Post by TheShadow on Dec 5, 2003 21:38:36 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com
by Steve Kroner
Early in the HBO documentary "Rebels of Oakland: The A's, the Raiders, the '70s," narrator Liev Schreiber utters a phrase writer Frank Deford uses as one of the film's main themes:
"Oakland was a small city with a large inferiority complex."
The one-hour documentary, which debuts at 9.p.m. Wednesday, makes a persuasive case that the successes of the A's and Raiders in the early- to mid- '70s helped Oakland shed that inferiority complex.
As former Coliseum vendor Tom Hanks puts it, "You go around the world and you say the word 'Oakland,' the next word is, 'Oh, you mean where the Raiders play.' "
In a distinctly proud voice, Hanks continues, "You said, 'Yes, exactly. That's exactly where Oakland is. It's where the Raiders play.' "
In a telephone interview Tuesday, executive producer Ross Greenburg said the original idea for the documentary came from Cris Collinsworth, the HBO and Fox broadcaster and former wide receiver for the Bengals. Collinsworth's idea was to focus solely on the Raiders of the '70s. Greenburg said the decision to combine the A's and Raiders' stories came after a "brainstorming session" among several HBO employees.
Doing, in essence, two separate stories in one documentary made this "not the easiest subject to tackle," Greenburg said. He credited producer Dan Klein for his work in weaving the two stories into one film.
One way the film ties together the Raiders' and A's sagas is to contrast the feelings fans and players had for Raiders owner Al Davis with the feelings fans and players had for A's owner Charlie Finley.
Davis lived in Oakland and had a mutual loyalty with most of his players.
"Everything was just a little cut above,'' former Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano says. "But, in order to earn that little cut above, you had to win."
Finley, meanwhile, built a team that won three straight World Series championships (1972-74) and five consecutive AL West titles (1971-75). Still, he was an absentee owner (living in Indiana) who gave his players a common sentiment: their dislike for him.
Longtime third baseman Sal Bando recalls his anger rising during an arbitration hearing in which Finley belittled Bando's play. "I can feel myself going across the table," Bando says, "grabbing him and strangling him."
Bando was one of several marquee A's interviewed in "Rebels of Oakland." Also in the lineup: Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, manager Dick Williams and former team executive MC Hammer. Villapiano was one of several notable Raiders -- including head coach John Madden, quarterback Ken Stabler, guard Gene Upshaw and defensive lineman Ben Davidson - interviewed for the documentary.
The only person conspicuous by his absence as an interviewee is Davis. Greenburg said that HBO tried to get Davis to appear, saying Davis had been interviewed in two previous HBO documentaries. Davis declined this time, and, Greenburg said, "We just didn't want to press him. ... Obviously, we miss not having him."
Nevertheless, "Rebels" is a program not to miss. There isn't an overwhelming amount of game footage of either team, but some of the off-field shots are captivating. One especially eye-catching moment comes in a post- World Series clubhouse scene in which Finley makes a grandstanding play to congratulate Jackson in the midst of several reporters.
Be sure to look for Jackson's roll-the-eyes smirk after Finley departs.
Davis profiled: The Raiders' owner is interviewed in a half-hour "SportsCentury" profile that debuts on ESPN Classic at 5 p.m. Monday. The show re-airs that day at 5:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.
The show gives a balanced portrait of Davis, with an impressive list of interviewees. Unfortunately, the bane of many otherwise excellent "SportsCentury" pieces comes into play in the Davis biography: an overuse of media members' perspectives on the man when those people closer to him easily could have been heard more often.
Briefly: KNBR (680 AM) holds its annual auction to benefit the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday at McCovey's Restaurant in Walnut Creek. The station will broadcast from the restaurant from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ... The announcement of the 10 finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick award will come Thursday. The annual award honors excellence in broadcasting. More than 105,000 votes were cast by fans online to pick three of those 10 finalists.
by Steve Kroner
Early in the HBO documentary "Rebels of Oakland: The A's, the Raiders, the '70s," narrator Liev Schreiber utters a phrase writer Frank Deford uses as one of the film's main themes:
"Oakland was a small city with a large inferiority complex."
The one-hour documentary, which debuts at 9.p.m. Wednesday, makes a persuasive case that the successes of the A's and Raiders in the early- to mid- '70s helped Oakland shed that inferiority complex.
As former Coliseum vendor Tom Hanks puts it, "You go around the world and you say the word 'Oakland,' the next word is, 'Oh, you mean where the Raiders play.' "
In a distinctly proud voice, Hanks continues, "You said, 'Yes, exactly. That's exactly where Oakland is. It's where the Raiders play.' "
In a telephone interview Tuesday, executive producer Ross Greenburg said the original idea for the documentary came from Cris Collinsworth, the HBO and Fox broadcaster and former wide receiver for the Bengals. Collinsworth's idea was to focus solely on the Raiders of the '70s. Greenburg said the decision to combine the A's and Raiders' stories came after a "brainstorming session" among several HBO employees.
Doing, in essence, two separate stories in one documentary made this "not the easiest subject to tackle," Greenburg said. He credited producer Dan Klein for his work in weaving the two stories into one film.
One way the film ties together the Raiders' and A's sagas is to contrast the feelings fans and players had for Raiders owner Al Davis with the feelings fans and players had for A's owner Charlie Finley.
Davis lived in Oakland and had a mutual loyalty with most of his players.
"Everything was just a little cut above,'' former Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano says. "But, in order to earn that little cut above, you had to win."
Finley, meanwhile, built a team that won three straight World Series championships (1972-74) and five consecutive AL West titles (1971-75). Still, he was an absentee owner (living in Indiana) who gave his players a common sentiment: their dislike for him.
Longtime third baseman Sal Bando recalls his anger rising during an arbitration hearing in which Finley belittled Bando's play. "I can feel myself going across the table," Bando says, "grabbing him and strangling him."
Bando was one of several marquee A's interviewed in "Rebels of Oakland." Also in the lineup: Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, manager Dick Williams and former team executive MC Hammer. Villapiano was one of several notable Raiders -- including head coach John Madden, quarterback Ken Stabler, guard Gene Upshaw and defensive lineman Ben Davidson - interviewed for the documentary.
The only person conspicuous by his absence as an interviewee is Davis. Greenburg said that HBO tried to get Davis to appear, saying Davis had been interviewed in two previous HBO documentaries. Davis declined this time, and, Greenburg said, "We just didn't want to press him. ... Obviously, we miss not having him."
Nevertheless, "Rebels" is a program not to miss. There isn't an overwhelming amount of game footage of either team, but some of the off-field shots are captivating. One especially eye-catching moment comes in a post- World Series clubhouse scene in which Finley makes a grandstanding play to congratulate Jackson in the midst of several reporters.
Be sure to look for Jackson's roll-the-eyes smirk after Finley departs.
Davis profiled: The Raiders' owner is interviewed in a half-hour "SportsCentury" profile that debuts on ESPN Classic at 5 p.m. Monday. The show re-airs that day at 5:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.
The show gives a balanced portrait of Davis, with an impressive list of interviewees. Unfortunately, the bane of many otherwise excellent "SportsCentury" pieces comes into play in the Davis biography: an overuse of media members' perspectives on the man when those people closer to him easily could have been heard more often.
Briefly: KNBR (680 AM) holds its annual auction to benefit the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday at McCovey's Restaurant in Walnut Creek. The station will broadcast from the restaurant from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ... The announcement of the 10 finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick award will come Thursday. The annual award honors excellence in broadcasting. More than 105,000 votes were cast by fans online to pick three of those 10 finalists.