Elephant Rumblings: Chester Farrow, longtime A’s scoreboard operator, dies at age 77

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

Memorial Day weekend came and went, and for the first time in over a century it was not accompanied by baseball. Still, a peaceful day with no social obligations isn’t the worst way to spend this particular holiday, giving us a chance to slow down and do the actual memorializing for which it’s intended. I hope your day went well and that many heroes were remembered fondly.

Unfortunately, in the world of Oakland A’s baseball, the family suffered a recent loss of their own. The team announced on Monday the death of longtime scoreboard operator Chester Farrow, who had held that post for over 50 years. In their tweet, they referred to him as “the life of the control room.”

Farrow had been mired in “a long battle with cancer,” reports Jim Harrington of the Mercury News. He was 77 years old. Click that link to read the full obituary by Harrington, all about Farrow’s life as a teacher and concert promoter. (Aside: Farrow taught at my high school, Monte Vista in Danville, but retired the year before I arrived there in 1999.)

“Chet” Farrow started working for the A’s in 1969, keeping score for nearly their entire tenure in Oakland to date. His impact can be clearly observed in the reactions of some prominent media members.

Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle called him “just about the coolest person on the press level at the Coliseum” and said he was her “favorite person to see in the elevator after games.” Radio voice Ken Korach remembered that Farrow “stopped by our booth before every game. Always with a smile and usually with a bag of candy.” John Hickey of Sports Illustrated noted that he “supplied a [seemingly] endless bounty of good cheer on a daily basis.”

Athletics Nation wishes the best to Farrow’s family.

On the brighter side, the weekend also brought a piece of encouraging news: Japan’s NBP league will open its 2020 season on June 19, though with no fans in the stands for now. For all the details on their plan, scroll down to the MLB News section and click the link for Kaz Nagatsuka of the Japan Times.

A’s Coverage:

• Harrington: Chester Farrow, longtime Oakland A’s scorekeeper, dies from cancer
• Brazil: Daniel Mengden on track to pitch for A’s when 2020 MLB season starts
• Brazil: A’s Robbie Grossman envisions what walk-offs look like during pandemic
• Kuiper: What Glen Kuiper misses most about sports amid coronavirus hiatus
• Bair: Why A’s should sign Marcus Semien to long-term contract, break pattern
• Hickey: What Is MLB Going to do About Celebrating the Walk-Off Home Run?
• Hickey: The Link Between Home Run Baker, Jimmie Foxx, Connie Mack and Arte Moreno
• Hickey: A Quarter of a Century Ago, Athletics’ Dennis Eckersley Became Fastest to 300 Saves
• Hickey: Why May 23 is Such a Special Day For Athletics’ Dave Stewart
• Hickey: On This Day in 2004, Athletics Retired Reggie Jackson’s No. 9
• Portside podcast: Guest is Martin Gallegos
• Shea: Former A’s, Giants catcher Stephen Vogt in a competition for the ages ($)
• Gallegos: A’s Top 5 RH starters
• Byrne: 10-Year-Old A’s Trade Paying Dividends

AN Roundup:

• Nico: The “It Could Be Worse!” Silver Lining Report
• Vote: Best jersey design in Oakland A’s history
• Hall: 12 Great things about the underdog 2012 Oakland A’s
• Hall: Jesse Chavez, the most traded player in MLB
• Hall: Oakland A’s history (5/21): Max Bishop walks into record books
• Hall: Reba, the very good groundsdog of the Oakland A’s

MLB News:

• Nagatsuka: NPB can play ball in Japan from June 19, but minus fans
• Yoo: KBO bans ex-major leaguer Kang Jung-ho for 1 year before potential return
• Rosenthal and Drellich: MLB plans to offer an alternative proposal to players on salaries ($$$)

Baseball Interest:

• MLB Dream Bracket: 1988 A’s stun ‘84 WS champ Tigers in Bracket 2
• Miller: The Rangers’ New-Look Rotation Has Big-Time Upside
• Fernandes: Scooter Gennett an MLB All-Star without a team
• Kelly: 10 scouting reports that saw greatness coming (including Mark McGwire)
• Leitch: For 1 season, these 30 guys played like HOFers
• Monagan: Manny once called for time with 1 hand ... & hit a HR
• Harrigan: Best utility man ever? These 12 have a case
• Byrne: 1990 AL Rookies Of The Year: How Many Hall Of Famers?
• Byrne: Remembering 1990s NL Rookies Of The Year
• MLB Trivia: Do you know the SB leaders at every position?
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

Promising updates

... continued ...

Truly unprecedented times

Get hyped for when games start and this guy gets back in action

Speaking of great videos, here’s another one from a legend

Twitter superstar