Letters: How a trans high school athlete is making me rethink my sports fandom
Regarding 'Trans athlete embraced as California track and field champion by peers while adult activists duel' (High School, SFChronicle.com, June 1): As a child in the 1960s, my hero was Willie Mays. As an adult and 72-year-old lifetime sports fan, I had no sports heroes — until now.
The accomplishments of Jurupa Valley High School track standout and trans female AB Hernandez at the state championship made me reconsider my hiatus from worshipping athletes.
As a high-jumper, long-jumper and triple-jumper, AB has persevered and soared (pun intended), while tolerating the relentless bigotry, hatred, religious intolerance, transphobia and the profound ignorance of adults led, shamefully, by our president. These adults not only protest against this young woman's participation in sports, they deny her very existence.
Let me add Brooke White as a sports hero. The cisgender River City High-West Sacramento long jumper who competed with AB said, 'Sharing the podium was nothing but an honor … she's a superstar, she's a rockstar, she's representing who she is.'
As for 'local right-wing activist and blogger Josh Fulfer,' who says young people like White have a 'fear of speaking out' and need 'adults in the room to be the voice for them,' I trust these young people to get this right. Condescending bigots like Fulfer notwithstanding.
Barry Goldman-Hall, San Jose
Refocus LGBTQ+ lens
Most of the LGBTQ+ community are just people living their lives openly and freely. Drag and being trans are a part of this community, but it is a small part.
During this time of assault against the LGBTQ+ community, it may be smart to focus on people such as Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, or Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
Emphasizing drag and trans people adds fuel to the fire that President Donald Trump is igniting around the country. This is the mistake that the Democratic Party made, and look where it got them.
Gloria Judd, San Francisco
Losing small-town charm
Regarding 'A luxury hotel could transform this California town. Some residents are fighting back' (Bay Area, SFChronicle.com, May 30): When I moved to Petaluma in 1986, it still had the feel of a small town. That, of course, has changed.
But, until recently, it still had the feel of a town whose stores and restaurants were there to serve the people of Petaluma, not tourists.
Petaluma used to have visitors. People from the Bay Area who wanted to see the Butter and Eggs Day parade or the antiques fair or just visit family. We had some nice clothing stores and some decent, unpretentious restaurants. Now we have trendy boutiques and expensive, fancy restaurants that bring in rich tourists.
It's a sad commentary if the only way a city can survive is with an economy based on tourism. As a society, our hobbies are now eating, drinking and shopping. And we like to travel all over the world to do it.
Sometimes, change is good. Sometimes, it means improvement. But sometimes, it means taking something fine and twisting it to meet the demands of a privileged few who are just trying to make more money.
Gail Sickler, Petaluma
Hold a benefit concert
The Golden Gate Park shows by Dead & Company have stirred up a lot of debate and anger about high ticket prices, especially since the original band used to play there for free.
But there's one option that might take away some of the rancor and keep with the original band's ethos: Make at least one of the three shows a benefit concert. There are plenty of worthy organizations, soon to be more needy than ever in these trying MAGA times. There's also the Dead's longstanding and fine Rex Foundation.
