…a sprawling dirt field surrounded by 30-foot concrete walls and a sniper's widow walk beneath towering structures of rehabilitation in various states of construction and decay, hundreds of inmates, old and young, strolling about in prison blues or shirtless and doing pushups and pullups under the windy sun.
After a quick warm up and stretch circle, the Playboys were warmly welcomed by the San Quentin Giants and Coach Will, their laconic and grizzled skipper, who expressed his gratitude that these precious hours of baseball are a time of freedom for he and his players. Top of the first, Algood drew a walk against a whippy young heater and promptly stole second, sneaking under the tag on a laser throw from the twitchy young catcher rumored to have once had a MLB contract, and giving our dugout the momentary illusion that we had a chance. Howard ripped a grounder up the middle and Algood, waved on by Hughes, turned for home in a cloud of dust, to be thwarted by a perfectly executed relay and a well-blocked plate for the third out.
Heath "Lonesome Glove" McMurtry shook off his jitters, took the mound with his toy mitt, and gamely kept the Giants to three runs in the bottom of the frame. As promised, the inmates were fast and ran on everything. Playboys fielders had trouble picking up the pill coming fast off the SQ bats against the variegated background of wooden backstop and cement walls and rising sun in an azure-cyan sky. A deep fly ball bounced off the dirt like it was the 1987 Metrodome over Castrop's head.
Meanwhile, inmate spectators were drawn like bumblebees by the REDACTED emanating from the row of REDACTED settled next to the San Quentin dugout. Discussions ensued on the endless routine of prison life, the shitty food, annual parole reviews, managing relations with your “cellie” in a 4x8 cell with only two toilet flushes per hour, gangs, special privileges, the nature of disrespect, pickleball, sexual practices, poetry, the availability of drugs, and murder and redemption. Racial politics were explained: certain "sections" of the yard were reserved for each group - White, Black, Latino, and “Other” a.k.a. Pacific Islander - beware to enter if you are not a member of the designated tribe. But outside the sections prisoners of all tribes (save Aryan Nation, who seemed to keep to themselves) mixed freely with the Playboys and were generous with their stories and advice. Elizabeth Chapin remarked that she had rarely been among a group of men so tender.
Back on the field, left field seemed to be the most in receipt of prisoner “friendly advice.” Steinbauer, in for Castrop at center, shared the field with a couple of geese and ducks as pigeons darted atop the swirling bay winds to his delight and later to the contribution of one of the Playboys 16 errors displayed on the scoreboard below which continued a “door” to an open air toilet. Kirk broke his bat on a line drive single to right, Howard got another hit, and that was the sum of the Playboys offense.
The San Quentin side put on a display of unwavering attention, discipline, and fundamentals combined with grace and sportsmanship. Coach Will kept up a constant chatter from his post next to third and did not for a moment allow his focus to drift. Some Playboys speculated that we might benefit on our home field from emulating the inmates by putting our phones away and paying closer attention to our fundamentals. The Playboys eventually succumbed by a final score of 22-0. Game ball to Howard for his calm leadership, 66 percent of the Playboys offense, steady play at second, and deft juggling of the lineup card to get everybody a chance to get dirty.
The teams gathered on the mound for post-game prayers and sharing of appreciation, hardly a dry eye in sight. Eli, a young Red Raider from Lubbock, told of his thrill in joining the SQ Giants, his sadness at rarely being visited by his family, and how it felt like the Playboys were his visiting family. Players and inmates told us how grateful they were that we came with our friends and partners to spend time in the yard with them. We are them and they are us, separated only by some twists of fate and accidents of birth. We reluctantly filed out through the arched gateway framing a view of the bay invisible to the inmates who were returning to their cells.
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As part of the Playboys visit to San Quentin, they raised money for the Pollen Initiative, a nonprofit that works on the rehabilitation and education of inmates, through their #steppinuptotheplate initiative. If you’re moved to do so as well, please consider donating.
The Playboys would also like to offer a lasting token of gratitude to the San Francisco Pelicans (who they played in Golden Gate Park on the following morning, but that’s another story) who made their visit to San Quentin possible and also acted as the most gracious of hosts throughout their time in the Bay.
