Oscar Gamble was a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. He played for 17 seasons, from 1969 to 1985, on seven different teams: the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees on two separate occasions, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers. Nicknamed the Big O by Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto, Gamble was a relatively small man, listed at 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 165 pounds. He still hit 200 career home runs in just over 4500 major league at bats, an impressive ratio for the era he played in.
Despite his hitting prowess, however, Gamble is known more for what is, without question, the largest afro the game has ever seen.
Simply put, there was no batting helmet that contain it and no ball cap that could tame it. And for an entire generation of boys, Gamble's hair stands as a symbol for all that was right with the world. Of such awe was his fro, that it was not uncommon for Gamble's baseball cards to demand a hefty, if not skewed premium, on the trading market. Tales of a 1976 Topps Gamble card being traded for 2 Pete Roses, a Steve Garvey and a fro to be named later (usually Base McBride) were not at all uncommon.
To be sure, there were other great afros in the game. The aforementioned Bake McBride, Enos Cabell, Tito Fuentes and others, but none captured the imagination of Gamble's. Gamble's fro was like a living, breathing and thinking organism. Like a chia pet with a dream. Like pond algae with a statement to make. To boys of that generation, there were only three certainties in life -- Summer, School, and Oscar Gamble's afro.
The lure and intrigue of Gamble's fro has remained with many of those who grew up during that era of baseball. For many, Gamble's afro is one of their most vivid memories of the game. So much so that an "Oscar Gamble Society" has been formed in Chicago. As best I can tell, the "Society" consists of a number of middle-aged folks who like to get together, put on afro wigs, and drink beer. And I can't think of any greater legacy that can be left by a ball player.
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