The bass player is the shortstop of the band.

The story goes that I climbed into my Dad’s lap at the ripe old age of 2 to watch my very first A’s game. From that moment on, I was hooked! Baseball was my first love and would be the gateway to my obsession with sports in general. 

I spent the better part of my childhood watching my favorite teams dominate their leagues and building mini dynasties. My 49ers did so with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Steve Young, and more. It was an exciting time to be a 49ers fan. While I throughly enjoyed watching these players, my favorite player was the unassuming Center Randy Cross. He wasn’t flashy like Jerry or as magnetic as Joe. Randy was just the guy who handed the ball off to Joe or Steve and held down the offensive line. The flashiest part about Randy was the few local commercials that he did for Public Insurance and Miller Lite. Liking this type of player would quickly become my pattern.

In the 80’s and 90’s my Oakland Athletics were quite the show. With players like Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Dave Stewart, and Dennis Eckersley there was not shortage of flashy players. McGuire and Canseco were known as the Bash Brothers because they would bash their forearms together after one of them would hit a towering home run that seemed to reach Mt. Diablo. As my pattern for liking the underdog emerged, these were never my favorite players. I almost shuddered at the idea of liking such a flashy player. Instead I found myself rooting for the middle infielders who were known for roping a single down the left field line that they would stretch to a double because the outfield underestimated them. This would include players like Walt Weiss, Mike Gallego, Mike Bordick, Mark Ellis, and Jed Lowrie. I also have a happy tie to the catcher as well having grown up watching Terry Steinbach, Ramon Hernandez, Kurt Suzuki, and even more recently Stephen Vogt and Sean Murphy. I wasn’t old enough to watch Ray Fosse play, however he is a player that will forever live in my heart. As a commentator, he and Bill King taught me about baseball. I am forever in their debt. That being said, give me a middle infielder or catcher who is going to play 150 of 162 games and I am a happy girl. These players weren’t concerned about notoriety or fame. They were just happy adults playing a child’s game.

This background leads me to our current location somewhere along the coast of New Zealand. We are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary with a big trip that includes time spent in Australia and a cruise to New Zealand to fulfill Bill’s wish of visiting set locations from his beloved Lord of The Rings franchise. 

When we cruise together, one of our favorite things to do is take in the live music that the ship offers. We have seen a number of great musicians in our time and this trip has proven to be much of the same. Bill is quite familiar with band setups/equipment from his time playing the saxophone and running the sound boards during his days with the Church. 

I ask a lot of questions and he very politely answers them even though I probably only retain a handful of the knowledge that he bestows upon me. For instance we discussed foot pedals for different effects and how those pieces enhance their play. Bill also shared that often times musicians can get GAS - gear acquisition syndrome. The latest and greatest gear can be like a drug habit.

My questions also include things like: What instrument would you like to play if you were in a band? His response has been the keyboards or guitar. My response has always been the bass player or the drummer. Bill has often told me that these instruments require too much responsibility. They are responsible for the groove a song and that is a lot of pressure. I am usually drawn to them because they are usually both in the background, yet you always feel their presence. Musicians like Flea can certainly be flashy, but I prefer the low-key guys who settle into a groove and stay there. Drummers can tend to be extra flashy depending on the group, but they can also be quiet and unassuming as well. 

A few nights ago we watched a 4 piece band called Music Motion play a set.  I was immediately drawn to the bass player and that lead to an epiphany for Bill. He smiled down at me and said “The bass player is the shortstop of the band.” The bass player is not usually the flashiest guy, but he works the hardest to keep things together. This man took one of my favorite things and made it even more special.

Last night we watched the same band do an Eagles cover set. It was 45 minutes of singing along to some of the most popular Eagles songs with over 100 strangers in a pub. It was a rocking good time. The bass player did a bounce step while playing and I said to Bill, “See! That guy is cool!” The drummer took on a lot of the signing load last night and I was digging on him as well. This led to the ever important question of what position the drummer would be on a baseball field. Bill quickly replied with the catcher and suddenly it all made sense again. 

Here is a little gem for you: Proof that green and gold have run through my veins from the very start. 😁