Patrick Garvey, Hall of Famer… or if the Committee passes on Garvey once again, hey, I guess my whole childhood was a lie, that’s all.”
They passed. Again, it wasn’t in the cards.
The legacy
In the Baseball Hall of Fame voting, Steve Garvey came out of the gate drawing 41.6 percent of the writers’ votes in his first year, 1993. But the closest he ever got to the needed 75 percent was 42.6 in 1995. He slipped under 30 percent in 2002 and that was about it through his eligibility ended in 2007. He has three times been on Veterans Committee finalists ballots, but not gained enough support. The last try was 2019 that could have put him in the Class of 2020.
Which seems rather preposterous for someone who not only completes the Hall of Fame plaque template above, but also received the Roberto Clemente Award. And the Lou Gehrig Award. And has Bill James’ blessing.
In James’ book on the Hall of Fame, “The Politics of Glory: How Baseball’s Hall of Fame Really Works,” first published in 1995, he used a point system called the Hall of Fame Monitor to predict which current and recently retired players would be voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He had Garvey going into the Hall in 1997.
In James’ “Monitor,” where accumulating 100 points based on his weighted stats means a good possibility for the Hall of Fame, and 130 is a “virtual clinch,” Garvey finished at 131.
He does have a career WAR of 38.0, 51st all-time for the position, when the average Hall of Fame player is at 64.8. Garvey is in that area with Mark Grace, Anthony Rizzo, Bill White and Kent Hrbek.
As writer Ken Gurnick pointed out in 2019 for MLB.com: Detractors point out that Garvey fell well short on the Hall of Fame “automatic” benchmarks of his generation, specifically his lack of 3,000 hits (he had 2,599) and 400 home runs (he hit 272). He never excelled in the categories that matter for WAR, with only two top-10 finishes, peaking at seventh – despite a high-leverage slashline of .335/.369/.505. He never won a batting title or led a league in home runs, RBIs or runs scored. He rarely walked and never slugged more than .500.
The only first baseman with 10 or more All Star Game appearances that aren’t in the Hall: Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera (not yet eligible) and Mark McGwire (steroid tainted). For comparison, recently inducted Dodgers first baseman and eight-time All Star Gil Hodges, via the veterans committee, was 43.8, 41st all time.
“To be honest, I am disappointed,” Garvey has said. “I always thought of my career as a body of work and not just about numbers.”
Therein lies the issue. Fame isn’t always calibrated the same way on the Hall of Fame ledger.
“I grew up watching him in the 1977 and ’78 World Series. Those Dodgers were the first teams I watched. He was the most popular, visible guy, Mr. All-America, and did all the things that people paid attention to: A .300 average, 200 hits, 20 homers, 100 RBIs, and the famous smile. When you look closer and maybe see he didn’t have a great on-base percentage, wasn’t as great a fielder as we believed, and other numbers don’t quite have the same impact. As a fan of Garvey, I wonder, had the emphasis been more on on-base percentage, maybe he’d approach the game differently, he wouldn’t have cared about getting those bunt singles, he may have been more adaptable. We can only credit him for what he did, and he definitely came up short. This isn’t to slight anyone. To be in this discussion you have to be very, very good to legitimately great.”
Garvey, at 75, has some plans on fixing his legacy with this “man of the people” journey. You don’t have to pay $6 to buy into it. Or max out at $6,600.
Recently, a Los Angeles Times story tried to layout the contradictory “family values” life Garvey has led coming to this point — including a disassociation with one of his daughters and his grandson. He has seven children. Not all keep in touch. The story covered how he has struggled with debt, been repeatedly sued, faced a bitter divorce, and got two women pregnant before quickly marrying a third woman, his current wife, and launch a scandal that briefly made him a national punchline in 1989. Now, he wants to go to bat for California constituents.
Wouldn’t be where I am without you. Being my voice of reason, loving me unconditionally and pushing me to be the best I can be. I love you 6 💙 pic.twitter.com/z5BtnqFsWA
When I compiled a tribute book to Vin Scully, coming out for University of Nebraska Press in May 2024, Garvey was one of the 67 contributors. A phone conversation resulted in his essay, which included:
I remember a day in August in 1971 when I was playing third base and trying to earn the position. The team was struggling. We were trying to find our way. For me, it was a rough day. I dove at a hard-hit ball, got up, threw it away. Two batters later, I bobble a ball – back-to-back errors.
In those days there were transistor radios throughout Dodger Stadium and you could actually hear Vin’s voice on the field. It gets quiet, I have my head down. I hear Vin say something like “Well, the young man is struggling at third base, but I know he’s working hard and I think he’s going to have a long career, so keep trying kid.”
That was huge. Mr. Scully has saved me. That was like absolution right there.
Garvey believes in absolution. He continued in our conversation with these comments that didn’t really fit into the Scully essay, but were interesting nonetheless.
