OAKLAND, Calif. — From one end of the dugout, Jamey Smart hollers constant instructions and encouragement as McClymonds High School pitcher Madden Kang fights through a long at-bat in the first inning against mighty Skyline.“Madden, it’s 3-1. We don’t throw those 3-1. Strikes, Madden, strikes! Keep going, get it, Madden!”Smart’s father, Roy, is also coaching his heart out — leaned up against the railing on the opposite side from his son.“Infielders, you want this ball!”“Good battle!”McClymonds, a squad of mostly baseball beginners, immediately falls behind 10-0.This once-storied program where Black big league stars Frank Robinson, Curt Flood and Vada Pinson got their careers going is now starting again from square one.The revival has been a long time coming. Even when McClymonds fielded a roster in recent years, a lack of student interest, insufficient resources and even issues with academic eligibility have prevented the program from completing a full season.“They had a bag of gloves, bats and cleats that were donated from the last time they tried to start it,” Smart said. “That was a great starting point for me.”Other schools have also pitched in gear.McClymonds is a predominantly Black school in West Oakland, just a seven-mile drive from the Coliseum that the Athletics departed two years ago. There is a rich sports h …
