All photos by David Andrews
In the 50 years that the Oakland Athletics have been in the Bay Area, the team has seen its share of success—it won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974 and its fourth title in 1989 over rival San Francisco Giants. But the last three decades have been a different story. The A’s have made it to the playoffs only nine times, losing in the first round in all but two of those appearances.
Through it all, though, one thing is for sure: Oakland fans have remained loyal to their team. And this year, they’re a damn happy bunch.
Despite the team’s fifth straight year with one of Major League Baseball’s lowest payrolls, the A’s have surprised everyone by winning 95 games — the American League’s fourth-best record. Just this past Monday, the team clinched a postseason berth, meaning they are officially heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, where they’ll play the New York Yankees in the one-game American League Wild Card Game.
At the height of this energy and excitement, I decided to pay the Coliseum a visit to get a look at some of the faces behind the scenes with the A’s. I spent time mostly with the group of security guards, many of whom have been with the team for decades. What we learned: this is a team—both players and staff—that is deeply rooted in Oakland and treat each other like family.
I hung out mostly with A’s security guard Eric “E” Raleigh, who has served in that role for most of the unkind second half of the A’s history in the Bay Area. Security guards serve a range of roles, from preventing fans from entering the field to keeping the players safe. Raleigh’s specific task, though, is being the self-proclaimed “traffic cop” between the A’s team clubhouse and their dugout, where he has posted up since 1991, a year after the A’s last World Series appearance.
On the day I was there, the A’s were playing the Los Angeles Angels. I trailed along Raleigh as he walked through the tunnel that connects the A’s clubhouse to the field, fist-bumping players as they passed by. Even A’s manager Bob Melvin shouted over to him, “All right, E, how you doing today?” Raleigh’s signature smile signaled that he was unmistakably well. Eventually, he escorted A’s starting pitcher Edwin Jackson past fans in the Diamond Club seating toward the dugout, where Jackson gave Raleigh a quick fist bump before turning to the crowd above and signing a few pregame autographs.
Raleigh has stuck with the team for 27 years, and he loves it so much he barely considers what he does a job. “Everybody in the A’s organization is so consistent,” the 58-year-old said. “When the season ends, 95 percent of those people who work down with me will return next year. So a family is a good way to describe it.”
Like the superstitious baseball players and fans he directs, he follows the same pregame ritual before every A’s home game that he works: laying mats down in the hallway and setting up snacks for the players while tuning in to the same General Electric radio he listens to before every A’s pregame show.
Apparently, the players have some strong opinions about snacks. Josh Reddick, a power-hitting fan favorite between 2012 and 2016, for example, was a Sour Patch Kids fan and had an affinity for certain colors of Skittles. “Reddick would take a handful of Skittles and throw them into the crowd,” Raleigh recalled. “Some of those guys—they’re kids, man!”
Raleigh says that former players, including Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson recently, will often return to the Coliseum after many years and ask him, “You’re still here?” On the day I was there, Michael Zagaras, the A’s photographer of 35+ years, happened to stop his pregame routine to sit and sign a lengthy personal note in a commemorative book about the history of the Coliseum that Raleigh had, which features many of Zagaras’ photos.
Raleigh’s mentor, fellow security guard and self-described “father figure” Guss Dobbins, has been at the Coliseum even longer than Raleigh has. I talked to Dobbins as he took a break from his usual post at the entrance of the A’s clubhouse, where he has stood guard for the better part of 33 years.
The 87-year-old from Jacksonville, Alabama, who used to refer to basketball players as “redwoods” when he was younger, also does security for the Golden State Warriors across the parking lot at Oracle Arena in addition to Raiders and A’s games. “Working here this long, you start taking about the players’ feelings,” Dobbins explained. “You’re feeling good when they’re feeling good and bad when they’re feeling bad.”
Dobbins hopes to continue with the A’s as long as he can and as long as he “isn’t a burden” on his A’s family.
“I hope to do this for another 10 years at least,” he said, smiling.
In light of multiple propositions to rebuild the dated Coliseum in a new location, both men made it clear they don’t intend to leave if a new stadium is built. And it will be a bittersweet moment—if the Coliseum does get replaced, they’ll have had a list of memorable moments to fill a lifetime.
“It’s been a premium for me to be that close to professional players—never dreamed of it,” Dobbins said, noting that his proximity to the players was even more important to him than working during a World Series championship.
As for Raleigh, who joined the ranks of the Coliseum two years after that last championship, he’s hopeful he’ll get his own distinguished memory. “I wish I could say winning the World Series is one of my most memorable moments. I’m still waiting for that time.”
And he has had dreams that this is the team to pull it off. “Don’t wake me up,” he said, with a wide, teary-eyed smile. “Don’t wake me up.”
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