Consistency in life is maybe the great virtue any of us could have. Life can be so challenging but you have to be able to take anything that comes to you in life and be able to handle it with dignity and honor, and learn from it. We are infallible. We make mistakes. We just try not to make the same mistake twice. We all strive for grace. We can achieve it in a variety of different ways and to different degrees.
When I do public speaking, I try to emphasize it’s not what you are – ballplayer, announcer, bus driver – but what do believe in? What do you stand for? How are you trying to accomplish that in your life?
Helping people lead a better life? Can Garvey give us six ways from Sunday to accomplish that?
The Los Angeles Times’ energy writer, Sammy Roth, is trying to evaluate the senate candidates for their stance on climate change/global warming. He wrote in a recently email blast said he talked to all three Democratic candidates about this issue, but Garvey’s team “never got back to me.” Roth finished his post by writing: “The former Dodger first baseman did acknowledge at last month’s debate that climate change is real. But he didn’t offer any specifics on what he’d do about it, instead defending oil and gas and saying, ‘You don’t put stress on the economy of this country’ by requiring a transition to electric cars. I’m a huge Dodgers fan. But tackling the climate crisis is more important tome than honoring a baseball legend.”
Through all this, I can appreciate the longevity (since 2006) of the website Sons of Steve Garvey, billed as “random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.” But so far, nothing on the senate election.
I also recall the only time in Garvey’s career that he was thrown out of a baseball game was in 1986. He, of course, didn’t curse. He just reminded a home-plate umpire to do his job better. To “bear down.”
How much can you bear imagining the former Los Angeles Dodgers great wearing the uniform of a Washington Senator. God only knows.
Who else wore No. 6 in SoCal sports history? Make a case for:
Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers manager (2018 to 2010):
The Dodgers retained his services after the Yankees ownership decided his leadership had run its course after 12 years, four World Series titles and six AL pennants – which would eventually be enough to land him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Torre made sure to bring manager-in-training Don Mattingly with him so when he departed for good after an 80-82 season, last in the NL West, there would be a succession plan. The Dodgers won the NL West in his first two seasons with a Manny Ramirez injection but lost in the NLCS twice in a row to Philadelphia.
Ron Fairly, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman/ outfielder (1959 to 1969), California Angels DH (1978):
The Jordan High in Long Beach standout made his mark at USC when he hit .348 with nine homers and 67 RBIs as a sophomore center fielder on the Trojans’ College World Series title team. That led to him signing with the Dodgers and getting a call-up as a 19 year old in 1958, where he hit .283 in 15 games. His 12 seasons with the Dodgers included being on the 1959, ’63 and ’65 World Series teams. He hit .379 with two homers and six RBIs in the ’65 Classic, playing all seven games. The Dodgers traded him to Montreal in June of 1969 in order to get Maury Wills back, along with Manny Mota. His final season in Anaheim at age 39 saw him get into 91 games and hit .217 with 10 homers. Fairly made a second career as a broadcaster, starting at KTLA-Channel 5 and broadcasting Angels games. His 2018 autobiography “Fairly At Bat: My 50 years in baseball, from the batter’s box to the broadcast booth,” came out a year before his death in 2018 at age 81.
Carl Furillo, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder (1958 to 1959): The two-time NL All Star during the Dodgers’ Brooklyn days from 1946 to ’57, he only played 58 more games for the franchise in L.A. and left the game with a .299 career average
Mark Sanchez, USC football quarterback (2006 to 2008):
The top high school quarterback in the nation from Mission Viejo High (wearing No. 6) moved onto to USC, sat out as a redshirt in 2005, and moved in and out of the starting lineup his first two seasons. After a junior season where he threw for 3,207 yards and 34 touchdowns, leading the team to a 12-1 record and a Rose Bowl win over Penn State, Sanchez announced he wasn’t returning for his senior season, which seemed to take Trojans head coach Pete Carroll off guard. Sanchez was the first USC quarterback to leave early since Todd Marinovich in 1990. The New York Jets took him with the fifth overall pick. Now he can talk all about it as a Fox NFL commentator.
Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels third baseman (2020 to present): The Angels decision to give Rendon a seven-year, $245 million deal after his participation with the Washington National’s World Series run was supposed to be a consolation prize to their fans after they couldn’t do a deal for pitcher Garrit Cole. Credit Rendon’s agent, Scott Boras, for pulling this one off with Angels team owner Arte Moreno. He thought he was getting someone credible to hit behind Mike Trout — Rendon was coming off a season where he led the MLB with 126 RBIs to go with 34 homers and a .319 batting average. Yet in his first four seasons with the Angels, averaging about 50 games a season, Rendon combined to hit 22 home runs, drive in 111 and amass a .249 batting average, while drawing a combined salary of about $128 million. There are three more seasons of $38 million plus per year. Interviewed in spring training of ’24, Rendon confessed that baseball has “never been a top priority for me. This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job. So if those things come before it, I’m leaving.”
Marc Wilson, Los Angeles Raiders quarterback (1982 to 1987): After his first two years in Oakland, Wilson made the move to L.A. with the Raiders and assumed the starting role in 1984, posting his best season when he had a 11-2 record as a starter in 1985 as Jim Plunkett’s successor.