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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Twins' minor-league adventure: Tampa, Sacramento trips marked by ‘difficult' playing conditions
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The risk simply wasn't worth it for Carlos Correa. Recognizing the soreness developing in the middle of his back after two days of slipping and sliding in a rock-hard batter's box at Sutter Health Park, the Twins shortstop elected to sit out the final two contests of a four-game series at the new, temporary home of the Athletics. Advertisement In abandoning Oakland to spend three seasons in the California state capital before they move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, the A's made a controversial decision by voluntarily relocating to a Triple-A stadium they're sharing with a minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. While the refurbished facility's amenities drew rave reviews from every Twins player interviewed by The Athletic, including Correa, several noted a number of 'minor-league' issues with its playing surface. After playing in West Sacramento and at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays and spring training facility for the New York Yankees, during their recent three-city road trip, the Twins have a fresh perspective on Major League Baseball's minor-league issues as the weather heats up. From Tampa's oppressive heat and humidity to its poor outfield lighting and short foul poles to a batter's box in Sacramento multiple players described as akin to hitting on cement and a rigid pitcher's mound that's drawn the ire of hurlers across the league, the Twins experienced the full range of challenges these parks present in playing seven away games against the Rays and A's since May 26. Correa's experience with the batter's box represents one of the bigger hardships Twins players faced during their minor-league adventure. 'It's the worst box I've ever stepped in,' Correa said. 'I like (the park). The ball travels very well. The facilities are good. They did it right. The plate is the only problem. … I'm not going to sacrifice two months of my season because of a couple of at-bats here.' How the clubhouses at both temporary stadiums are arranged isn't an issue. But the playing conditions are a different story. In Sacramento, the dirt and the disconnected dugouts create difficulties for the home and visiting players. Both teams' clubhouses are located beyond the left-field fence at the ballpark, which means players and trainers are often commuting across the field between innings. Advertisement Athletics pitcher Luis Severino voiced his frustration with his home stadium last month. During a typical start, Severino reportedly likes to retreat to the clubhouse between innings to watch film and move around, something he can't do at Sutter Health Park. This season, Severino, who signed a multi-year contract with the A's in free agency, has a 0.87 road ERA and a 6.99 ERA at home. Before their four-game series began Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli joked about how awkward it would be to get ejected, as he did in Seattle on Saturday night. Noting fans described the potential scenario as a walk of shame, Baldelli suggested he'd be worried about how his stride would look with such a long walk. Still, Baldelli determined if an ejection occurred, he'd make the most of it. 'It's the march of triumph,' he said. The batter's box and mound, which are pored over by the grounds crew daily to handle a combined 156-game schedule for the Athletics and Triple-A River Cats, also have been heavily criticized for their firmness. When he pitched in Sacramento on May 24, Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struggled to dig a hole on the mound in front of the rubber with his foot because of the hard clay used. Wheeler said he couldn't 'get into the dirt to drive' through his pitches, which left him throwing 'all arm.' Wheeler's phrasing stuck with Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, who wondered aloud if a firm mound played a role in the significant injury suffered by teammate Pablo López this week in Sacramento. Coming off a daytime start in which he pitched in 100-degree temperatures in Tampa, López suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain on Tuesday and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. Ryan is perplexed by how a teammate as fit and process-oriented as López — 'he spends hours a day (warming up) to go play catch' — could suffer such an injury. Advertisement 'The first thing I thought of was Wheeler saying, 'I was all arm when I was here,'' Ryan said. 'Does that play into that? Someone was mentioning it. We're in the big leagues and we have these amenities for a reason. It's to get prepared and go inside if you need to for a second. Whatever your routine is, you can't do that here. You can't do that in Tampa. As (Lopez's) teammate, it makes it sting a little bit more. I don't think Pablo is the kind of guy that's going to say (the mound was the issue), but I'll say it.' During his May 28 start in Tampa, López called a timeout in the first inning for groundskeepers to fix the mound. Ryan also took issue with the mound in Tampa and said it was much different than the one he warmed up on in the bullpen before his start. 'Tampa was a fricking sh– box and they have a massive mound in the bullpen before,' Ryan said. 'It's a huge contrast.' According to players, the issues in Tampa — which is scheduled to be used by the Rays for only the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field last September and caused massive flood damage — include poor outfield lighting, a short porch in right field and short foul poles. The miniature poles likely cost Aaron Judge a home run in an April 20 game as the ball appeared to incorrectly be ruled foul. Poor lighting seemed to hamper Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach's ability to track fly balls in a May 26 loss to the Rays. 