When rooting for them San Francisco 49ers, famous Bay Area sports figures take different approaches.
Dusty Baker roots for the 49ers from his couch the same way he manages his Houston Astros from the top step of the dugout — inwardly intense, outwardly Chill City. Tara VanDerveer screams at the 49ers through her TV screen, admitting, “I yell at everything, I’m a horrible fan.” London Breed, an honorary member of this exclusive 49ers’ sporting support group because she’s the mayor of San Francisco, screams in anger at the blind refs and the dirty players on the opposing team, but never at her beloved 49ers.
Regardless of their different cheering styles, though, all these folks are swept up in Purdymania. The 49ers have won 12 games in a row, and a rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has won all seven games he has started, a mind-boggling run.
To gauge the fervor and fever being stirred up by the 49ers and Purdy, I made some calls to a random sampling of dignitaries. Takeaway: They’re all in, heart and soul. The 49ers are their family, Purdy is their genius child.
“It feels like we’re all kind of in this together,” Giants’ manager Gabe Kapler said. “The whole Faithful to the Bay hashtag, that’s meaningful, I personally believe in it.”
Dusty Baker became a 49ers fan in 1963 when his family moved from Southern California to Sacramento.
“I came up with the old dudes, like (John) Brodie and YA Tittle, John Henry Johnson and all them cats,” Baker said.
His ties to the 49ers were strengthened when he became the San Francisco Giants’ manager in ’93 and received invaluable leadership mentoring from Bill Walsh, who was coaching Stanford at the time.
“I used to go over to Bill’s house all the time for those sessions,” Baker said. “Bill was like my number-one mentor, him and Al Attles. And when Bill died, he left me all his notes and stuff on how he started the 49ers, all his cue cards, it’s been invaluable.”
Baker even has a connection of sorts with Purdy, who was the last player drafted last year, No. 262.
“You know something,” Baker said, “I pull for those guys, the longshot guys. I got drafted in the 25th round (No. 503 overall in 1967), so I pull for these (underdogs) big-time.”
A big question mark for Purdy is pressure, how he’ll handle it as it increases.
“I think people keep waiting for him to act like a rookie, but if it hasn’t happened yet, it probably won’t happen,” Baker said. “Sunday, first half he looked like the way people would expect him to act in a playoff game, being a rookie, but then in the second half he was back to acting like he had been there before.”
Baker watched a video of the college duel between Purdy and now-Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts, “So this ain’t (Purdy’s) first rodeo with pressure. And when you’re Mr. Irrelevant, you got pressure from the get-go.”
Watching the 49ers on TV, Baker is no screamer.
“Nah, because I realize how hard it is,” he said. “I got a couple buddies I watch games with, and (Baker’s casual ‘tude) drives ’em crazy. They’re like, ‘Where are you throwing the ball?’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, you think he could see that? Why don’t you be quiet?’ “
Tara VanDerveer, coach of the Stanford women’s basketball team, rooted for Christian McCaffrey when he played for Stanford, and, “When (the Carolina Panthers) were talking about trading him, I said, ‘God, the 49ers should get him, he’s awesome!’ “
VanDerveer is all-in on this team. The Cardinal had a home game last Sunday morning and the coach was scheduled to attend a booster function afterwards.
“I said, ‘No, not today, the 49ers are on, I gotta get home and watch the game.’ “
There was a near-tragedy during the telecast. VanDerveer’s cable went out in the second half, so she phoned her sister Heidi, who gave Tara a play-by-play until cable service was restored in the fourth quarter.
Recently, VanDerveer printed out a Chronicle story by Eric Branch, about how Purdy doesn’t mind when head coach Kyle Shanahan is tough on him. VanDerveer can be that way with her players. She read part of the story to the players, and put a copy in each locker.
“I like the fact that Shanahan can get on him, he’s not like a crybaby,” VanDerveer said.
VanDerveer, Baker and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr all likened the 49ers right now to a puzzle, with all the pieces fitting into place at just the right time.
