Former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire’s path crossed with mine one day via his daily newspaper.
In July 2020, one of my columns happened to run in the Pasadena Star-News, one of three daily newspapers, and five Sunday papers, that hit his and Sheryl’s Pasadena driveway.
He read my ode to longtime newspaper subscribers with interest, lighting up at mentions of the old Pomona Progress-Bulletin, and dropped me a line.
“It was the Pomona Progress-Bulletin that played an important part in my life and career that ultimately led to 30 years with the Dodgers,” Claire began.
Claire died on Monday, his 91st birthday. His obituaries focus on the period, 1969 to 1998, that he was with the Dodgers, first as publicity assistant, later as head of publicity and finally as general manager and executive vice president. He led the team to the 1988 World Series and coined the phrases “Dodger Blue” and “Think Blue.”
His newspaper days naturally got less attention. But by phone in July 2020, he and I spoke about his 12 years as a sportswriter, first for the Whittier Daily News in 1957; then at the Progress-Bulletin from 1958 to 1968, where he became sports editor; and then his year at the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram before the Dodgers hired him.
I wrote about that conversation, and then had a follow-up story when 16 readers chimed in about personal interactions with Claire during his sportswriting days, which had ended more than a half-century earlier. Some were young athletes he had covered.
As mentioned above, he subscribed to five newspapers in print.
“I’m a newspaper guy,” Claire told me then. “I was just as happy as sports editor of the Progress-Bulletin as I was as executive vice president of the Dodgers, because it was a team effort.”
Claire and I spoke again a few weeks later after the Dodgers won the World Series, their first since 1988, and we exchanged a handful of emails. We never met in person, sorry to say, but it was an honor to have interacted with him. He was a straightforward guy and a real gentleman.
I last heard from him in March 2024. He’d seen my column in the Star-News about my 60th birthday.
“Keep going and may you be blessed with a meaningful journey,” Claire wrote in part. “Hope all is well and at 60 you are just getting started.”
SB on ‘SNL’
A sketch on last week’s “Saturday Night Live” had a trio of teenage girls at a sleepover sharing their favorite “Get ready with me” influencer videos. Susan Winderman of Claremont tipped me off.
Two of the girls play wholesome TikTok videos about a student’s makeup routines before homeroom and a nurse’s emergency room shift in Pikachu scrubs. Then the third girl shows the disturbing videos of a crazed influencer played by host Dakota Johnson. The first: “Get ready with me for court-ordered electroshock therapy.”
The second: “Get ready with me to get 5150’d on the roof of a San Bernardino Whole Foods.” (5150 is an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold.)
“You’re going to want to put on a mask made of mirrors,” influencer Colorado Vicky says, “so that the Flock cameras can’t find you after you bite a cop.”
There is, of course, no Whole Foods in San Bernardino, or almost anywhere else in the Inland Empire either. The only IE locations are in Upland and Palm Desert.
Still, in a city that doesn’t have a Sprouts or Trader Joe’s either, this “SNL” sketch might have made viewers in San Bernardino wistful.
More than fair
On Sunday, many of us nonfiction writers congregated for Riverside’s Local History Book Fair at sales tables. As always, the Riverside Historical Society put on a well-run event, and more people seemed to find their way to the Villegas Community Center than to previous venues.
I unexpectedly sold 14 copies of my latest column collection, “Such Great Heights,” at least double my usual sales tally from the book fair. Just as fun was the chance to interact with you, the reading public.
“I wanted to express my sympathies,” Ed Holmes walked up to tell me. “I know you’re a Cardinals fan.”
Just wait’ll next year!
Speaking of the Redbirds, you may recall how a reader earlier this year gave me a baseball autographed by Hall of Famer Lou Brock. Well, on Sunday, Doug Barrie handed me a December 1974 copy of Baseball Digest with Brock on the cover.
“You can keep it with your autographed baseball,” Barrie suggested.
Suddenly I have a mini-shrine to one of my favorite ballplayers, both items courtesy of readers.
Stuck in Upland
Wednesday morning saw me speak to the Upland Foothill Kiwanis Club, where I was warmly received, and not only because it was already 85 degrees out.
As I noted in my remarks, thus far on my book tour I had spoken at Morgan’s Books in Upland, had a speaking engagement in San Bernardino postponed, sold books without a reading in Riverside, was at that moment speaking to Upland Kiwanis and in a week would be speaking at the Upland Public Library.
“So far,” I admitted, “only Upland wants to hear me — but I can build on that.”
If you want to hear me read from my book in Upland, that’s at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at the library, 450 N. Euclid Ave. If you miss it, I imagine I’ll be back in Upland before too long.
brIEfly
Also at that Upland Foothill Kiwanis Club meeting, member Ted Powl had some good news about the club’s recent golf tournament. Their hole-in-one insurance company had apologized for overcharging them and enclosed a refund check. Amount: 53 cents. President Richie Stager said dryly, “Somewhere down the line, this will help a child.” Examining the envelope, Stager then announced: “The postage was 78 cents.”
David Allen writes Friday, Sunday and Wednesday, but who’s counting? Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, and follow davidallencolumnist on Facebook or Instagram, @davidallen909 on X or @davidallen909.bsky.social on Bluesky.