'I could see better at Tampa at the beginning of the game and then at night it was really difficult for me,' Larnach said. '(In a regular park), the lights are bright and you see the ball a tad bit better, whether it be in the outfield, at the plate or whatever.' Lighting doesn't seem to be an issue at Sutter Health Park, which has a berm beyond the fence in right field with trees that offers fans a unique way to catch a major-league game. But the lack of a third deck in both stadiums allows wind to impact the ball in different ways. The ball carries extremely well in Sacramento, which Baseball Savant ranks as tops in the majors — tied with the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards — in Park Factor, meaning it is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. Advertisement Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit a three-run homer Monday, a 100.9-mph, 28-degree fly ball, which Ryan and Byron Buxton swore would have been an out at the Twins' home ballpark, Target Field. However, Buxton also benefitted at the plate as the wind turned what likely would have been an out into a two-run double. By comparison, Steinbrenner Field currently is playing as a neutral venue, according to Baseball Savant's Park Factor. 'Big-league stadiums, you don't have the ball dancing like these balls are moving here,' Buxton said of Sacramento. 'My double, fly out, wind takes it, almost takes it out and it's like, 'What?' … (Butler's) ball, I'm (normally) catching at the warning track.' Players described the wind in Tampa as swirling and unpredictable. Twins outfielder Willi Castro raced toward the left-field foul line during a May 27 game, only for the wind to spin the ball back into play — well out of his grasp — for a double. Even the view of left field from the visiting dugout in Tampa is deceiving. From his perch atop the dugout, Baldelli couldn't see any plays that occurred in left field. The park's configuration is such that the visiting dugout juts out into the field of play with the left-field foul pole situated about 15 feet behind where Baldelli stands. 'Every ball that's hit down the left-field line, we think it's foul by like 100 feet,' Baldelli said. 'It looks like it's foul off the bat, like the hitters not even hitting it, and it's getting blown up, and they're fair.' Both parks are expected to heat up like a microwave as summer arrives. The heat issues in Tampa are concerning enough that MLB scheduled the Rays away from home for a 10-game road trip in July and a 12-gamer to the West Coast in August. Despite pitching at night in Tampa on May 27, Twins starter Chris Paddack went through four baseball caps and jerseys as well as multiple undershirts. For the teams' May 28 day game, the temperature was sweltering as Twins players scrambled for minimal shade in the visiting dugout. Advertisement 'I was sweating a ton right after (batting practice),' Twins infielder Royce Lewis said. 'Sweating through batting gloves and stuff. The heat for some guys definitely played a part. To stand out in the sun for hours is depleting.' Still, it's not all bad. Although the layout of the visitors locker room, weight room and cafeteria at Steinbrenner Field is unlike almost any other ballpark in the majors, the two batting cages for visiting teams were lauded by nearly every Twins hitter. Staffers also noted there was ample space to perform their different activities. 'We're finding our bearings,' Baldelli said. 'We're finding meeting rooms and weight rooms. It's not set up where it's all in one space, like guys are typically used to, but it's nothing that we can't get familiar with and figure out.' Similarly, players raved about the behind-the-scenes setup at Sutter Health Park. Multi-million dollar offseason upgrades at the stadium included a renovated visiting clubhouse, a revamped scoreboard and a new playing surface. Though MLB originally wanted the Athletics and River Cats to play on synthetic turf, a decision was made to use real grass. Buxton described the outfield grass as playing faster than the grass at most parks, while Baldelli described the turf as squishy. Stadium officials plan to re-sod the playing surface during the middle of July to help combat dead spots during a stretch where temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees. As much as each stadium has its drawbacks, nothing compares to Sacramento's hard dirt, several Twins hitters said. Throughout their four-game series, Twins hitters could be seen slipping in the batter's box when swinging at pitches. Correa slipped during his first at-bat Monday (a double) and tried to improve his footing by changing into catcher Ryan Jeffers' metal spikes. After dealing with plantar fasciitis in each foot over the past two seasons, Correa ditched metal spikes in favor of moldings, comfortable shoes that don't grip the ground as well. But he quickly rid himself of Jeffers' spikes because they began to hurt his feet. Advertisement Over the next two days, Correa's back began to hurt. He experienced back issues earlier in his career and could tell the new soreness was in a different location. He believed it was related to slipping in the batter's box and overcompensating with his back. To test and confirm his hypothesis, Correa hit on flat ground in the indoor batting cages and felt fine each time. At that point, Correa determined he would sit out the final two games of the series rather than risk a severe back injury. 'The plate here is killing me right now,' Correa said. 'It's very slippery. … For us that play with moldings, it's a tough time getting grip on the plate, but it's better than your feet hurting.' (Top photo of Twins reliever Jonah Bride pitching at Sutter Health Park: Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: What can Democrats do to win presidential elections again?
