Garvey Is Magazine’s New MVP

Every so often, someone will wonder if I happen to know, “What’s Steve Garvey doing these days?” Particularly in springtime, when camps are training baseball players to be half the player Garvey was, inquiring minds will be curious as to what Garvey is up to, whether instead of running the bases he is running a business, or running for office, or what?

Garvey is the new publisher of Sport magazine.

Journalist Steve has been on the job at the L.A.-based magazine for a few weeks now, ever since the January earthquake, in fact.

“That was my first day at work,” he remembers. “I was supposed to start that morning, but the quake hit us around 4:30. Well, you know me, mister never-miss-a-game. I get dressed and go to the office on time.

“The guard is standing there at the building saying, ‘What the heck are you doing here?’ He’s looking at me like, ‘We had a little earthquake around here this morning, buddy, in case you hadn’t noticed.’ ‘

Garvey was eager to get to work, same as always. This is his spring training in the magazine business. He intends to be a hands-on publisher, not some figurehead.

Sport is one of the most venerable monthlies in the magazine trade, one that in the past has known much success. But black ink or red, it was in need of some new blood.

Corporate executives got the idea of bringing in someone who would be an ideal crossover choice, someone who could exist comfortably in each of a sport magazine’s worlds--sport and magazines. Garvey was a natural. He was someone who could be as at ease inside a boardroom meeting with business leaders and advertisers as he generally has been with writers and photographers.

“It just seemed to be the perfect idea at the perfect time,” Garvey says.

Already he has taken an active role in a new design for the magazine, and will reshape some of its editorial content. He also will write a publisher’s column in each issue.

One of the first issues he could address, were it not so self-serving, could be, “What’s wrong with those Hall of Fame voters?”

I can only speak for myself when I say that Garvey has gotten one of my votes for baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown ever since he became eligible. So far, though, I have not been able to successfully push him over the top for the necessary number of votes, any more than I did Orlando Cepeda.

Anyone who reviews Garvey’s numbers would be hard-pressed to explain why he isn’t a Hall of Famer. His batting totals alone are noteworthy, but when you take into account his astounding fielding percentages at first base, his World Series and All-Star achievements and his consecutive-game streak, it is not easy to ascertain exactly where Garvey is lacking.

Then again, as they say, if getting there was easy, everybody would do it.

I asked if Garvey had ever weighed making a comeback after his retirement, a la Jim Palmer. After all, he kept himself in pretty good shape. Probably could have padded his numbers a bit.

He said: “I did think about it after my injury healed. But the first team I contacted told me, ‘We can’t offer you a contract, but you could come down and try out.’ And the next team I contacted told me, ‘We can’t offer you a contract, but you could come down and try out.’

“To me, that was another example of the collusion among baseball executives. Every one would give exactly the same answer, in virtually the exact same words.”

Back when he was playing for the Dodgers and later for San Diego, there was no telling where Garvey’s post-career interests might take him. He dabbled in broadcasting, ventured into various business areas and had often expressed a curiosity about politics. There was some much-publicized upheaval in his personal life, then a quiet time when he didn’t make the news much.

Now he publishes it. Sport magazine used to sponsor the trophy presented to baseball’s most valuable players. Now, the National League’s most valuable player of 1974 is running Sport magazine.

“I’ve gone over to the other side,” Garvey says.

No, not really. The man can never be a true sports journalist. He works hard and dresses well.