Jerry Royce isn't at all surprised that his former Dodgers teammate, Steve Garvey, is running for U.S. Senate.
The shocking part for Ross is that it took Garvey so long to launch his political career.
“He’s a 75-year-old rookie,” Royce recently told the Times in an email.
Royce was a left-handed pitcher who played for eight teams over 22 Major League Baseball seasons. Garvey was an infielder and one of the Dodgers' most popular players in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and their baseball careers intersected in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1982.
Royce told the Times that Garvey was considering becoming an elected official at the time, while Ronald Reagan was serving his first term as president of the United States.
“Steve always had the idea of entering the political arena,” Royce said in the email. “He once told me that if a former actor can become president, why can't a former baseball player?”
Nearly four decades later, Garvey made his big entry into that arena. A UC Berkeley Institute of Government poll co-sponsored by The Times found that Republican newcomer and Rep. Adam P. Schiff, the veteran Democratic congressman from Burbank, are virtually tied for the lead in the primary days before Tuesday's election.
The poll shows Garvey favored by 27% of likely voters, followed by Schiff with 25%, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) with 19%, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) with 8%, while 12% of likely voters have Supported by 27% of potential voters. Likely voters choose a different candidate and 9% are undecided. The top two winners advance to a runoff in November. There, Schiff would have a 53% to 38% advantage, with 9% undecided, over Garvey, according to the poll.
Garvey was drafted by the Dodgers out of Michigan State in 1968 and remained with the organization until signing with the San Diego Padres as a free agent before the 1983 season. He played five seasons with the Padres before retiring.
Beginning in June 1973 and continuing through the Dodgers' World Series victory in 1981, Garvey played first base in one of MLB's most iconic and durable stadiums. For 8 1/2 seasons, this lineup also always included Davey Lopez at second base, Ron Seay at third, and Bill Russell at shortstop.
Cey declined to comment for this article. The Times was unable to reach Lopez and Russell.
Two members of the Dodgers' 1981 championship team recently came out in support of one of Garvey's opponents for the Senate seat. In an announcement released by Lee's office on Wednesday, Dusty Baker and Dave Stewart were listed among the congresswoman's supporters in Oakland. Baker and Stewart have ties to Northern California and spent parts of their MLB careers with the Athletics.
Tom Niedenfuer was a rookie pitcher for the Dodgers during the 1981 season. As a resident of Florida, Niedenfuer had watched Garvey's young political career from afar and was not surprised by his former teammate's success in that field.
“I can definitely see him getting into something like this,” Niedenfuer told The Times in a recent phone interview. “He was always well spoken, he was great with the media, and he definitely had his views, so it's not surprising at all. He's always been a great businessman, so I'm not really surprised that he'll be very successful at this.”
When asked if he could think of any weaknesses Garvey might have as a politician, Niedenfuhr could only think of one.
“The only thing I can think of is that he's not aggressive enough to say bad things back to people, because he's a very good guy,” Niedenvouer said. “He's not the type to attack other people and other opponents. He's always been great to everyone. If there's any weakness, I'd say he's very nice.”
San Diego Padres outfielder Steve Garvey, formerly of the Dodgers, greets some of his loyal fans at Dodger Stadium on April 16, 1983.
(Lennox McLendon/Associated Press)
Royce, who lives in Nevada, said he did not follow Garvey's campaign enough to have an opinion on his former colleague's policies. But Royce added of Garvey: “He is as honest now as the day I met him.”
Like Royce, Ross Porter, the former longtime Dodgers broadcaster, was surprised Garvey waited so long to enter politics.
“Steve will be a good senator and a better choice than his opponents, especially the obnoxious Adam Schiff,” Porter told the Times in an email, adding that he and his wife had donated to Garvey’s campaign.
When asked by The Times if he had any stories that illustrate the qualities he thought suited Garvey as a senator, Porter responded with this anecdote:
“On the afternoon of Sunday, August 28, 1977, Garvey entered a game against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, mired in the worst hitting slump he had experienced during his 19-year major league career. In his previous 84 appearances, he had hit .139.
“Before the game that day, two nuns introduced a little disabled girl to her favorite Dodger player – Steve Garvey. During their conversation, the girl said, 'Can you hit a home run for me today?'
“Garvey said he would try.
“That day, Garvey had his best offensive game ever. He collected 5 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 5 runs, hit 2 home runs, and a grand slam, and the Dodgers won 11 to 0.”
“Steve told me years later that he still maintained correspondence with the girl.”
