1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports show. We explore 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: the big money issues in the world of sports. And 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: I'm Michael Laen, I'm Scarlett Film. It is Walled of 4 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 1: All Baseball today on the Business of Sports, and we 5 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: start by welcoming Bloomberg Seth Mcalener. He's a producer here 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: at Bloomberg with a unique background in baseball, particularly in 7 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: the Bay Area. He produced a documentary The Bay Area 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: Black Ass. He joined us now for a quick chat. Seth, 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: thanks for joining us. You've got a knowledge full of 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: baseball in your mind and and I am so glad 11 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: you can make it with us. Man, you have a 12 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: lot of stories to tell about baseball. I do. They're 13 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: They're several decades old, most of them. But I started 14 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: out in baseball in the late eighties and UH took 15 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,639 Speaker 1: that all the way to Bloomberg where I was producing 16 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: the Sports Business Shows portfolio when I first joined the network, 17 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: and uh we I continue to be UH really interested 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: in the game and and adding adding experiences here and 19 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: a resource of valuable resource for those of us who 20 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: um look at sports and cover the business of sports. 21 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: You wrote and produced a documentary called The Bay Area 22 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: Black Aces that won the Northern California Emmy Award as 23 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: the Best Sports Program in two thousand four. In the 24 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: decade before that, you didn't mention you actually worked for 25 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: the A's organization during Ricky Henderson's second tour of duty, 26 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: and that that will be important later on. But I 27 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: wanted to just give you a shout out because you 28 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: managed a Diamond Vision and Scoreboard operations. I want you 29 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: to explain to us a little bit about the premise 30 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: of your documentary, bay Area Black Aces, because Ricky Henderson 31 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: is not a picture but he's certainly a Bay Area superstar, right. 32 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: It's what the Black Aces concept was generated by one 33 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: of the twelve African American pitchers in history to win 34 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: twenty games in a season, to be an Ace, and 35 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: that was Jim Mudcat Grant, who pitched in the nineteen fifties, 36 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: sixties and seventies, and back in the early two thousands. 37 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: He was promoting the fact that this was an exclusive 38 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: baseball club, and baseball is all about numbers and clubs, 39 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: right the five hundred home run club, the three thousand 40 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: hit club, and to that point in the early two thousands, 41 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: there had only been twelve Black pitchers to win twenty games, 42 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: and and Mudcatt really wanted that to to become a thing. 43 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: And what I noticed, and I had been working in 44 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: the Bay Area, is that of those twelve, four were 45 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: Bay Area pitchers had pitched for the Giants in the A's. 46 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: I know there are people whould like to make that 47 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: a trivia question, but it was Sam Jones and the 48 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: Giants was the first. Then Vida Blue, then a fellow 49 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: named Mike Norris, who figures very much in Ricky Henderson's 50 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: careers as Howard Bryant Howard Bryant's book makes clear, and uh, 51 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: and then uh Dave Stewart. And so my documentary was 52 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: about what made it possible for this concentration in one 53 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: in one city to take place, and that actually since 54 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: then there have been two more in the club. C. C. Sabathia, 55 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: who grew up in Vallejo, and Dontrelle Willis, who grew 56 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: up in Alameda, California. So it's really kind of a 57 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: remarkable cluster and it was wonderful to do the documentary. 58 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: I got to talk to all three of the the living. 59 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: Sam Jones had passed, but the three who who are 60 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: still alive we're participating in it. And uh, it's really 61 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: i think interesting in the same way as you know 62 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: that the issue of black quarterbacks in football, a position 63 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: that's really important to the game but had been very 64 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: restricted uh in its participation because of racial myths and 65 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: and other elements of that so fascinating project, and really 66 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: enjoyed it. As a child of baseball cards. I have 67 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: my Vita Blue Baseball and and I it it. It 68 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: is in ment udition by the way too. I'll never 69 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: get rid of that me. But but again, like you said, 70 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: it's it was rare to see a black picture on there. 71 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: In fact, I'll be honest with you, when I first 72 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: saw the card, I'm like, wow, how many other black 73 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: pictures are do I have in my in my collection? 74 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: Not many, I think, No. I mean, you know, for 75 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: every Bob Gibson, Uh, there were not a lot of 76 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: people who were and even Bob Gibson and every one 77 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: of them really had to fight to get taken seriously 78 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: in that role. And uh. And unfortunately, now with the 79 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: way baseball has evolved, uh, we're probably not going to 80 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: see twenty game winners very often anyway. Um. And so 81 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: it's it's interesting that category may kind of go go 82 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: to history, but but certainly the the issue of race 83 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: in baseball with participation now this year down under, I 84 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: think it's seven point two percent of player is on 85 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: big league rosters are black, and that's down from a 86 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: high of thirty five in the mid nineties seventies. See, 87 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: I think about that, how much it's changed. You talked 88 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: about how um four of those pictures were from the 89 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: Bay Area teams who are we're playing for barrier teams 90 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: and grew up in the Bay Area, the East Bay specifically. 91 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: Economic clusters is something we talk about a lot in business, right, Um, 92 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: Silicon Valley has a lot of engineers and because there's 93 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: a lot of work opportunities for them, it you have 94 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: more developing in the region as well. Why is it 95 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: from where you sit and from what you've observed, do 96 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: we have this precipitous drop off in black baseball players. Yeah, 97 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: there's a lot of studies on that. One is just 98 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: in general where the culture has gone that football and 99 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: basketball have overtaken baseball in general in the culture as 100 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: and now soccer is really close behind. And I think 101 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: those games are perceived at those sports are perceived as 102 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: being more friendly. Uh, they take uh less with baseball. 