Eddie Jones, Los Angeles Lakers guard (1996-97 to 1998-99): Made a starter as a rookie, he played his first two seasons wearing No. 25 (1994-95 to 1995-96) until the Lakers needed to borrow it for honoring Gail Goodrich as he went into the Hall of Fame. Taking No. 6 for two-plus seasons, Jones made two Western Conference All-Star teams before he was traded in the 50-game shortened season of 1999 to Charlotte (with Elden Campbell) to get Glen Rice, B.J. Armstrong and J.R. Reid. Jones had the best month of his career in November of 1997, when the Lakers won their first 11 games of the season by an average of nearly 16 points, and he was the NBA’s Player of the Month after scoring 21.1 points per game and shooting nearly 57 percent from the field, including 44 percent from 3.
Steve Timmons, USC men’s volleyball (1980 to 1982): With the iconic redheaded flat top, Timmons came out of Newport Beach and led the Trojans to the 1980 NCAA title. He earned first-team All-American honors in 1982 and was a second-team selection in 1981. The Trojans reached the final four in each of Timmons’ three seasons. He ended up marrying Jeanie Buss for a time, won two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in the indoor game, co-founded Redsand beachwear, and played on the AVP Pro Beach circuit with Karch Kiraly from 1986 to 1994.
Eric Byrnes,UCLA baseball outfielder (1995 to 1998): A .331 career batting average with 75 doubles has stood as Pac-12 Conference records. Byrnes was an All-Pac-10 honoree in both 1995 and 1997 and was a key bat on the UCLA squad that went to the College World Series. Byrnes left UCLA also tops in runs scored (235) and hits (326) to go with 48 homers and 20-3 RBIs, and was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams punter (2016 to 2021): One heck of a weapon in the Rams move from St. Louis to L.A. (he started with the franchise in 2012), a four-time Pro Bowler led the league in punt yards (4,680 for an average of 47.8) and a long of 78 in ’16. That season he also set an NFL record with most punts inside the 20-yard line: 51. In Super Bowl LII against New England, he set a game record with a 65-yard punt (punting nine times in the Rams’ 13-3 loss). Leading up to the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win, Hekker planted five punts inside the 20 against Arizona in a 34-11 wild-card victory. Then the Rams released him.
Eric Kendricks, UCLA football linebacker (2011 to 2014), Los Angeles Chargers linebacker (2023): Always odd to see a linebacker wear this number, but Kendricks did so in four years at UCLA and one with the Chargers, as a team captain who started 14 games and was second on the team with 117 tackles. He signed a two-year, $6.75 million deal after eight seasons in Minnesota. Then the Chargers released him.
Have you heard this story:
Adam Morrison, Los Angeles Lakers forward (2008-09 to 2009-10):
Just 39 games played. No starts. And two NBA titles to show for it. Maybe the 2006 Naismith and Wooden Award finalist out of Gonzaga really did lead a charmed life, having two final NBA seasons that ended in championships. When the Lakers held a ceremony to honor the late Kobe Bryant with a statue outside of their home arena, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson told a story about the time ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel had Bryant and several Lakers players on his late-night show following their 2010 NBA title, and showed some highlight clips — some of which made fun of the fact Morrison was often just in street clothes sitting on the bench. Bryant went along with the joke, but also said on the show: “Let me just say that, you know, that’s a testament to our team, honestly, because Adam can really play. Like, he can really, really go. And for him to take a step back and to do things like that really helped us get to that championship level.” The audience applauded. Jackson finished the story: “Kobe said, ‘Don’t make fun of Adam Morrison. He’s one of our teammates. He puts in the work. He may not get to dress, but he puts in the work and he’s part of our team.’ That’s when I was the proudest of Kobe.” Would you consider Morrison one of the great NBA busts? Depends on how you define it.
Charlie Culberson, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder (2016): In a season where the infielder played only 34 games, the one homer he hit — a walkoff on Sept. 25, 2016, during Vin Scully’s final home broadcast, gave him a niche in team history. He came back for the 2017 season wearing No. 37.
Bronny James, USC basketball guard (2023-24): Taking the No. 6 his father is wearing for the Lakers, the 6-foot-4, 210 pound guard from Sierra Canyon High has “elite basketball instincts and toughness with the ability to score from anywhere on the court,” according to his team website bio.
And where is the Los Angeles Lakers / LeBron James’ homage to No. 6? We think that’s been covered here.
We also have
J.T. Snow, California Angels first baseman (1993 to 1996) Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop (2021 to 2022) Bill Buckner, California Angels designated hitter (1987 to 1988) Sean O’Donnell, Los Angeles Kings defenseman (1994-95 to 1999-2000; 2008-09 to 2009-10) Cody Kessler, USC quarterback (2012 to 2015) Anyone else worth nominating?
Tom Hoffarth's The Drill: More Farther Off the Wall 