Padecky: Bay Area icons try to turn words into actions

“And how many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?” — Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ In The Wind”, 1963

The three men knew it probably might not make any difference, but they did it anyway. They knew their protests created a sensation at the time of their airing but, as history has showed, they would fade to a distant, indiscernible echo. Yet, they put themselves out there.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler knew that refusing to come out of the dugout for the national anthem wasn’t going to have lawmakers rush to change gun laws.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew no politician was going to hit the speed dial and ask him for a more detailed opinion after his screaming rant before a playoff game last week.

And Colin Kaepernick sure as heck knew there would be repercussions after he took a knee in 2016 while the Anthem was being played before a 49ers game.

Yet these three Bay Area sports icons stuck their nose out and risked ridicule, anger and rejection. The three men saw themselves as more than entertainers. Sports celebrities are not always treated as humans but rather as real-time actors for our amusement. Gesture. Make a face. Throw a pass. Show disgust. Point a finger. Jump for joy. Sag in sadness. Grunt. Grit teeth. Get dirty.

And then we all go home to have pizza.

“Are you not entertained?” TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal yelled on-set to Warriors fans last week. He was answered with approving gestures and unintelligible answers.

Kerr, Kapler and Kaepernick are asking us to expand our horizon. Avery Brundage, the long-time-gone president of the International Olympic Committee, wanted athletes to be mute marionettes, dangling for our pleasure. Opinions? Leave that to the adults.

“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend he just doesn’t see?”

Kapler decided to stand Monday for the national anthem because it was Memorial Day, but was still committed to staying in the clubhouse otherwise. Kapler was shaken to his core by the mass shooting last week in Uvalde, Texas: “I’m not OK with the state of our country.” Kapler’s frustration and devastation was felt by millions of Americans. But in sports, best to duct tape your thoughts.

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Kapler’s actions were “brave.” Apparently, in today’s America, revealing what you are thinking is brave. Woodward refused to say whether he would or wouldn’t do in response to “what he (Kapler) did.”

What Kapler did, walking inside a clubhouse and nothing more, found allies - but to a point.

“That’s Gabe’s decision,” said Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi. “That’s all. I’m going to leave it at that.”

All of the managers interviewed said they respected Kapler’s decision and like the guy and he’s a terrific manager and blah, blah, blah. They all played it down the middle except for White Sox manager Tony LaRussa. LaRussa understood and agreed with Kapler’s frustration but felt not standing for the national anthem was disrespectful.

“You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem,” LaRussa said. “The cost they paid and their families. If you truly understand that, I think it’s impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the Anthem.”

To truly understand, the interpretation also might be this: Our veterans fought for the freedom of expression, however popular or unpopular. The First Amendment was written in blood and sacrifice.

Kapler could add cryptically: Did our vets fight and give their lives so 21 people could be murdered at a Texas elementary school? Of course not. That’s ludicrous. So Kapler spoke up.

Kerr spoke as well when he ended his brief press conference with a loud “Enough!” Well known as an advocate of background checks, what may not be as known is why Kerr is so adamant and expressive about gun control.

On January 18, 1984, Kerr’s father, Malcolm, was assassinated by terrorists in Lebanon. His dad was a professor at American University in Beirut. Kerr was an 18-year-old college freshman. Understandably that left a permanent emotional scar on Kerr, one that gets rubbed every time there’s a mass shooting.

“How many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died?”

Kaepernick took his knee during the national anthem to call attention to racial injustice and it cost him his career. It’s been almost six years since he played in the NFL, passed over as if he was someone contagious, while many quarterbacks without his skill set remained employed.

That Kaepernick was given a tryout last week by the Raiders shows how desperate Las Vegas is. They need quarterbacks. They are willing to have their name attached to what the NFL considers box office poison.

Oh, that Al Davis died in 2011. If the Raiders boss had been alive when Kaepernick took his knee, Al would have signed him long ago, sticking out his tongue at the NFL for additional pleasure.

Are Kerr, Kapler and Kaepernick protesting in a vacuum? Hear today, quiet tomorrow? Are they exercising their freedoms and nothing more? Are they a tea kettle letting off steam?

Bob Dylan wasn’t sure himself.

“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”

To comment write to bobpadecky@gmail.com.