“You’ve got a coach that loves offense and calling plays, with all those pieces — (Deebo) Samuel being back, (Elijah) Mitchell running well, (George) Kittle is crazy, and that catch was amazing,” she said. “But Purdy is special, he is special. Forget where he was drafted and all that other stuff, he is accurate. You watch some of those other guys. When Jimmy (Garoppolo) came back, his first game he’s throwing that interception out of the end zone. Purdy doesn’t make stupid plays, just plays within himself, and that’s really exciting to see.”
VanDerveer — whose Cardinal are ranked No. 3 in the nation with a starting freshman point guard, Telana Lepolo — likes how rookie Purdy handles the pressure. VanDerveer delivered what might be the finest compliment to Purdy:
“He’s done the job,” VanDerveer said. “He’s not out there just piddling down his leg or something.”
Steve Kerr had what I think is the perfect comp for Purdy.
“Maybe Fernando Valenzuela,” Kerr said. “As a Dodger fan growing up, I watched him, he sort of came out of nowhere and it was like, just Fernandomania happened, and he became unhittable.”
In 1981, Valenzuela was a 20-year-old Dodgers rookie. He got the Opening Day start when the scheduled starter was injured. Valenzuela won his first eight games that season and the Cy Young Award. In the World Series, the Yankees won the first two games, then Valenzuela won Game 3 and the Dodgers went on to win the Series.
Purdy has won the seven games he has started.
“I definitely have 49ers fever,” Kerr said. “They’ve been amazing to watch, on both sides of the ball. Incredible defense, then all those weapons on offense. Purdy’s doing such a good job of keeping everybody involved and making really good decisions and making really good throws. Fun to watch, so I’m pulling for them hard on Sunday.”
London Breed had a phone conversation this week with Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney.
“I’ve already said to the (Philadelphia) mayor, ‘We don’t want any problems, make sure my Niners have water at their hotel, they better be treated with respect, because we’re coming to win and we want to make sure that you’re not disadvantaging this great team.’ “
Breed grew up in the Western Addition and became a 49ers fan at about age 7, just as the ’80s dynasty was starting. A lot of folks in her neighborhood worked 49ers games at the ‘Stick.
“Sometimes we kids would jump on the express bus with these people, that was an adventure,” Breed said. “We’d go out to Candlestick, sometimes we could sneak in, or we’d just walk around, then hop on the bus and go back home. You just wanted to be part of it.”
I asked Breed if the statute of limitations was up on illegal entry.
“I’m off the hook, it’s too late,” she said. “Candlestick is gone.”
Breed rattled off the names of several 49ers, then said, “So we have all these great players who were just amazing, then now what we’re seeing with Brock, I am just really in awe of how this team is coming alive, and how they are just energized and motivated…. There’s just something special about what they’re doing right now.”
I asked Breed for a scoop on where the 49ers’ parade will be. She bristled.
“I don’t want to talk about Super Bowl, I don’t want to talk about no parade…. Our focus has to be on pushing the energy that we have, the positive, exciting energy, towards the team. I’m not messing around with anything other than let’s beat Philly.”
Mark Kotsay, Oakland A’s manager, can relate to Purdy. Kotsay was a too-small quarterback in high school, and football has always been his first love.
“I’m pulling for Purdy,” Kotsay said, “as someone who comes from an organization of underdogs, to a certain degree, right?”
Gabe Kapler also said football is his favorite sport and he is “emotionally invested” in the 49ers. And excited to talk about them.
“This is my first football analyst interview,” the San Francisco Giants manager joked.
Kapler, a meticulous planner, grinder and detail man, is impressed with how well-prepared Brock was when his opportunity arose.
“Sometimes it’s about the preparation and the work, and being ready for the moment,” Kapler said. “From the outside looking in, it seems like he had a moment that he was fully prepared for, and all the work he had put in up to that point took over, he allowed his natural gifts to kind of show up right along with that preparation…. He just looks to be very comfortable with the stage, very comfortable with the big moment, I think that’s what we’re seeing.”
Last word to VanDerveer: “It is a magical run, isn’t it?”
Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: [email protected]