Scheduling
The worst part of the job is filling out the game schedule for the teams. It is almost a full-time job–at least you could make into one if you were neurotic enough. (I just barely escape.)
How it works is, after being contacted by an outside team that wants to come in, I email the schedule out along with a gate clearance form and a little piece I wrote titled, “Considerations for teams.” (It appears at the end of this chapter.)
This is all pretty simple, but the trouble begins with the gate clearance. On the form, four pieces of information are requested for each person coming in: name as on the driver’s license; that driver’s license number; date of birth; and social security number. A person at the prison, in the warden’s office, goes into an FBI data base, which is very sensitive, and the person will either be cleared or denied. If denied I hope to be told about this to prevent the player from making the effort to come only to be turned away at the East Gate. Sometimes I am so informed; other times I am not.
Where the trouble comes in is when team managers try to get a player or two cleared in mere days ahead of the game date. Usually, a week or more is required.[1] Not that it takes so long to do the clearances, but it is a bureaucratic thing, there are rules and policies that must be followed.
It is a gamble whether the add-ons will be cleared or not, and in these rush deals, I mostly never know what happened. Now we are at the gate, the players are all hoping to get in. Driver’s licenses are collected then handed to the officer at the East Gate, who disappears into his little shack where he runs the names through his computer. Invariably he will emerge with two piles of licenses; one set that cleared, the other that didn’t. The denied players sometimes take it okay, and some do not. There has been many a scene at the gate when the denied person(s) only has me to blame. Though I try to explain what might have happened, the disappointment can run deep. More than once a whole team will actually refuse to come for a game when even one of their players is turned away.
One incident I will not forget easily was when a Marine, just back from Iraq, had only his military I.D. with him, which had his photo on it. The whole team cleared but him. I resolved to get him in, so I headed into the prison to find the watch commander in the Captain’s Porch and argue the case. He was not there, but I was told he was in cafeteria located just east of the Count Gate, the main entrance into the heart of the prison.
The captain was seated having coffee with several other officers of rank, and I excused myself and presented the Marine’s I.D. It was examined, and then the watch commander said, “Nope, has to be a driver’s license.”
A few years ago, a team came up from Los Angeles. They flew up on the Friday before the Saturday game, stayed at a nearby hotel, and there they were, eagerly looking forward to playing a real baseball game in one of the most famous prisons in the world.
The day before, wanting to make sure, I contacted the powers that were responsible for the gate clearances and was told that the whole team was cleared it and there were no denials. Armed with that I phoned the manager of the team and said everything was a go.
Not one got in; not one name was on the computer. I visited the watch commander, pleaded, begged, but no, sorry. I gathered the licenses, wrote all the information down on a piece of paper, made out a statement saying I would take full responsibility. Nope, Sorry. I am still upset about it.
Below now is something I developed that I thought might make things go more smoothly for visiting teams.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEAMS
1. Please leave valuables in cars, or better yet, at home.
2. Bring a picture ID. Make sure to secure it during the game.
3. No cell phones, cameras, or other electronic devices.
4. A photo of the team may be taken in front of the East Gate before entering into the prison.
5. No blue, grey, orange, or yellow jerseys—convicts wear these colors.
6. Can bring in water, clear plastic bottle, and a snack if necessary.
7. Please do not give an inmate anything at all. “Nothing in, nothing out” is the thing.
8. We must comply with anything asked by a correctional officer.
9. We cannot make a phone call for or contact anyone for an inmate.
10. No items of clothing may be given to an inmate, batting gloves, hats, cleats, etc.
11. Conversation may be made with an inmate, but be careful not to divulge any personal
information. Best not to ask a person what crime he committed.
12. You will not be able to visit an inmate at a later date.
13. We have never had an incident of violence; this is not a worry.
14. A number of officers will be watching, from various locations, and the whole thing
will be video-taped—but you will not be aware of this.
16. Try to ignore inmates who may come up behind the open dugout and want to engage
in conversation. Be polite but discreet.
17. The officiating is usually poor, and we hope close calls go for the visitors.
18. It is not uncommon for players, who were supposed to be cleared in, turn out to be
denied anyway. There is little or no recourse then. I suggest every player bring along
a good book to read and maybe something to eat and drink while waiting for the rest
of the team to finish their game. This does not happen often, but it happens and for
reasons we do not understand.
19. The whole point is to have fun and play baseball.
Thank you for being willing to come in. For many it is an unforgettable experience.
Kent Philpott
[1] San Quentin has bureaucracies galore, and they war with each other. Rules change at a whim, and now a list of gate clearances require to be in a month prior to the date the team is scheduled to come in.