103 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: You know you need more players. Uh, not from football, 104 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,160 Speaker 1: but certainly from basketball. You know, you can play three 105 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: on three basketball and get really good, and you can't 106 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: play three on three baseball. Lack of fields, lack of mentors. Uh, 107 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: those factors have certainly been discussed. And uh, you know, 108 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: to some degree, I think, uh, you know, just lack 109 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: of of a welcoming feeling in the game. Um. Also, 110 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: you know, lack of college scholarships. A lot more players 111 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: now in baseball come out of college, and fewer players 112 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:43,559 Speaker 1: who get college scholarships are from the black community. So uh, 113 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: it's it's really complex, but but undeniable. You have a 114 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: story in your legend. You were the scoreboard operator during 115 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: the infamous earthquake. Uh during the World Series back in 116 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: the eighties. Uh. And and I'm watching this game. I'm 117 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: I'm walking through a Sears and they have all the 118 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: TVs on the World Series and I see the open 119 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, everything goes to black and 120 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: then we go to green, and I'm now I'm hearing 121 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: Al Michael's Well, folks, that was the greatest opening barn none. 122 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: And you realize what just happened. Take us through that 123 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: what went out October five oh four pm. And you know, 124 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: the days before cell phones. So all I'm imagining is 125 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: what's my mother in New York thinking right now? Now. 126 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking about Michael Barr. I am no, but 127 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: it was it was remarkable. It was inside the stadium. 128 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: It wasn't quite clear how serious it was. And again 129 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: the days before cell phones. Uh. It was a few 130 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: minutes of sitting there and and sort of having things 131 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: come back to normal when somebody poked their head into 132 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: the scoreboard. Ruthan said the bay Bridge has collapsed, because 133 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: it was not you know, all our TVs were out 134 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: and so people had battery operated radios and we're getting 135 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: the news. Uh. And of course the bay bridge had 136 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: had collapsed to a certain point. It sounded like it was, 137 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: you know, hanging in the water. We were learning things 138 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: so much more slowly then. But it was interesting being 139 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: the scoreboard operator because of course you're responsible for public 140 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: information in the stadium and the people are calling you 141 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: from the field on your walkie talkie saying put up 142 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: a message that people should stay calm. There are a 143 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: lot of noise in the stadium where people bewildered or 144 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: were they just kind of stunned. They were stunned, and 145 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: there was no obvious We had all felt the rumble, 146 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: but when it's subsided, there weren't chunks of concrete falling. 147 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: It was you know, people actually were kind of in 148 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: the in California, you know, you're kind of used to 149 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: these things, and it's not always so obvious how much, 150 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: especially when everybody doesn't have a phone to right, no 151 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: one knows how bad, right and the players were. What 152 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: we did, I think where everybody realized it was bad 153 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: is when we all saw the players start to walk 154 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: out of the dugouts and off the field, and we 155 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: knew there wasn't going to be a game play. But 156 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: you know, because all the power was out, all the 157 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: safety messages were being made from megaphones on the field 158 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:23,199 Speaker 1: by the police, uh depart you know that stadium police. 159 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: And again you know, they wanted me to put a 160 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: message up on the board, but there were there were 161 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: no lights. There was no power alerts back then. Yeah, 162 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: it was. And then the ten days afterwards waiting to 163 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: see whether they had resumed play, and of course there 164 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: was considerable damage in the East Bay where the freeway 165 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: had collapsed, and uh, and some wonderful stories, I mean 166 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: some very poignant stories of of Dave Stuart and other 167 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: as players. Dave Stuart, one of the Black Aces h 168 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: and an Oakland native going out to the to the 169 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: Cypress Freeway and and helping in their uniforms pull people 170 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: out and and helping the first responders. It was, it 171 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 1: was a very interesting moment um. I did want to 172 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: ask you about the time that you were working the 173 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: scoreboard and Ricky Henderson broke lu Brox record, because that, 174 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: I mean, that was historical for so many reasons, but 175 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:19,719 Speaker 1: also because you knew that record was going to be 176 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: broken at some point, and lou Brock had been kind 177 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: enough and generous enough to be going to the stadium 178 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: every night waiting for that moment. That's right. In fact, 179 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: I went and looked at what it was is that 180 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: the A's began the season at home and he was too. 181 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 1: Ricky was two steals short of the record, and lu 182 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 1: Brock came out because you never knew Ricky could steal 183 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: two bases in an inning, and he was there for 184 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: the first home stand and then the A's went on 185 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: the road and he went home and then Ricky still 186 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,199 Speaker 1: hadn't broken the record. So at the end of April 187 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: he came back and we had a camera on him 188 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: in the stands waiting to see his reaction and when 189 00:10:56,280 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: he finally when Ricky stole third base in in in 190 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: the game where he broke the record and held the 191 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: base over his head and they brought lou down to 192 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 1: the field and uh Ricky. Ricky stepped to the mic 193 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 1: and and made a speech that defined him, defined him exactly. Uh. 194 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: Not easy, not easy to jump in and do that, 195 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:22,199 Speaker 1: but he was an incredibly electric player. Seth, you are 196 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: the man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. 197 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: We really do appreciate it. So nice to join you. Thanks, 198 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,079 Speaker 1: thank you. Set This has been the Bloomberg Business of 199 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: Sports podcast on Michael Barr along with Scarlet Food and 200 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: catch us here each and every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 201 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: exploring the world of money in sports and catch me 202 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: on Twitter at Big Bar Sports. I'm on Twitter at 203 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: Scarlett Foo. You're listening to Bloomberg Business of Sports on 204 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio around the world.