The Oakland high school that produced Frank Robinson and others fights to keep baseball alive

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — 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 history at McClymonds — Hall of Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi, who was white, is also an alum. Basketball great Bill Russell and several other NBA and NFL players went there, too.

Basketball remains a more popular sport among Black youth for several reasons, including a perceived quicker path to the pros. Oakland has a proud history of Black major leaguers, including late Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Joe Morgan, and former pitcher Dontrelle Willis. But recent decades brought a decline in Black participation nationwide. Just 6.8% of MLB players on opening day rosters this year were Black, down from 18% in 1991 — although the percentage is up in consecutive seasons for the first time in at least two decades.

Smart, former McClymonds player and coach Eddie Heard, and other supporters around them believe strongly that it's important to keep baseball going, not just in inner-cities, but everywhere, even against the obstacles. McClymonds hasn't played a full schedule since 2019, having competed on various fields in the community over the years.

The team's lack of experience shows in the scorebook. McClymonds endured a 20-0 defeat to Skyline last week, then celebrated some progress losing 16-2 to the same team just three days later.

A day after that Tuesday shutout, Smart was right back to it: sharing with the teens how they could be better next time.

The message come game time: “Here we go, let’s push back, not getting shut out today!”

From fundamentals and focus to energy and effort, McClymonds' players are learning and growing by the day. They acknowledge the small strides, such as being in the right spot for a groundball or throwing to the right base.

Or, on Friday, winning a single inning.

“Keep competing! So what!” Smart yells at Raimondi Park, where the team has played its home games this season thanks to the generosity of the independent league Oakland Ballers club.

McClymonds has access for some practices and the home games. Former major leaguer Tyson Ross — from Berkeley and Oakland — also donated hats and T-shirts reading “Loyal” on front.

To prepare for the rematch with Skyline, Smart used senior Josiah McCombs’ memorable first career at-bat as a teaching moment. The 6-foot-5 McCombs didn’t know he could run to first after a dropped third strike. After some urging, he took off, but the converted basketball player stumbled in the infield. He rolled right back up and kept a smile on his face through it all.

“He would have gotten a 9.2 on a dive in a swim meet,” observed Rick Steen, Smart’s high school coach who is now retired but still a regular around the Warriors team.

Skyline coach Marcel Johnson appreciated how McCombs handled himself in that situation — and also how Smart has taken on such a daunting challenge to keep the baseball program going. Smart was coaching under Johnson, another former McClymonds coach, the past two seasons before accepting a job to teach special education at McClymonds in January.

“The perfect person to rebuild right now,” said Johnson, who also runs a summer program in Oakland to keep kids playing. “Oakland is rooted with so much talent and so much talent in the past, now it’s just getting back out here, trying to advocate for the kids to get back out and play baseball and really train."

Smart, a former college and indy ball first baseman who turns 30 on Saturday, has been recruiting students from other sports to give baseball a try. He pitches it as a chance to be part of something special — no matter the meager batting averages, dropped balls or baserunning blunders.

Only a couple of players on the team have played organized baseball at any level, and one of those, senior Keian Davis-Jimenez, competed in just one season at age 5. A running back on the football team, Davis is finding his footing in a new sport.

McCombs is another one of those fresh faces. His father always wanted him to play baseball, but he never gave it a try until this year. He knows the name Frank Robinson but little else about any legends to come through McClymonds, or “Mack,” as the school is fondly known.

“It’s something new, something to be a part of,” McCombs said. “A different adventure, different discoveries I haven’t really seen yet. It’s fun.”

Smart was a substitute teacher in the Oakland Unified School District and coached at Skyline under Johnson before accepting a special education position at McClymonds in January – and he immediately connected with athletic director Relonda McGhee about bringing baseball back.

“I hired him on the spot,” she said.

McGhee became AD at her former high school in May last year with a commitment to providing more opportunities for students.

She has been adding sports, and baseball was high on the list. Her brothers were part of the school’s last league champion baseball team in 1978.

“I’m from a baseball family so it was very important for me,” she said. “And as an alumni knowing all the sports we had at McClymonds, one of my main goals this year was to revitalize sports that hadn’t been there, and baseball was one of them.”

Freshmen Alex Board and Tyler Higginbotham hope to help pave the way for baseball players at the school well into the future.

“I’m learning more valuable skills, it’s helping me with footwork, mechanics and everything, even for basketball,” Higginbotham said.

Smart’s dad and his close friend, Zachary Crittenden, are assistants, while retired, longtime coach Steen drops by practice and games to offer any insight he can provide. He coached Smart at The Athenian School before the infielder went on to Loyola Marymount University.

“It’s a neat resurrection here,” Steen said.

