January 1, 1935 - May 28, 2015
OAKLAND -- Ron
Bergman, Born January 1, 1935 – Died May 28, 2015. The colorful, stylish
sportswriter best known for documenting the Swingin' A's of the 1970s,
died Thursday. He was 80.
Bergman was the
Oakland Tribune's original A's beat writer when the franchise arrived
from Kansas City in 1968 and went on to cover their three consecutive
World Series titles.His book "Mustache Gang" remains the best insider
account of that wild cast of characters.
"It's a great
loss for all of us. He was a cool dude," said Vida Blue, who won the MVP
and Cy Young Award for the A's in 1971. "Remember, this was the 1970s,
and our relationship with the media was a lot different. He'd be on our
flights. He'd be there for drinks. And nothing was off limits -- the
good and the bad."
Bergman would
hit the town with Catfish Hunter or Joe DiMaggio (an A's coach at the
time) and played bridge with the likes of Rollie Fingers and Ken
Holtzman. As a result, Blue said, players confided in him, allowing
Bergman to produce an almost daily parade of scoops.
Glenn Schwarz,
who covered the A's beat for the San Francisco Examiner during those
years, said: "I was a so-called peer. But he was peerless. He was the
best baseball writer of his time."
Former Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse recalled Mr. Bergman as a skilled writer who crafted many memorable stories, including one about Catfish Hunter's perfect game in 1968that began "Catfish is King". He is perfect"
The course of
Bergman's wide-ranging career, including a distinguished turn at the San
Jose Mercury News, he wrote about some of the Bay Area's biggest
winners and losers. He became particularly close to Don Nelson, the
former Warriors coach, who shared Bergman's love of good times and good
conversation.
I’m going to go
light a candle for him right now. He was a dear friend and a wonderful
human being," Nelson said by phone from Hawaii. "I really enjoyed his
life and wish him well in the hereafter."
Known as "Bergy" -- no one ever called him Ron -- the Cal graduate delivered deadline prose that blended sophistication with irreverence. While at the Mercury News, he dubbed San Jose State basketball star Olivier Saint-Jean the "Flying Frenchman" and once wrote: "Saint-Jean, who is nothing if not insouciant, dismissed the incident as a mere bagatelle."
Born in
Philadelphia on New Year's Day in 1935, he started his newspaper career
at the Oroville Mercury Register and later worked at the Associated
Press, Oakland Tribune and Mercury News.
Bergman covered the Beatles' final concert at Candlestick Park and delivered stories on everything from tennis to horse racing to hockey. He once introduced his daughter to a promising young gymnast named Nadia Comaneci. "You name it, he covered it," Anne Bergman said.
Bergman, who
spent his final years in Oakland, died from complications of Parkinson's
disease. He is survived by former wife Sally, with whom he had two
children, Anne and Adam; a brother, Jim; and grandchildren Henry and
Ella.
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