San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Bonds wins third MVP in 4 years
Items have been culled from The Chronicle’s archives of 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago.
1993
Nov. 10: Barry Bonds was named the Most Valuable Player in the National League yesterday. This one has some historical significance for Bonds, who has grown accustomed to having his offseason interrupted by the award. It was his third in the last four years and his second straight. With this one he becomes the eighth player in the history of the game to win three MVP awards. Nobody has won four, and Bonds brought that topic up himself. “I’m going for No. 4,” he said, “It’s something I want. That’s why I started training early — Nov. 1. My trainer’s working me harder than ever before. I’m just afraid the media is going to make me do inhuman feats to win four.” Bonds said the MVP awards would remain slightly hollow until he plays on a team that wins a World Series, or at least gets there. “I can’t say I’m ranked with the Hall of Famers yet. I’ll just take it one day and one year at a time.”
— Tim Keown
1968
Oct. 9: The Black Panthers yesterday zeroed in on a new target, Mayor Joseph L. Alioto, in their bid to keep Eldridge Cleaver out of jail. A noon rally at the Civic Center ended with some 200 persons unexpectedly yelling at City Hall — and a small crowd of spectators on its steps — “F— you, Alioto!” There were nine fiery speakers at the hour-long rally, but the star of the show was missing. Minister of Information Cleaver had to be in an Alameda County court at 2 p.m. Panther speakers demanded that Alioto fulfill his duty to the people of San Francisco by helping Cleaver. Panther Chairman Bobby Seale said he hoped that “some of the people who threw a few bombs around here” know where City Hall is located. Panther George Murray, the banned San Francisco State lecturer, said the only way to break free was to kill “slavemasters Cahill, Alioto and Nixon and any other racist Fascist pigs in the United States by a bullet in his head or some buckshot in his ass.”
1943
Nov. 5: Last Sunday The Chronicle carried a story of Commander Jesse B. Griffith, a Navy surgeon. He had worked 45 minutes to remove an unexploded shell from the hip of a sailor. He wondered where the boy was and how he was doing. Allen Gordon, 23, a fire control man was that enlisted man. He read the story in his bed at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland. These are excerpts from the letter he wrote to Commander Griffith.
“Do you remember, sir, the shell was lodged in my right hip and it might explode at any moment? You worked behind a metal plate, and said ‘the most we can lose was our hands’ ” “The most I could lose was my life, and thanks to you, I didn’t. In fact in a few more months I’ll be up and around again.” “We were heading into the battle of Savo Island when the shell hit me. The shell went right through my buddy and it sounded like someone had hit a pumpkin with an ax. Then it hit me.” “And do you know, sir, it felt like I had drunk an extremely hot cup of coffee. I didn’t hurt. I was torn to bits in the middle. That shell had gone through my stomach and ranged down by my right hip. It was an explosive and it could go off any time. I don’t know why it didn’t. My time probably just wasn’t then. You got the shell out of me without exploding it and that was a wonderful job. … It’s getting better now ... and last night I was up for three hours to see a movie.” Commander Griffith worked for 45 minutes in a South Pacific mobile hospital unit to remove the 20-mm antiaircraft shell.
1918
Nov. 10: “Where’s your ‘flu mask?’ ” A thousand who were not wearing one had the privilege of making their answers yesterday to the policeman on the street, to the sergeant at the desk and later to the police judge on the bench. Several hundred gave up trying to guess the right answer before they reached the police judge and forfeited their $5 bail. The police took the stand that the mask ordinance should be obeyed and that opinion resulted in speedily filling the City Prison. Those who explained that they had just taken off their mask to light a cigar were advised to “tell it to Health Director Dr. Hassler.” In the meantime they took the ride to the Hall of Justice where they deposited $5 by way of bail if they had it. If they didn’t they were locked up in the cells where there was standing room only. A few women were arrested yesterday, but those who accepted the suggestion that a veil, however dainty, was no “flu fence” were allowed to go to the nearest drug store and purchase one.