Smart is quick to offer those thoughtful shoutouts to his players while also holding them accountable for missing practice or not giving it their all.

“Let’s make the most of our time out here!”

“It has been cool,” Smart said. “Their resilience has been probably one of the more inspiring things. From what I’ve heard, they’ve tried to get baseball going with Mack and it just kind of fizzles out, but the main thing for me has just been trying to keep their spirits up and keep them focused on a goal that’s not necessarily results, and they’re honestly sticking to it pretty good.”

Indeed, through this experience they are all realizing there are many ways to win.

AP high school sports: https://apnews.com/hub/high-school-sports

Players from the McClymonds High School baseball team practice fielding at Raimondi Field Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

McClymonds High School Tyler Higginbotham, left, and Antuan Mason (10) share a laugh during the fourth inning of a baseball game against Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

McClymonds High School pitcher Madden Kang (4) throws to a Skyline High School batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

McClymonds High School head coach Jamey Smart, center, talks with his team inside the dugout during the third inning of a baseball game against Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

McClymonds High School players break a huddle after their loss to Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said Thursday that it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.”

The exchange occurred as U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post. U.S. forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defense strikes, it said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a shipping data company reported Thursday, as Tehran said it was reviewing the latest U.S. proposals for ending the war.

The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial ships bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace negotiations, but Iran “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the U.S. side,” Iranian state TV reported.

Late in the day, Iranian state media said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant.

No other details were reported. The White House and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Separately, Iranian state media reported loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial Iranian news agencies said. The reports from the Fars and Tasnim agencies did not identify the source of the blasts.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East peace efforts at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open sparring with President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy to end the war. A tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations were over have given way to new threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict.

Trump also suspended an attempt by the U.S. military to open a safe passage for commercial ships through the strait, saying the pause would allow more time to reach a peace agreement. An official in Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the kingdom and U.S. ally refused to support Trump's effort to reopen the strait by force.

The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8. But in-person talks between the two countries hosted by Pakistan last month failed to reach an agreement. The war began Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday. “We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.”

He declined to give a timeline.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said Islamabad remained in “continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.”

In other regional developments, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said talks will be held May 14 and 15.

Iran established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from shipping in the strait, shipping data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said Thursday. The move has raised concerns about eroding the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends.

The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is “positioning itself as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the strait,” Lloyd’s reported in an online briefing. Lloyd's said the authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.

Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of supplies of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, while the U.S. is blockading Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy.

The new Iranian agency formalizes an existing, albeit murky, vetting lane that takes vessels through the strait’s northern waters near the Iranian coastline. Iran controls which ships are allowed to pass and, for at least some vessels, imposes a tax on their cargo.

Maritime law experts say Iran’s demands to vet or tax vessels violate international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea calls for countries to permit peaceful passage through their territorial waters.

The U.S. and its Gulf allies are pushing for the U.N. Security Council to support a resolution that condemns Iran’s chokehold on the strait and threatens sanctions. A prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by Iran allies Russia and China.

Top Iranian officials have said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is playing a key role in overseeing negotiations with the U.S. But he remains in hiding and has not appeared in public since he was wounded early in the war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met recently for more than two hours with Khamenei. In remarks aired Thursday on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian praised the supreme leader’s “sincere” behavior in what he said was a long in-person meeting.

Khamenei has only released a series of written statements since being named supreme leader in March. He replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the war’s initial strikes.

Trump did not consult with U.S. ally Saudi Arabia before launching the short-lived effort to force open a shipping passage through the strait, according to a Saudi official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We told them that we are not part of this and that they can’t use our territories and bases for this,” the official said Thursday.

The official said Saudi Arabia sent a message to Iran that the kingdom would not be involved in U.S. attacks related to Trump’s attempt to reopen the strait.

Trump suspended the effort, dubbed Project Freedom, during its second day Tuesday. Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed through the U.S.-guarded route. The U.S. military said it sank six Iranian small boats threatening civilian ships.

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany, and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press journalists Sally Abou AlJoud, in Beirut; Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece; Matthew Lee in Washington; Samy Magdy and Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan; Farnoush Amiri in New York and Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

Children play in the water along the shore as a mix of bulk carriers, cargo ships, and service vessels sit offshore in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, April 26, 2026.(Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls on a reporter in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A container ship sits at anchor as a small motorboat passes in the foreground in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard with graphic showing the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel strikes on Feb. 28, with his framed fist amongst his supporters framed fists in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Emirati patrol boat, left, is near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from a coastal road near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron, center right, visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, during his visit to Cyprus, March 9, 2026. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool Photo via AP, File)

A man waves an Iranian flag for a pro-government campaign under a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)