The Oakland high school that produced Frank Robinson and others fights to keep baseball alive

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — From one end of the dugout, Jamey Smart hollers constant instructions and encouragement as McClymonds High School pitcher Madden Kang fights through a long at-bat in the first inning against mighty Skyline. "Madden, it's 3-1. We don't throw those 3-1. Strikes, Madden, strikes! Keep going, get it, Madden!" Smart's father, Roy, is also coaching his heart out — leaned up against the railing on the opposite side from his son. "Infielders, you want this ball!" "Good battle!" McClymonds, a squad of mostly baseball beginners, immediately falls behind 10-0. This once-storied program where Black big league stars Frank Robinson, Curt Flood and Vada Pinson got their careers going is now starting again from square one. The revival has been a long time coming. Even when McClymonds fielded a roster in recent years, a lack of student interest, insufficient resources and even issues with academic eligibility have prevented the program from completing a full season. "They had a bag of gloves, bats and cleats that were donated from the last time they tried to start it," Smart said. "That was a great starting point for me." Other schools have also pitched in gear. For a group of largely baseball beginners, the small victories matterMcClymonds is a predominantly Black school in West Oakland, just a seven-mile drive from the Coliseum that the Athletics departed two years ago. There is a rich sports history at McClymonds — Hall of Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi, who was white, is also an alum. Basketball great Bill Russell and several other NBA and NFL players went there, too. Basketball remains a more popular sport among Black youth for several reasons, including a perceived quicker path to the pros. Oakland has a proud history of Black major leaguers, including late Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Joe Morgan, and former pitcher Dontrelle Willis. But recent decades brought a decline in Black participation nationwide. Just 6.8% of MLB players on opening day rosters this year were Black, down from 18% in 1991 — although the percentage is up in consecutive seasons for the first time in at least two decades. Smart, former McClymonds player and coach Eddie Heard, and other supporters around them believe strongly that it's important to keep baseball going, not just in inner-cities, but everywhere, even against the obstacles. McClymonds hasn't played a full schedule since 2019, having competed on various fields in the community over the years. The team's lack of experience shows in the scorebook. McClymonds endured a 20-0 defeat to Skyline last week, then celebrated some progress losing 16-2 to the same team just three days later. A day after that Tuesday shutout, Smart was right back to it: sharing with the teens how they could be better next time. The message come game time: "Here we go, let's push back, not getting shut out today!" From fundamentals and focus to energy and effort, McClymonds' players are learning and growing by the day. They acknowledge the small strides, such as being in the right spot for a groundball or throwing to the right base. Or, on Friday, winning a single inning. The focus goes well beyond the results"Keep competing! So what!" Smart yells at Raimondi Park, where the team has played its home games this season thanks to the generosity of the independent league Oakland Ballers club. McClymonds has access for some practices and the home games. Former major leaguer Tyson Ross — from Berkeley and Oakland — also donated hats and T-shirts reading "Loyal" on front. To prepare for the rematch with Skyline, Smart used senior Josiah McCombs' memorable first career at-bat as a teaching moment. The 6-foot-5 McCombs didn't know he could run to first after a dropped third strike. After some urging, he took off, but the converted basketball player stumbled in the infield. He rolled right back up and kept a smile on his face through it all. "He would have gotten a 9.2 on a dive in a swim meet," observed Rick Steen, Smart's high school coach who is now retired but still a regular around the Warriors team. Skyline coach Marcel Johnson appreciated how McCombs handled himself in that situation — and also how Smart has taken on such a daunting challenge to keep the baseball program going. Smart was coaching under Johnson, another former McClymonds coach, the past two seasons before accepting a job to teach special education at McClymonds in January. "The perfect person to rebuild right now," said Johnson, who also runs a summer program in Oakland to keep kids playing. "Oakland is rooted with so much talent and so much talent in the past, now it's just getting back out here, trying to advocate for the kids to get back out and play baseball and really train." Smart, a former college and indy ball first baseman who turns 30 on Saturday, has been recruiting students from other sports to give baseball a try. He pitches it as a chance to be part of something special — no matter the meager batting averages, dropped balls or baserunning blunders. Only a couple of players on the team have played organized baseball at any level, and one of those, senior Keian Davis-Jimenez, competed in just one season at age 5. A running back on the football team, Davis is finding his footing in a new sport. McCombs is another one of those fresh faces. His father always wanted him to play baseball, but he never gave it a try until this year. He knows the name Frank Robinson but little else about any legends to come through McClymonds, or "Mack," as the school is fondly known. "It's something new, something to be a part of," McCombs said. "A different adventure, different discoveries I haven't really seen yet. It's fun." Devoted athletic director makes commitmentSmart was a substitute teacher in the Oakland Unified School District and coached at Skyline under Johnson before accepting a special education position at McClymonds in January – and he immediately connected with athletic director Relonda McGhee about bringing baseball back. "I hired him on the spot," she said. McGhee became AD at her former high school in May last year with a commitment to providing more opportunities for students. She has been adding sports, and baseball was high on the list. Her brothers were part of the school's last league champion baseball team in 1978. "I'm from a baseball family so it was very important for me," she said. "And as an alumni knowing all the sports we had at McClymonds, one of my main goals this year was to revitalize sports that hadn't been there, and baseball was one of them." Trying to build on Mack's first season backFreshmen Alex Board and Tyler Higginbotham hope to help pave the way for baseball players at the school well into the future. "I'm learning more valuable skills, it's helping me with footwork, mechanics and everything, even for basketball," Higginbotham said. Smart's dad and his close friend, Zachary Crittenden, are assistants, while retired, longtime coach Steen drops by practice and games to offer any insight he can provide. He coached Smart at The Athenian School before the infielder went on to Loyola Marymount University. "It's a neat resurrection here," Steen said. Smart is quick to offer those thoughtful shoutouts to his players while also holding them accountable for missing practice or not giving it their all. "Let's make the most of our time out here!" "It has been cool," Smart said. "Their resilience has been probably one of the more inspiring things. From what I've heard, they've tried to get baseball going with Mack and it just kind of fizzles out, but the main thing for me has just been trying to keep their spirits up and keep them focused on a goal that's not necessarily results, and they're honestly sticking to it pretty good." Indeed, through this experience they are all realizing there are many ways to win.