Regarding 'What Newsom understands about power that other California Democrats don't' (Open Forum, June 3): Stay true to values Justin Ray's op-ed reveals an ignorance of history, politics and language. He blames the Democrats for asserting 'moral clarity' and implies that they are a left party. The Democratic Party is really a centrist, capitalist party pretending to be a 'big tent.' Its failure is that, representing capitalist interests, it cannot achieve moral clarity. Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump are more popular individually than the Democratic leadership because they run on moral clarity. I despise the ruthless immorality of the fascist tendencies of Trump, but his culture war doesn't lack moral clarity. Yes, Gov. Gavin Newsom's fascism light is based upon pragmatism, but contrary to the punditry we are sold, most Americans are starving for an honest culture war with moral clarity on the side of human decency, justice, equality and history. People are sick of being fooled, including those fooled into voting for Trump and the once-upon-a-time Medicare for all champion and former vice president. Marc Sapir, Berkeley Don't be only liberal The commentary about Gov. Gavin Newsom reminds me of when I was a campus coordinator at San Jose State College in 1972 for George McGovern's presidential campaign. We all loved Sen. McGovern and believed that he would be a great president but forgot one thing: He wasn't going to win a national election. McGovern wanted to end the Vietnam War at a time when most Americans disagreed and wanted to fight communism in another country. He wanted to ensure that there was a guaranteed minimum income, which, yikes, was socialism and made it seem like that is all liberals want. Democrats must avoid being perceived as only liberal. They can do this by supporting policies such as temporarily halting Medi-Cal expansion for undocumented immigrants. That's the only way they can get some Republicans and independents to vote Democratic. Gralen Britto, Corte Madera Peace is the way Justin Ray misses the mark when he says that the Democrats should turn right to win the next election. Kamala Harris didn't lose the presidential election to Donald Trump because she was too far left; she lost because of her and former President Joe Biden's extreme pro-war policies, including Israel's siege of Gaza, according to polling by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project and YouGov. In six battleground states, 20% of previous Democratic voters polled cited Biden's policies on Gaza as the primary reason for not voting for their party, and 36% of 2020 Biden voters would have voted for Harris if she had pledged to withhold further weapons from Israel. Meanwhile, Trump campaigned on ending the war in Ukraine, and in his first term, he reached out to North Korea and did not start any wars. From former President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia, which shifted 60% of our naval forces to the region, to Democrats' endlessly pushing the red lines of Russia and China, and fear of nuclear war, a critical base of Democratic voters was lost. The Democratic Party must return to its pro-peace base to survive. Michael Wong, vice president, Veterans For Peace San Francisco chapter Work for the working class Justin Ray's op-ed seems to be endorsing the same old move-to-the-middle strategy that has brought ruin on the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris ran as a moderate — campaigning with Republican Liz Cheney, cozying up to tech billionaires, ignoring the LGBTQ community and doing nothing to separate herself from former President Joe Biden's unquestioning support for the Palestinian slaughter in Gaza. Being Republican Light is what got us into this mess. What we really need is for Democrats to return to their Franklin D. Roosevelt roots as champions of the working class. Robert Leeds, Oakland
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Associated Press
Athletics play the Orioles in first of 3-game series
Baltimore Orioles (25-36, fifth in the AL East) vs. Athletics (24-40, fifth in the AL West) West Sacramento, California; Friday, 10:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Dean Kremer (5-5, 4.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 51 strikeouts); Athletics: JP Sears (4-5, 5.05 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 46 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Orioles -125, Athletics +105; over/under is 11 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Athletics host the Baltimore Orioles to begin a three-game series. The Athletics have a 24-40 record overall and a 10-22 record at home. The Athletics have the fourth-ranked team on-base percentage in the AL at .323. Baltimore has a 25-36 record overall and a 13-19 record on the road. The Orioles have the 10th-ranked team batting average in the AL at .237. Friday's game is the first time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Soderstrom has 11 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Athletics. Jacob Wilson is 19 for 41 with three doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. Ryan O'Hearn leads the Orioles with a .326 batting average, and has eight doubles, nine home runs, 24 walks and 23 RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle is 11 for 32 with an RBI over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Athletics: 1-9, .254 batting average, 8.68 ERA, outscored by 40 runs Orioles: 8-2, .245 batting average, 2.60 ERA, outscored opponents by 12 runs INJURIES: Athletics: Shea Langeliers: day-to-day (flank), Miguel Andujar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Gunnar Hoglund: 15-Day IL (hip), Nick Kurtz: 10-Day IL (hip), Zack Gelof: 60-Day IL (hand), Gio Urshela: 10-Day IL (hamstring), J.T. Ginn: 15-Day IL (quadricep), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brady Basso: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ken Waldichuk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Medina: 60-Day IL (elbow) Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Cody Poteet: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cedric Mullins: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Ramon Laureano: 10-Day IL (ankle), Tyler O'Neill: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Grayson Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Westburg: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Gary Sanchez: 10-Day IL (wrist), Albert Suarez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kyle Bradish: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
