ARLINGTON, Texas — Growing up in the Bay Area around the same time the San Francisco 49ers were dominating the 1980s as the NFL’s premier dynasty, A’s manager Bob Melvin often witnessed the greatness of Dwight Clark in person at Candlestick Park.
So when Melvin learned the Clark, who had been battling with ALS for 14 months, died Monday at the age of 61, he like the rest of the Bay Area was down.
“I know those guys. That’s really sad. He was one of those guys that just had that infectious group personality where everybody kind of just was drawn to him,” Melvin said before the A’s took on the Rangers Tuesday.