For baseball fans of a certain age, the name Rollie Fingers conjures up special images of excellence and talent rarely seen in baseball. The Hall of Fame closer with his trademark mustache redefined the role of the relief pitcher and helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series in the early ’70s.
But to Jason Fingers, he was just “Dad.”
“If you’re just sitting at home watching baseball, it’s normal, you’re like, ‘Hey, it’s my dad,'” Jason Fingers said. “But when people look twice at him or come up to him and ask for an autograph, it reminds you that he was something special.”
Jason Fingers knew his dad was more than just a baseball player. Thanks to his distinctive mustache, Rollie Fingers became something of a baseball icon during his playing days and beyond. Jason admires many things about his dad, including his willingness to make time for the fans.
“It’s always great to see my dad brighten someone’s life,” Jason said. “I know a lot of guys who kind of shy away from people, but that’s the thing about my dad. He’s always willing to make a deal and he loves to talk baseball. He doesn’t call people ‘major league.’ He carries himself with real class. I’ve always admired that.”
In early July, Jason was able to accompany Lawrie to participate in Bobblehead Doll Day honoring Hall of Fame players at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before an Oakland Athletics game.
“It was awesome,” Jason said. “I got to see the press box, the red carpet, everything. … My dad is my dad, and that’s when it happens, but when you go to Cooperstown and things like that, you just sit there and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ It makes you look at things more objectively.”
Jason Fingers followed in his father’s footsteps in baseball, but an injury cut his playing career short. He went on to high school, junior college and Arizona State University, and was drafted three times in the MLB draft, eventually signing with the Kansas City Royals as a 10th-round pick in the 2000 draft.
He appeared in 18 games with the short-season Spokane Indians that summer, going 1-2 with a 3.68 ERA. The following season, he was promoted to Class A and went 1-6 with four saves and a 3.71 ERA with Burlington (Iowa). But the usual soreness in his shoulder turned into something more serious, and like many young pitchers, he tried to pitch through it.
The next spring training, at High-A Wilmington, the pain finally got to him.
“I’d pitched with arm pain before, so I thought, ‘Maybe it’ll go away.’ But I went on the mound and threw a couple of times in the bullpen and didn’t log a single inning. I just went to the manager and said, ‘I’m hurt and I don’t want to come on and ruin the game.'”
In 2002, he had rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder. He tried to return the following season with his fastball not even reaching 85 mph. His shoulder was hurting like never before, and the Royals released him after just two rehab appearances with their Arizona Complex League team.
Like many athletes, Jason found it hard to accept that his playing career was over. Unlike most, he also had to accept that he was the son of a Hall of Fame player.
“It was pretty tough,” he says, “with my dad being my dad and wanting to follow in his footsteps, I knew I’d never achieve legendary status – it was pretty high out of reach – but I just wanted to make my dad proud.”
After retiring from baseball, Fingers moved to Las Vegas, where he worked as a caddie on a golf course and helped Oakland Athletics Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson with his autograph signing and memorabilia collection.
Sometime after retiring, Fingers wanted to give baseball another try, and with the help of his father, he arranged a tryout with Ned Yost, then general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“When I went down (to Arizona) in spring training, (Yost) gave me some time to throw in the bullpen,” he said. “It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t feel great. The next day, the pain was so bad. So I called and said, ‘Thanks for the opportunity, but I’m not going to waste your time.’ And that was it, and the rest is history.”
Wanting to get out of the desert, Jason Fingers returned to the Inland Northwest, where a friend he met in Las Vegas worked at the Coeur d’Alene Resort golf course and offered to help him get a job as a caddie.
“The whole environment was great,” he said. “It was awesome. I made a few hundred bucks caddying and then went out on the lake on a friend’s boat. You can’t beat that.”
He remained in the area and made it his home.
Jason currently works in the vehicle division of the state Department of Social and Health Services in Spokane, delivering commissary items to government buildings and agencies.
“I’ve lived all over the place. Southern California, Arizona, I’ve traveled with baseball. I played in the Midwest League, did spring training in Florida. And this is a place I love.”